Ericsson and the Communications Regulators Association of Southern Africa (CRASA) signed a memorandum of understanding this week to support the accelerated development of policies and regulations in the ICT sector of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
CRASA is a consultative body that was set up by SADC regulators to effectively develop harmonised policies and regulations for the ICT sector in the region.
According to Ericsson, the memorandum of understanding is not mutually exclusive and CRASA is free to engage other private players.
Spanning three years, Ericsson in collaboration with CRASA will organise and facilitate capacity-building workshops geared towards the development of national broadband plans (NBPs).
These sessions will focus on specific concerns related to ICT in the 15-member countries of the SADC who are planning, developing or revising and amending their broadband policies.
"There has been a slow adoption of NBPs in the SADC region and we need to speed up the process so that countries lagging behind can also enjoy the benefits that come with technology evolution," says Antony Chigaazira, executive secretary of CRASA. "Governments have a duty to create an enabling environment for the creation and adoption of broadband across all sectors and we are happy to be partnering with Ericsson on this journey."
Chigaazira attributes the slow adoption of NBPs in the SADC region to slow progress in the establishment of enabling policies and strategies. "In fact, most SADC member states do not even have the broadband plans in place."
There is also lack of an enabling environment for open access to broadband infrastructure, he points out, adding governments have other priorities such as health, education, transport and energy, and ICT is considered a luxury.
"The rollout of broadband has also been slowed down by financial constraints as well as duplications in broadband network deployments and inadequate network sharing policies and regulations. Inadequate energy infrastructure, especially in the semi-urban and rural areas in SADC, is also another factor."
Ericsson will play a support role to the member states and share global best practices that can be implemented in the region. The company will also advise member states on global technology developments, policy and regulatory approaches. The focus will be on how governments can most effectively harness ICT to manage domestic imperatives; to improve governance; and to reposition national economies and industries for competitiveness in the global economy.
"An increasing number of countries are formulating NBPs or policies aimed at promoting broadband," says Shiletsi Makhofane, vice-president and head of government and industry relations, Ericsson sub-Saharan Africa.
"These plans and policies are important in helping governments to set visions and strategies of how the development of technology can move their countries forward. The partnership with CRASA will allow us to share global best practices and help SADC realise the economic benefits of universal broadband."
Ericsson believes the adoption of NBP policies will increase the roll-out of broadband infrastructure in the SADC region which will have a major impact on the economy. The deployment of network facilities will also lead to increased innovation, new ways of doing business, improve education levels through e-learning, and enhance health welfare through e-health, ultimately improving the quality of life, it adds.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Admire Moyo
Quelle/Source: ITWeb, 05.06.2015
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