STAATSKOERANT, 24 JANUARIE 2014
No. 37261
DEPUTY MINISTER STELLA NDABENI-ABRAHAMS
The launch of the National Integrated ICT Policy Green Paper is an important milestone in
constructing a platform for us to use modern communication technologies to address the
developmental gaps.
The National Developmental Plan identified information and communication technologies as
important to building an information society and knowledge economy. This vision
necessitates us to facilitate the provision of seamless information infrastructure that will
enable access to the creation and consumption of a wide range of converged services
required for effective economic and social participation. The disparities between the urban
and rural areas still remain high. We hope the research done on the availability of the
infrastructure will focus our efforts on those areas where the backbone infrastructure has not
yet reached as well as on the access part of the network, including in rural areas. It is time
we take stock of how far we have progressed on our journey to digital inclusiveness and to
overcome the obstacles we face.
We must also take stock of the high prices we as South Africans continue to pay for
communications. Elsewhere in the world people are enjoying higher speeds and faster
services because of the technological changes that have taken place over the last decade. It
is also time that we put our house in order and start to benefit from the innovative services
that the converged world can bring about in an appropriate policy and regulatory setting.
Our country still suffers from glaringly inequitable levels of access to all sorts of resources,
among them health, education, finance and the very information and communication
technologies whose access would alleviate the sufferings. Closing the gaps will require
innovation and joint efforts by all role players. It is for this reason that we have engaged with
other government bodies and entities in the development of research that informed this
paper. As a result we are more aware of the ICT projects and programmes that government
is undertaking. We are equally much more aware of the challenges different government
entities face in their quest to modernise their ICT infrastructure to deliver services to the
public.
In the discussions leading up to the release of the National Integrated ICT Policy Green
Paper it became obvious that government must find new ways of coordinating itself if we are
to succeed in using these technologies to deliver services successfully and in an affordable
way. ICT revolutions make possible better cheaper access to knowledge and information.
This speeds-up transactions and process and reduces their cost, which in-turn benefit
citizens and consumers. We hope you too can contribute ideas on how government can
coordinate efforts at national, provincial and municipal level more effectively.
The positive impact of the use of information and communication technologies on economic
development is now well established. The International Telecommunications Union posits
that 1.3% economic growth in terms of the GDP can result from 10% broadband penetration.
For this to be realised government will have to make the widest possible use of information
and communication technologies in everything we do. Government must act as an
aggregator of demand side measures that will stimulate public sector use of the
technologies. Government must also facilitate access to rights of ways and wayleaves in
order to allow for the rapid deployment of infrastructure.
The National Integrated ICT Policy Green Paper presents an occasion for us to engage each
other on what we believe to be our core needs and how we see the information and
communication technology sector advancing our community and societal interests.
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