Way cleared for mobile TV

While the cellular operators, MTN and Vodacom, in conjunction with MultiChoice, have been running pilot projects for the provision of mobile television for a couple of years this announcement clears the way for the services to be commercialised.

While cellular operators initially set up their own networks to test the technology, more recent trials have been run in conjunction with signal distributor Sentech providing the broadcast network.

Sentech the likely provider

While the minister, in her budget vote speech, did not make reference to what organisation would be given the responsibility for building and operating the network it is likely that this would fall under the ambit of Sentech which has both the experience and the capacity for delivering this type of network.

The minister did not reveal the time-line for the delivery of this service but with telecoms regulator Icasa still busy with the process of processing licenses for new television operators and this only likely to be completed near the end of the year it is unlikely that the technology will get out of the trial phase before the middle of 2008.

The final deadline for the deployment of the mobile broadcasting network, using the digital video broadcasting han-held standard, is the 2010 World Cup as the provision of this service is one of the commitments the country has made to Fifa as the host nation.

Access to Telkom cables opened

Matsepe-Casaburri has also set the wheels in motion for opening up access to cheaper international bandwidth for South Africa.

She said that she had instructed telecoms regulator Icasa to prioritse and urgently prescribe a list of essential facilities , ensuring that the communications facilities, such as the landing station where the cable comes ashore, connected to the SAT-3 submarine cable can be accessed soon.

There has been consistent pressure on the minister to open up access to Sat-3, the undersea cable that connects South Africa to the rest of the world. This cable is controlled by Telkom, which has maintained a stranglehold on access to the cable and therefore kept prices artificially high. By declaring the cable an essential facility it would force Telkom to provide access at rates regulated by Icasa to its competitors.

The minister also announced that the process of local loop unbundling would be implemented urgently. This process would force Telkom to provide access to the copper cables that link its exchanges to its customers to its competitors. This would enable companies such as, second network operator, Neotel to deliver telephone and broadband services over the same cables that Telkom uses today.

The minster added that Icasa should as appropriate, take advantage of the report of the Local loop unbundling committee, which the minister tasked with examining the issues surrounding the unbundling of the local loop.

While the unbundling process is only set to be completed by November 1 2011, it has the potential to free up the market as in market such as the UK and Germany this process has allowed numerous competitors to offer real competition to the incumbent operators.