We
need new investment in networks says Melody
By Clive Emdon, News Editor
THERE
is a desperate need for telecom network development in developing countries,
says Prof. William Melody, an international expert in information and
communication technology (ICT), currently visiting South Africa.
He
says other main concerns are:
Melody was a “policy” theme speaker at the Networking Africa’s Future
international conference. He is currently the Vodacom Visiting Professor at
the LINK Centre at the Graduate School of Public and Development Management,
Wits University.
He
said in an interview that a programme to reduce both barriers to investment
and regulatory risks is urgently needed. This would require a critical
re-examination of:
-
The institutional structure of government in the telecom/ICT sector;
-
Policy directions for telecom regulation;
-
The functioning of the regulatory process;
-
The applications of regulatory standards; and
-
Steps to stimulate demand.
Stimulating investment in the current environment will require a shift in
focus from the supply of the physical capacity of networks to the
stimulation of the demand necessary to justify such investment.
This
in turn will demand greater private and public investment in facilitating
the awareness, skill, and capabilities for service applications by end
users, especially SMEs, public institutions and individuals.
Melody said it will also require a greater role for intermediary
organisations in facilitating service applications to satisfy local demands
and needs. “In essence, this suggests a shift from a supply-side focus on
investment in physical capital to a demand-side focus on investment in human
capital”.
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