Western Cape Broadband strategy

and plan Industry Briefing

March 2012

Connecting Leadership

The objectives of the project are to have integrated and complementary initiatives between government and the private sector, harnessing limited investment for maximum impact.

Key deliverables include:

• Set up and manage a Broadband Advisory Council/ Leadership forum which will drive the strategic direction and on-going investment in the broadband environment in the Western Cape.

• Setup and operationalise the Broadband Programme Office to manage and direct the entire programme ensuring integration and synergy between projects. This includes responsibility for advocacy and lobbying, securing and managing of funding, commissioning activities needed by the various projects, monitoring & evaluation, etc.

• Evaluate and setup of an appropriate institutional model for the long term success of the Western Cape Broadband Programme (SPV/ PP discussed later).

• Setup and manage a Way-leave Co-ordination Office to standardise and fast track way leave applications, co-ordinate infrastructure development projects and encourage the sharing of passive infrastructure like ducts, trenches, towers, etc.

Objectives

• Multi-stakeholder advisory forum which will assist the Provincial

Government of the Western Cape to optimise the economic and

social benefits derived from broadband services.

• The forum will advise on the strategic direction and on-going

investment in the broadband environment in the Western Cape.

• In addition, the forum will strive to achieve integrated/

complementary initiatives between government and the private

sector, harnessing limited investment for maximum impact e.g.

public-private partnerships (PPP’s), sharing of duct infrastructure,

coordination of infrastructure development projects etc.

• This forum will be called the Western Cape Broadband

Leadership Council.

Possible participants (examples only)

ICT Sector representatives

• Service providers and other ICT

industry stakeholders

• Telkom, Neotel, Vodacom, MTN, CellC, National Electronic Media institute of SA, FTTH Council, BITF, SACF, etc.

• Parastatals and other governmental

related bodies

• Sentech

• Infraco

• SA Post Office

• SABC

• USAASA

• SITA

• Western Cape Leaders (Business/

Community – not political)

• Local Businesses

• Community organizations

• Technology experts

• Legal experts

• Local, Provincial and National

Government

• Regulatory and other standards

making authorities

• ICASA

However care needs to be taken that the forum is not dominated by ICT industry players only. The forum must provide a vehicle for fostering communication between stakeholders on both the supply-side and demand-side of the broadband issue.

Expected activities of the forum

• Act as “brand leaders”/ champions for the Broadband Strategy.

• Provide strategic & operational input and oversight.

• Ensure that the projects enable the provision of comprehensive, affordable, reliable and high-quality telecoms access to all residents, businesses and institutions in the Western Cape.

• Ensure that the projects provide for job creation, competition, innovation and economic development.

• Ensure that the projects are financially sustainable, future-proof and scalable.

• Identify barriers that need to be addressed and suggest ways to overcome these barriers. This includes, but is not limited to, identifying possible revisions to regulations to overcome limitations to Broadband deployment.

• Drive coordinated and integrated action – creating integrated/ complementary initiatives between government and the private sector, harnessing limited investment for maximum impact and ensuring that core/ strategic infrastructure and services are built

• Identify sources of public and private funds that the province can pursue and develop appropriate funding models including securing funding from government programmes, grants, private sector investment, etc.

• Understand vendors’/providers’ current infrastructure, their future plans, and their willingness to extend existing coverage/service areas.

• Identify possible partnerships to share telecommunication infrastructure and/or services.

Operations of the forum

Representation on the forum will be by invitation only. Participants will be

chosen based on what value they can add to the programme rather than

what value the programme can add to them.

• The forum will be

chaired by the

Premier/ MEC:

Economic

Development and

Tourism.

• The forum will be

supported with a

secretariat function

and other expertise

from the Broadband

Programme Office.

Timeframes

• The Western Cape Broadband Leadership Council will be setup

by the Broadband Programme Office, which has yet to be

established.

• Establishment activities are anticipated to take a minimum of 3

months (i.e. April, May, June).

• Broadband Programme Office will be officially launched on 1

July 2012.

• One of its first activities will be to establish the leadership council.

• At this stage, are anticipating the process will be a fully

transparent public process where participants are nominated

and motivated for inclusion in the Leadership Council.

• A selection process will ensue, after which participants will be

chosen and invited to participate.

Leadership Council is anticipated to be established by 4th Quarter 2012.

Discussion points

• Real concern for the Western Cape Government - Care needs to be

taken that the forum is not dominated by ICT industry players only. The

forum must provide a vehicle for fostering communication between

stakeholders on both the supply-side and demand-side of the

broadband issue.

• The ICT industry players therefore need to come up with a plan on how

they organise themselves to participate in the Leadership Council

without dominating the Council. Participation by the ICT industry will be

limited and not every company will be represented.

• Cognisance must also be taken of the timeframes outlined. There will be

limited scope for engagement until the Programme Office is established.

Please respect that.

• Once the programme office is established, the delivery programme

pace increases dramatically. However note that there will be scope for

inputs in every project. It is part of the design.

Discussion

Contact Details:

Jo-Ann Johnston,

Chief Director: Strategic

Initiatives,

Jo-

ann.johnston@pgwc.gov

.za

Nirvesh Sooful,

Advisor/ Consultant,

nirvesh.sooful@eoh.co.za

Presentation downloadable from http://www.slideshare.net/nsooful/