3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item The evolution of broadband policy and regulation in South Africa(2014-03-18) Kekana, Arthur GladwellThe liberalization of the telecommunications sector in South Africa has brought about vast improvement in the take-up and use of mobile telephony, however the opposite can be said of broadband penetration. As recently as 2012, there has been some degree of stagnation in fixed telephony and broadband access. This research report explores the evolution of broadband policy and regulation over the past decade, 2003-2012. Several themes from international trends are used, as guidelines of what an integrated, efficient broadband policy should address what governance and policy leadership is necessary for driving broadband policy initiatives across all spheres of government. The study proposes a conceptual framework that informs the analysis in comparing and contrasting the national broadband policy and plans, as well as provincial and local government’s policies and plans against desirable characteristics, such coordinated planning and implementation of broadband across government. The research analyses the current state of the country’s national broadband policy and plans across the three spheres of government. The analysis considers the contextual differences between the trends studied and the local data collected in the formal research phase, for the benefit of identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the South African broadband plans. The conclusion focuses on the incentive structure needed to extend the development of the broadband ecosystem in terms of infrastructure, services, applications and user involvement in the country.Item Examining the factors that affect the rollout of municipal broadband in Tshwane(2014-02-18) Jiya, LebogangThe rollout of broadband through Information Communications Technology for Development (ICT4D) approaches can facilitate socio-economic growth in the country. Effective implementation of broadband programs under the policy guidance of the Department of Communications (DoC) and the Presidential Infrastructure and Coordination Committee (PICC) would enhance the availability of broadband, which in turn could improve delivery of many public and private services. Furthermore, municipalities should be key stakeholdersin promoting broadband rollout, using mechanisms that are suitable for either urban or rural areas. This research report presents a qualitative case study which attempts to establish the challenges for municipal broadband initiatives that are taking effect in South Africa. The study examinesa particular set of factors that affects the rollout of broadband and investigates how factors such as funding levels, technology adaptation, business models,policy intervention and regulatory effects either promote or inhibit broadband deployment. With attention to a single, in-depth case study, the reportconsiders the challenges that the City of Tshwane Municipality has experienced when rolling out pilot projects and the extent to whichthe success of municipal broadband infrastructure rollout depends on policy and regulatory interventions. The Broadband Policy (201 0) adopted by government to facilitate the broadband initiatives has beenreviewed in this ~tudy. The research findings indicate that decisions made in all three spheres of government i.e. national, provincial and local, influence these five factors, thus affecting the rollout of broadband at municipallevei.The findings indicated that the Ministry of Communications is reviewing the current broadband policy to include more detailed guidelines and ICASA is reviewing the regulatory framework. However, it remains unclear whether the importance of the five factors articulated here will be acknowledged in these revisions.Therefore, the recommendations in this report are directed to the policy maker, the Department of Communications and the ICT Policy Review Panel, to take cognisance of the factors that affect municipal broadband rollout. A coordinated inter-governmental approach on broadband initiatives is required to deliver high speed communications infrastructure to citizens.Item Barriers to broadband market development in rural areas in South Africa.(2013-07-25) Macharia, Caroline WangariThis research study investigates challenges affecting the supply and demand side factors of the broadband ecosystem that hinder the market development of broadband in rural areas in South Africa and how policy and regulation has affected the evolution of the broadband ecosystem in rural areas. Although the elements of the broadband ecosystem are strong and well placed in urban areas, not all elements of the broadband ecosystem in rural areas are in place and equally strong. The relative strengths and weaknesses of the different elements of the broadband ecosystem in rural areas are unknown and demand and supply side factors are not understood. Hence the broadband policy may not be based on a full understanding of the complex ecosystem. The study points to a classic case of market failure that exists in rural areas in relation to the broadband market development. The study identifies that a governance framework, investment management framework, universal access funding model, sufficient frequency spectrum resources, policies and regulation that specifically address the development of the broadband market in rural areas are lacking. Although the barriers and gaps identified in this study are known to the industry this research study goes further to corroborate from an academic research perspective the existence of these barriers that are affecting the broadband market development of rural areas.Item Infrastructure sharing and access to broadband: the role of policy and regulation(2013-06-07) Magagane, Mankakane VioletABSTRACT Infrastructure sharing is seen an opportunity to reduce the costs of deploying infrastructure and of gearing investment towards underserviced areas. It has since emerged that there is duplication and concentration of infrastructure in urban areas and limited infrastructure in many parts of the country. This complicates the sharing of infrastructure and the effectiveness of the infrastructure sharing instruments on essential facilities, facilities leasing and interconnection regulations in granting access to a wide range of services such as voice and broadband. The purpose of this study is to explore policy and regulatory instruments in infrastructure sharing and access to broadband. The study took into account the literature on policy and regulation and infrastructure sharing, the industry views and considered the trends in infrastructure sharing and the provision of ubiquitous networks to underserviced areas. The study found that network infrastructure sharing has the potential of providing the rapid development of access infrastructure capable of handling high bandwidth requirements suitable for an information society.Item Fixed-to-mobile broadband substitution in South Africa.(2012-10-17) Moroeng, Letlhogonolo Hendrick.Broadband is an important technology for development. Research has proven that development is directly linked to high speed internet. Over the past few years mobile broadband has overtaken fixed-line broadband as a primary connection for many households. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate how pricing and quality of service have either encouraged or inhibited fixed-to-mobile broadband in South Africa, and research if there are any other factors affecting broadband growth. The study, conducted in a predominantly middle-income neighbourhood, found that there is a trend towards fixed-to-mobile broadband substitution in South Africa.Item Exploring business models in Africa's undersea cable market for broadband development(2012-05-29) Patel, Ashraf A.Cannot copy abstract