Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan ICT Sector Plan

Regional Infrastructure
Development Master Plan

Information and
Communication
Technologies (ICT )
Sector Plan
August 2012
SADC ICT SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN: July 2012
TableofContents
Abbreviations.....................................................................................................................1
Definitions..........................................................................................................................4
ListofTables.......................................................................................................................7
ListofFigures.....................................................................................................................8
ExecutiveSummary..........................................................................................................10
1. Introduction..............................................................................................................14
1.1
SectorPurposeandObjectives.......................................................................................14
1.2 PolicyandLegislativeFrameworksGuidingtheICTSector..............................................15
1.2.1
TheRegionalIndicativeStrategicDevelopmentPlan(RISDP).......................................15
1.2.2
ProtocolsandOtherDocumentsandStatutes..............................................................16
2.
SituationAnalysis...................................................................................................18
2.1 CurrentSectorStatus.....................................................................................................18
2.1.1
VoiceTelephony............................................................................................................18
2.1.2
InternetandBroadbandAccess....................................................................................21
2.1.3
OpticFibreInfrastructure.............................................................................................25
2.1.4
TerrestrialCommunicationInfrastructure.....................................................................27
2.1.5
PrivateTelecommunicationInfrastructureProviders...................................................30
2.1.6
NationalandRegionalInternetTrafficExchange..........................................................33
2.1.7
PostalInfrastructure......................................................................................................37
2.1.8
Communications,eServicesandApplications.............................................................41
2.1.9
ICTCosts/Tariffs.............................................................................................................42
2.1.10 Research,Innovation,Training,Content&IndustryDevelopment...............................45
2.2 EnablingEnvironmentandInstitutionalArrangements...................................................46
2.2.1
International/ContinentalLevel....................................................................................46
2.2.2
RegionalCooperation(policies,strategiesandplans)..................................................47
2.2.3
DynamicsattheMemberStateLevel...........................................................................51
2.3 ProjectionsandTrendsfor2027InfrastructureRequirements......................................52
2.3.1
BackboneInfrastructure................................................................................................52
2.3.2
PostalSector..................................................................................................................55
2.3.3
AdditionalICTInfrastructureRequirements.................................................................56
2.4 AssessmentofGapbetweenCurrentSituationand2027Requirements.........................57
2.4.1
Infrastructure................................................................................................................57
2.4.2
ConfidenceandSecurityinNetworksandServices......................................................60
2.4.3
EServices&ApplicationsandCapacityBuilding&Content.........................................61
2.4.4
Research,InnovationandIndustryDevelopment.........................................................61
2.4.5
EnablingPolicyandRegulatoryEnvironment...............................................................62
2.4.6
PostalSpecificGaps......................................................................................................63
2.4.7
CrosscuttingGaps........................................................................................................64
3.
StrategicFramework..............................................................................................66
3.1 StrategyforAddressingGapsandExpectedResultsby2027...........................................66
3.1.1
SignificanceofSectorandPriorityGoals......................................................................66
3.1.2
PolicyandRegulatoryFramework.................................................................................66
3.1.3
InstitutionalArrangements...........................................................................................67
3.1.4
ProjectsandInterventions............................................................................................69
3.2
InterrelationshipsandIntegrationwithotherInfrastructureSectors.............................73
3.3 AssumptionsandRisks...................................................................................................75
3.3.1
Assumptions..................................................................................................................75
3.3.2
RisksandPotentialMitigationActions..........................................................................75
3.4
4.
PreparingforFutureSectorTrends(beyond2027)..........................................................77
ImplementationStrategy.......................................................................................78
4.1 ImplementationPlan.....................................................................................................78
4.1.1
PriorityListofProjectsandResourceRequirements....................................................78
4.1.2
ImplementationModalities...........................................................................................83
4.2
CriticalFactorsforSuccessfulImplementation................................................................88
Abbreviations
AFD
AfDB
AIP
AISI
AMSIX
ARPU
ASN
ATU
AU
BGP
BPS
BRICS
CDN
CEC
CERT
CIDA
CoE
COMESA
CRASA
DBSA
DFID
DID
DNS
DRC
DTT
DVB
DWDM
EAC
EAIF
EASSy
ECCAS
ECOWAS
EIA
EIB
EU
FAP
Gbps
GDP
Gigabit
GIZ
GMS
GNI
GPS
GSR
gTLD
HIPSSA
HOS
IASP
ICA
ICT
IDRC
L'AgenceFranaisedeDveloppement
AfricanDevelopmentBank
AdministrativeIncentivePricing
AfricanInformationSocietyInitiative
AmsterdamInternetExchange
AverageRevenuePerUser
AutonomousSystemNumber
AfricanTelecommunicationUnion
AfricanUnion
BorderGatewayProtocol
BitsperSecond
Brazil,Russia,India,Chinaand
ContentDistributionNetwork
CopperbeltEnergyCorporation
ComputerEmergencyResponseTeam
CanadianInternationalDevelopmentAgency
CentreofExcellence
CommonMarketforEastandSouthernAfrica
CommunicationandPostalRegulatoryAssociationofSouthernAfrica
DevelopmentBankofSouthernAfrica
DepartmentforInternationalDevelopment
DirectInwardDialling
TheDomainNameSystem
DemocraticRepublicofCongo
DigitalTerrestrialTelevision
DigitalVideoBroadcasting
DenseWaveDivisionMultiplexing
EastAfricanCommunity
EmergingAfricaInfrastructureFund
EasternAfricaSubmarineCableSystem
TheEconomicCommunityofCentralAfricanStates
TheEconomicCommunityofWestAfricanStates
EnvironmentalImpactassessment
EuropeanInvestmentBank
EuropeanUnion
FrequencyAllocationPlan(forradiospectrum)
Gigabitspersecond
GrossDomesticProduct
Onebillionbits
DeutscheGesellschaftfrInternationaleZusammenarbeit
GlobalMonitoringSystem
GrossNationalIncome
GlobalPositioningSystem
GlobalSymposiumofRegulators
GenericTopLevelDomain
HarmonisationofICTPoliciesinSubSaharanAfrica
HeadsofStates
InternationalAssociationofScienceParks
InfrastructureConsortiumforAfrica
InformationandCommunicationTechnology
InternationalDevelopmentResearchCentre
IFC
IGAD
IICD
IP
IPP
IPS
IRU
IS
InternationalFinanceCorporation
IntergovernmentalAuthorityonDevelopment
InternationalInstituteforCommunicationandDevelopment
InternetProtocol
IndependentPowerProducer
InternationalPostalSystem
IndefeasibleRightofUse
InternetSolutions
IsDB
ISOC
ISP
IT
ITU
IXP
LINX
LION
LTE
Mbps
MDG
Megabit
MEO
MoU
NEPAD
NGN
NICI
NICTBB
NIXP
NorAID
NPCA
NRA
NREN
NSC
NSO
OAU
OGP
OSBP
OPGW
OSISA
PAPU
PCU
PIDA
PIM
PKI
POI
POP
PPDF
PPDR
PPP
PPIU
PSTN
QoS
PTO
REC
IslamicDevelopmentBank
InternetSociety
InternetServiceProvider
InformationTechnology
InternationalTelecommunicationUnion
InternetExchangePoint
LondonInternetExchange
LowerIndianOceanNetwork
LongTermEvolution
Megabitspersecond
MillenniumDevelopmentGoal
Onemillionbits
MediumEarthOrbit
MemorandumofUnderstanding
NewPartnershipforAfrica'sDevelopment
NextGenerationNetwork
NationalInformationandCommunicationInfrastructure
NationalICTBroadbandBackbone
NationalInternetExchangePoint
(Irish)NorthernAidCommittee
NEPADPlanningandCoordinatingAgency
NationalRegulatoryAuthority
NationalResearchandEducationNetwork
NorthSouthCorridor
NationalStatisticsOffice
OrganizationofAfricanUnity
OpenGovernmentPartnership
OneStopBorderPost
OverheadPowerGroundWire
OpenSocietyInitiativeforSouthernAfrica
PanAfricanPostalUnion
ProjectCoordinatingUnit
ProgrammeforInfrastructureDevelopmentinAfrica
ProjectInformationMemorandum
PublicKeyInfrastructure
PointofInterconnection
PointofPresence
ProjectPreparationandDevelopmentFacility
PublicProtectionandDisasterRelief
PublicPrivatePartnership
ProjectPreparationandImplementationUnit
PublicSwitchedTelephoneNetwork
QualityofService
PublicTelecomOperator
RegionalEconomicCommunity
RICTSP
RIO
RIR
RISDP
RIDMP
RIXP
ROI
ROW
RTN
SABA
SADC
SAEx
SAFE
SAPOA
SAPP
SAPRA
SARUA
SATA
SIDA
SLA
SMP
SPV
SRD
SRII
TCM
Terabit
TLD
TMSA
TTA
UNCSTD
UNCTAD
UNDESA
UNECA
UNESCO
UNIDO
UPU
USAID
USF
VoIP
VNO
WACS
WATRA
WiFi
WiMax
WIPO
WSIS
WTO
RegionalICTSupportProgramme
ReferenceInterconnectionOffer
RegionalInternetRegistry
RegionalIndicativeStrategicDevelopmentPlan
RegionalInfrastructureDevelopmentMasterPlan
RegionalInternetExchangePoint
ReturnonInvestment
RestoftheWorld,orRightsofWay
RoadTransportNetwork
SouthernAfricaBroadcastingAssociation
SouthAfricanDevelopmentCommunity
SouthAtlanticExpress
SouthernAfricaFarEastWestAfricasubmarinecable
SouthernAfricanPostalOperatorsAssociation
SouthernAfricanPowerPool
SouthernAfricanPostalRegulatorsAssociation
SouthernAfricaRegionalUniversitiesAssociation
SouthernAfricaTelecommunicationsAssociation
SwedishInternationalDevelopmentCooperationAgency
ServiceLevelAgreement
SignificantMarketPower
SpecialPurposeVehicle
ShortRangeDevice
SADCRegionalInformationInfrastructure
Transport,CommunicationsandMeteorology(Protocol)
Onethousandgigabits
TopLevelDomain
TrademarkSouthernAfrica
TripartiteTrustAccount
UnitedNationsCenterforScienceandTechnologyforDevelopment
UnitedNationsConferenceonTradeandDevelopment
UnitedNationsDepartmentofEconomicandSocialAffairs
UnitedNationsEconomicCommissionforAfrica
UnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCulturalOrganization
UnitedNationsIndustrialDevelopmentOrganization
UniversalPostalUnion
USAgencyforInternationalDevelopment
UniversalServiceFund
VoiceoverInternetProtocol
VirtualNetworkOperator
WestAfricanCableSystem
WestAfricanTelecommunicationsRegulatorsAssembly
WirelessFidelity
WorldinteroperabilityforMicrowaveaccess
WorldIntellectualPropertyOrganization
WorldSummitontheInformationSociety
WorldTradeOrganization
Definitions
4G
ASN
Backbone
Bandwidth
BGP
BPS
Broadband
DID
DNS
DTT
DWDM
HIPSSA
International
gateway
Internet
IP
IPS
IRU
4G is the latest mobile broadband cellular network technology LTEAdvanced and WirelessMAN
Advanced are officially designated IMTAdvanced by the ITU the new standard for 4G wireless
networks.
AutonomousSystemNumberuniqueASNsareallocatedtointernetoperatorsbytheregionalinternet
registries(RIRs)foruseinmultipathroutingandareakeycomponentofindependentnetworkswhich
BGProutingtoensuretheyareconnectedasdirectlyaspossibletoasmanyothernetworkoperatorsas
economicallyandtechnicallyfeasible(seeTransitandPeering).
The trunk routes of a network used as the path for transporting traffic between different networks.
Backbones can be the physical telecommunication infrastructure, or the internet circuits established
overthembyaparticularinternetoperator.
The size or capacity of a communications channel to transfer data, usually measured in the speed of
datatransfer,inbitspersecond(BPS),althoughalsooftenstatedinthefrequencyrangeassignedtothe
channel,measuredinHertz(Hz).
BorderGatewayProtocoltheprotocolstandardusedtoensurethatthereismorethanonerouteto
theinternetprovidernetwork(seeASN).
Bits per Second the number of bits passing a point every second. The transmission rate for digital
information, i.e. a measure of how fast data can be sent or received. Often expressed as Mbps, for
MegabitspersecondorGbps(Gigabitspersequin)forfibreorbroadbandlinks.
A high speed (multimegabit) data connection sufficient to support multiple streaming video
connections.
DirectInwardDiallingtelephonenumberslinkedtoVoIPgateways.
TheDomainNameSystemmatcheshumanreadable/morememorablenameswiththeIPaddresses
needed to route traffic. The DNS usesa tree structure, which divides the internet into a hierarchical
structureofdomainsandsubdomains.Topleveldomains(TLDs)includegenericdomainssuchas.com,
.eduand.org,andcountrycodedomainsccTLDssuchas.uk,.za,.ghor.ke.Administratorsofeach
TLDcancreateasmanysubdomainsastheywish.AninternationalnetworkofDNSservers,maintains
uptodateinformationaboutwhichdomainnamegoeswitheachIPaddress;changescanbemadeon
anyoneserverandarerapidlypropagatedthroughthenetwork.
DigitalTerrestrialTelevisionthenewstandardfortelevisionbroadcastingtowhichmostcountrieshave
committed firm time frames for migrating their TV services away from the Analogue wavebands,
particularly in the 700Mhz band which will release it for broadband use, in the socalled Digital
Dividend.
DenseWaveDivisionMultiplexingthecurrentstandardfordatatransmissionoverfibreopticcable.
HarmonisationofICTPoliciesinSubSaharanAfricaajointITU/EU/GIZprogrammetosupportpolicy
andregulatoryreform.
Technically, this is a facility to consolidate and share the cost of international links and termination
points.Inpracticeitisalicensingtermusedbymanydevelopingcountrygovernmentswhoonlyallow
the state owned monopoly operator to carry international traffic. In some countries, one or two
additionalinternationalgatewayoperatorshavebeenlicensed,oftenthemobileoperators.
A global mesh of computer networks using the same communications protocol called TCP/IP. The
internets national and international backbones are highspeed fibre trunk lines owned by
telecommunicationcompanies.NationalTier1serviceprovidersaggregatedatatrafficandpassitover
the backbones. They work with local service providers who connect to customers via digital links or
modems.
Internet Protocol the packet based data interchange standard on which the internet is based,
increasinglybeingusedforvoicetraffic(VoIP).
InternationalPostalSystemaninternationalpostalmanagementsystemdevelopedbytheUPU,which
includestrack&traceandvariousotherfunctions.
IndefeasibleRightofUseacommonmethodofpurchasingfibreopticinfrastructure,onalongterm
basis(usually1015years),onacapacity(MbpsorSTMx)basisorasawavelengthordarkfibrepair.
PreferredbylargeroperatorsasaonceoffCAPEXitem.
ISP
IXP
LTE
Mbps
NGN
O3B
OFC
OpenAccess
OPGW
Peering
PKI
PSTN
PTO
Redundancy
RIR
SMP
Transit
InternetServiceProvideragenerictermfororganisationsprovidinginternetservicessuchaswebsite
hosting and internet access. Internet Service/Access Providers purchase bandwidth from other
companiesthathavedirectlinkstotheinternet.TheInternetService/AccessProvidersinturnsellthat
bandwidth to consumers and businesses in smaller chunks. For example, an ISP may take the
bandwidth of a 45Mbps connection to the internet and sell it to two thousand 256Kbps broadband
usersata10:1contentionratio.
Internet Exchange Point a location where many internet providers meet each other to exchange
traffic.Astheinternetbecomesmoredense,IXPsalsoneedtobecomemorewidespreadtohelpensure
thatlocaltrafficstayslocal.RegionalIXPsarehublocationsconnectedtomanyfibreopticcableswhere
internationalinternetprovidersexchangetraffic.
LongTermEvolutionLTEAdvancedandWirelessMANAdvancedareaccordedtheofficialdesignation
ofIMTAdvancedthenewstandardfor4Gwirelessnetworks.
Megabitspersecondaunitoftrafficorcapacitymeasurement.
NextGenerationNetworkapurelyIPbasednetworkforcarryingvoiceanddata.
Other3BillionaMediumEarthOrbitsatellitecommunicationssystembeinglaunchedshortly.Itoffers
muchlowerlatencythantraditionalGeoStationarysatellitelinks.
OpticFibrecableatechnologyusingglassfibreforthetransmissionofdata.Thesignalisimposedon
thefibreviapulses(modulation)oflightfromalaseroralightemittingdiode(LED).Becauseofitshigh
bandwidthandlackofsusceptibilitytointerference,fibreopticcableisusedinhighcapacity,longhaul
or noisy applications. With advances in modulation technology, international fibre cables are now
usuallydeployedwithterabitcapacities.
When referring to Infrastructure, Open Access service delivery models ensure that all operators have
equaltermsofuse,usuallyforaccesstofibreoptic cablesonacapacity(Mbps),wavelength,ordark
fibrebasis,oftensoldas1015yearIRUs.
Overhead Power Ground Wire a location for fibre cabling on power lines poles or hightension
pylons.
Peering,alsoknownasSenderKeepsAll,orBillandKeep,isazerocompensationarrangementwhere
network operators agree to exchange traffic at no charge. This arrangement is common where the
networkshaveroughlythesamecharacteristicsandtrafficvolumes,suchthatnetfinancialburdenfrom
trafficflowsbetweenthemislikelytobesmall.Theprocessbywhichanetworkqualifiesforpeeringis
usually privately negotiated based on network coverage, volume of traffic, and network reliability.
Peeringisthealternativeto'Transit'wheretheISPpaystohavetheirpacketsdeliveredtotheremote
network.PeeringandTransitoftentakesplacemostefficientlyatIXPs,butbilateraldirectphysicallinks
betweendifferentnetworkoperatorsisalsocommon.
Public Key Infrastructure a set of hardware, software, people, policies, and procedures needed to
create,manage,distribute,use,store,andrevokedigitalcertificates.
PublicSwitchedTelephoneNetworkthetraditionalvoicetelephonesystem,basedonswitched(rather
thanpacket)networkingprotocols.
Public Telecom Operator usually refers to the incumbent stateowned monopoly operator, although
technically, the distinction between fixed line, cellular operators and ISPs is becoming increasingly
blurred.
ConnectionRedundancyanalternativeroute,usuallyonasecondphysicallink.
Regional Internet Registry the five organisations responsible for allocating IP addresses to network
operators in their respective regions Africa, USA, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Europe AfriNIC,
ARIN,APNIC,LACNICandRIPENCC.
Significant Market Power a definition used by regulators to help ensure a level playing field in the
presenceofanoperatorwhichisdominantinthemarketandthereforeabletochargeuncompetitive
prices(usuallytheincumbentpreviouslystateownedmonopoly).AnSMPdeterminationwillallowthe
regulatortosettariffschargedandplaceotherconditionsontheoperator.
Transit is an arrangement in which networks sell access to their customers, usually other networks.
Transit charges are set by negotiation, and are often not disclosed publicly. Transit arrangements
typicallyprovideaccesstoanarrayofnetworks,notlimitedtoonecountry.Inmanycasesoneinternet
transitarrangementwithalargenetworkcanprovideasmall,remotenetworkwithaccesstotheRest
oftheWorld(ROW).
WACS
WiFi
WiMax
WirelessMan
Advanced
WestAfricanCableSystemasubmarinefibrecablelinkinganumberofSADCandothercountrieson
thewestcoastofAfricaandtoEurope.
Wireless Fidelity the most common spread spectrum data protocol used in Hotspots to share or
deliverabroadbandlink.
World interoperability for Microwave access a data interchange standard developed with support
fromIntel,nowgivingwaytoLTEAdvancedandWirelessMANAdvanced.
OneofthetwoofficialITU4Gmobilebroadbandstandards.
ListofTables
Table1: TelecommunicationsLicensingStatusinSADCMemberStates..........................................21
Table2: BroadbandpenetrationlevelsinSADCMemberStates......................................................25
Table3: SADCMemberStateunderseafibreroutestotherestoftheworld..................................26
Table4: CrossBorderInterconnectionMatrix..................................................................................29
Table5: SADCMainlandInterconnectivitySummary.......................................................................35
Table6: ListofoperatorsexchangingtrafficdirectlywitheachotherintheSADCmainland..........36
Table7: ICTInfrastructureStatusofSADCPostalOperators............................................................38
Table8: PostalBranches,PostOfficeBoxesandPostalCodeAddressinginSADC...........................39
Table9: ICTPriceBasketforSADCRegion........................................................................................43
Table10: NationalICTStrategies........................................................................................................51
Table11: ForecastNationalandInternationalCapacityRequirementsby2027................................54
Table12: PostalBranchesrequiredtoreachUPUrecommendationsof1:10000peoplein2027....56
Table13: CrossBorderInterconnectionStatusandNeeds................................................................59
Table14: LinkswithOtherInfrastructureSectors..............................................................................73
Table15: SummaryofICTMasterPlanRegionalProjectsandResourceRequirements....................81
ListofFigures
Figure1: DigitalSADC2027................................................................................................................11
Figure2: GrowthintotalmobilesubscribersintheSADCregion......................................................18
Figure3: TrendsinmobilesubscriberdensitySADCMemberStates................................................18
Figure5: TrendsinfixedlineaccessintheSADCregion....................................................................19
Figure7: Numberofmobileoperatorspercountry...........................................................................20
Figure8: TrendsininternetpenetrationintheSADCregion.............................................................22
Figure10:WiMaxdeploymentsinSouthernAfrica.............................................................................23
Figure11:TrendsinfixedbroadbandpenetrationintheSADCregion...............................................24
Figure13:TrendsininternationalbandwidthcapacityuseSADC.......................................................25
Figure15:SADCFibreandMicrowaveTelecommunicationInfrastructureby2012/13.......................28
Figure16:SAPPNetwork.....................................................................................................................30
Figure17:LiquidTelecommunicationCurrentandPlannedRegionalBackbone................................32
Figure18:ASNsinSADCMemberStates.............................................................................................37
Figure19:NumberofpostofficebranchesintheSADCregion..........................................................40
Figure21:InternetProtocol(IP)addressespercapitaintheSADCRegion.........................................41
Figure23:FacebookuserpenetrationinSADCMemberStates..........................................................42
Figure24:FixedlineinternationalcalltariffsperminuteinSADCMemberStates.............................44
Figure25:MobileincominginternationaltariffsperminuteinSADCMemberStates.......................44
ListofAnnexures
ANNEXURE1PROJECTIMPLEMENTATIONSTRATEGYSUMMARY&TIMELINE..................................89
ANNEXURE2MilestonesandPerformanceObjectives....................................................................100
ANNEXURE3ICTProjectDetails.......................................................................................................110
ANNEXURE4PROJECTBUDGETDETAILS..........................................................................................133
ANNEXURE5SADCPreExistingOngoingActivities..........................................................................142
ANNEXURE6PIDAICTInfrastructureRecommendations................................................................149
ExecutiveSummary
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have become the lifeblood of the knowledge
economy or, as some have observed, the electricity of the 21st Century. In either case, affordable
access to ICTs is a human right as well as a significant contributor to economic growth and social
wellbeing.ThegoaloftheICTChapteroftheMasterPlanistooutlinethemeasuresnecessaryto
ensurethateveryMemberStatecitizenhasfullaccesstothisvitalresource.
Moretangibly,thevisiontoachievea'DigitalSADC'by2027,isdrivenbysomekeybenefitsthatare
expectedtoresultfrombecomingaknowledgebasedsociety:
Wellinformedrapiddecisionmakingefficient,transparentgovernance,globallycompetitive
industriesandknowledgeablepublic;
Lifelonglearninginstantaccesstoknowledgeandbetterjobs;
Socialandculturalinclusiontheendofisolationanddiscrimination;
Morewealthandlivelihoodcreationoptionsandemploymentopportunities;
Efficientcrossbordertravelandseamlessmarketsforgoodsandservices;
Increasedagriculturalproductionandmoreefficientproducemarkets;
Accessiblegovernment,commercialandfinancialservices,culturalheritageandindigenous
knowledge;and
Ahealthier,happierpopulation.
These benefits are based on the promise of alwayson affordable broadband connectivity, rich
contentandusefulapplications,witheasytouseaccessdevicesandpostalsystems.Makingsurethis
happensby2027willrequirerapidandconcertedeffortsbyall.Thiswouldideallybeginatheadof
statelevel,withallocationofclearrolesandresponsibilities,andbasedonasystematicapproachto
eliminatingbottlenecksandidentifyingthebestmethodstomoveforward.Theframeworkforthis
can be seen as four pillars based on platforms of ICT Policy & Regulatory Harmonisation, and
ConfidenceandSecurityofNetworks&Services,asshowninthediagrambelow.
Pillars:
Infrastructure;
Eservices&applications;
Research,innovation&industrydevelopment;and
Capacitybuilding&content.
Platforms:
Confidenceandsecurityofnetworks&services;and
10
Policy&regulatoryharmonisation
Figure1:DigitalSADC2027
The identification and prioritisation of projects that support the platforms and pillars of this
frameworkarethekeyoutputofthischapter.
Analysis of the current status of ICTs in the region shows that one of the main problems is that
althoughmostoftheunderlyinginfrastructureisinplace,itisnotefficientlyused.LandlockedSADC
MemberStatesstillpaymoretogettothecoastortotherestofAfricathantheydotogetfromthe
coasttoEurope,theUSorAsia.NationalfibreopticbackbonesinmanySADCMemberStatesneed
bettermanagement,upgradingandextensiontocovermorepopulation,andaffordablepricing.And
due to limited development of traffic exchange points, much domestic and regional traffic is
exchanged overseas, leading to poor network performance and millions of dollars in transit fees
annuallypaidtoforeignoperators.
Asaresult,highaccesscostsprevailacrosstheregion,severelylimitinguse,especiallyforbroadband
servicesamongthegeneralpublic,andthisinturnconstrainsdemandforthedevelopmentoflocal
applicationsandservices,sothatinefficientmanualprocessescontinue.Whencombinedwithsparse
human capacity, low levels of research and development and immature ecommerce facilities that
lack payments and physical delivery systems, this leads to a low critical mass of ICT innovators,
investors,employers,skilledworkersandICTusers.Theseissuesassumeevengreatersignificancein
rural populations, remote areas and disadvantaged groups, where costs and unmet demand for
access to ICTs are much higher, and the opportunities to use information technology to accelerate
theirdevelopmentisperhapsgreater.
Toaddresstheseissues,whichaffectcountriesallovertheworld,nationalbroadbandplansarebeing
implemented to help ensure that everyone, including those in rural areas, has access to fast and
affordableinternetservices.Policyandregulatorymodernisationandharmonisationisattheheart
ofaddressingtheseissues,totakeintoaccountthelatesttechnologicaldevelopmentsandtoensure
thatbestpracticesarepropagatedthroughouttheregion,creatingeconomiesofscale,opportunities
forcostsharing,andleveragingthefullpotentialofICTstosupportregionalintegration.
11
BuildingtheenvironmentinwhichICTsaretothriveispartofastrategicframeworkwhichhasboth
shortandlongtermobjectives.Intheshortterm,themainaimistoassistMemberStatesinsharing
the cost of ensuring the key building blocks are in place secure and affordable connectivity and
accessdevices,usefulapplicationsandrichcontent,andsufficienthumancapacitytomaximisetheir
potential.Thiswouldlaythe basisfor adynamicICT marketin whichdemandandsupplyarewell
balanced, allowing each Member State to meet their longerterm policy objectives to ensure that
everyone,regardlessofincomelevelorgeographiclocation,canreapthefullbenefits.Dependingon
the country, the priorities would likely include; network extension to the most remote areas,
reducing access costs to levels which do not exclude even the poorest people, ensuring network
reliabilitybyimplementingbackuproutes,andstrengtheningthesupportinginfrastructurenotably
postalsystemsandenergysupplies.
Butfirst,thekeypolicybottlenecksineachMemberStateneedtobeaddressedtoensurethatthe
full ICT programme can progress as quickly and as cost effectively as possible. Using a rapid
assessment methodology to yield fast results, the top policy and regulatory constraints in each
countrywouldbeidentifiedforpriorityshorttermtreatment(<12months).Thiswouldallowsome
lowcostquickwinstobemadethatwouldsubstantiallyimprovetheenablingenvironmentwithina
veryshorttime.Theassessmentwouldfocusontheissuescurrentlyconsideredmostimportant:
AccesstobroadbandradiospectrumanduseofTVwhitespaceforbroadbandReducethe
high cost of radio spectrum licences and ensure availability of optimal frequencies for
broadband;
Accesstonationalfibrebackbonesandthefibreinfrastructureofutilityoperatorsatmarket
based rates increase national network coverage and multiple crossborder/international
routes;and
OpenmarketsandtechnologyneutrallicensingfornewICTinfrastructureoperatorsincrease
competition and encourage new investment in the middle and last mile to deliver more
efficientservices.
In parallel with the rapid assessment, the enabling policy & regulatory environment project would
alsoinitiatelongertermsupportforintegratednationalICTpolicyreviewsforeachMemberState,to
assess the overall status of ICT sector reform and market liberalisation, and support national
broadbandstrategydevelopment.ThisprocessisalreadyongoinginsomeMemberStates.
With the policy & regulatory environment providing a solid base for the Digital SADC 2027
framework, the other programme activities supporting the framework are outlined below. These
havebeenorganisedforcoherenceandefficiencyasfollows:
a) Ensuringconfidenceandsecurityinnetworksandservices.MakingMemberStateandregional
communication networks secure and reliable by establishing Computer Emergency Response
Teamsandstandardsforfibrecablelayingandtopologies,inordertominimisedowntimes.
b)
Infrastructure a) Consolidation of regional telecommunications networks. Ensuring that the

region is fully interconnected nationally, regionally, interregionally, and globally, through
reliableandaffordablefibreopticlinksi.e.everycapitalcityintheRegionislinkedtoallofits
neighbours via at least two routes, and to at least two different crosscontinental submarine
networks, that postal systems are pervasive, and an affordable satellite based connectivity
solutionisavailableforremoteareasoutsidetheneartermreachoffibreinfrastructure.
12
c)
Infrastructure b) Strengthening the Postal sector. Implementing Postal Code and addressing
systems,extendingpostalbranchnetworksandsecurity,revitalisingandimprovingtherangeof
postalservices,inparticulardevelopingfinancialservicesaspartoftheintegrationofphysical
andelectronicnetworks.
d)
Capacitybuilding&content.MaximisinghumancapacitytotakeadvantageofICTsbyregional
sharing of the costs of: a) raising awareness of ICT supported development strategies,
governance innovations and business opportunities, b) developing regional certification
standardsforinformationliteracy,c)establishingcentresofexcellence(CoEs)inICTandPostal
Servicesandregionalrepositoriesofonlinelearningmaterials.
e)
Regional eservices and applications. Sharing software development costs across the region,
improving efficiencies in public service delivery and commerce, facilitating administration of
regionalflowsofpeople,goodsandservices,andprovidingopenaccesstopublicdata.
f)
Research, innovation and ICT industry development. Strengthening research institutions and
SMEs working in the ICT sector, promoting national and regional institutional collaboration,
innovationandthedevelopmentoflocalICTmanufacturingindustries.Minimisingthenegative
effectsofICTsontheenvironmentandusingICTstomitigatetheeffectsofclimatechange.
g)
Monitoring progress toward digital SADC 2027. Ensuring the availability of uptodate
information on levels of ICT use in each Member State and, as a region, to support strategic
decisionmakingandmeasureprogresstowardthe2027goals.
In terms of the financing needed to support this, which is estimated at about US$436 million, it is
noteworthy that the return on investment in ICT projects can be relatively high compared to the
other infrastructure sectors, either in profits or efficiency gains. At the same time, the investment
costsarerelativelysmall,whiletheirimpactcutsacrossvirtuallyallothersectors.Asaresult,once
the enabling policy and regulatory environments are more uniformly in place, much of the
implementationcostwillbemetbytheprivatesector,orthroughpublicprivatepartnerships.Asa
result,theICTMasterPlannecessarilyplacesinitialemphasisongrantfundedprojectsforcapacity
building and to ensure the enabling environment is in place to provide better access to existing
infrastructureandtoattractmoreinvestmentinnewinfrastructure.
Finally,theICTChapteroftheRegionalInfrastructureDevelopmentMasterPlan(RIDMP)alsotakes
into account the ICT components of the broader ongoing infrastructure development initiatives in
Africa,inparticular,atthecontinentwidelevel,withtheProgrammeforInfrastructureDevelopment
in Africa (PIDA). At the regional level the RIDMP will also form part of the inputs to the proposed
Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA)East African Community (EAC)SADC
TripartiteInterregionalInfrastructureMasterPlan,andwouldalsobeexpectedtotakeintoaccount
theinitiativestakingplaceinthetheEconomicCommunityofCentralAfricanStates(ECCAS)region
towhichAngolaandtheDemocraticRepublicofCongo(DRC)alsobelong.
13
1.
Introduction
The Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Chapter of the Master Plan is based on a
detailed review of the current ICT infrastructure status and plans in the SADC region, and an
evaluationoftheiradequacytomeettheneedsforecasttoyear2027.
ThekeyinstitutionsthatwouldbeinvolvedintheRIDMPandits developmentwouldbetheSADC
I&S Directorate, the Communication and Postal Regulatory Association of Southern Africa (CRASA),
Southern Africa Telecommunications Association (SATA), Southern African Postal Operators
Association (SAPOA), the National Regulatory Authorities, ICT Ministries, related institutions
CompetitionBoards,CommissionsandTribunals,developmentpartnersandideallytheofficeofthe
HeadofStateineachMembercountry.
At a broader geographic level, ongoing liaison with a variety of related initiatives will need to take
place to benefit from synergies and minimise overlap. These are: the Tripartite Interregional
InfrastructureMasterPlan,theCOMESATCS/PIPandPIDA,aswellastheprogrammesofECCAS(due
totheDRCandAngola'smembershipinthisRegionalEconomicCommunity(REC)andinparticular
theNorthSouthcorridorprojectwhichwilllinkthetwocountries).
1.1
SectorPurposeandObjectives
ICT infrastructure comprises a wide range of electronic technologies computing,

telecommunications,internetandbroadcastingaswellasrelatedapplicationsandresourcessuch
asdigitalmapsandradiospectrum,andthephysicalinfrastructureofaccessdevices,ductsforfibre
cable, masts and antennae to convey radio signals, as well as the physical and financial networks
provided by banks and postal services. Together, these are recognised as enablers of social and
economicdevelopmentwhoseimpactcutsacrossvirtuallyallothersectors.
The objective of the ICT section of the RIDMP thus aims to ensure that these technologies are
accessibleandaffordableforallcitizensintheSADCregion,andthatICTsarefullyabletosupport
the national development agendas and policies of the Member States, as well as the region as a
whole. This includes accelerating regional integration, inclusion of rural and isolated populations,
enhancingcompetitiveness,maximisingeconomicdevelopment,attainingMillenniumDevelopment
Goal (MDG) targets, eliminating supply side constraints and reducing the cost of doing business in
theregion.Bythesametoken,byprovidingmoreuniversalaccesstocommunicationsandICTs,the
regionwillbebetterabletoaddressitsoverarchingobjectiveofreducingpoverty.
To support the universal broadband services needed, major improvements to the quality of ICT
infrastructure within the region will be required, in particular with a view to making access more
affordableandextendingcoverageintoruralareas.Asidefromaddressingthesupplyside,increasing
the pervasiveness and reducing the cost of the underlying infrastructure, the ICT Sector Plan also
aimstostimulatethedemandside,forexample,byimprovingproductionofcontentandeservices.
Overall,thecoreareasofinterventionnecessarytoachievetheseobjectivesare:
ImprovingtheICTpolicyandregulatoryenablingenvironmenttomakemoreefficientuseof
existing infrastructure, minimise its costs of use, and encourage investment in new
infrastructure;
Facilitating interconnection within and among SADC Member States, as well as among the
Tripartite Member States, by establishing lowcost high capacity communication links using
terrestrialfibreroutesbetweenneighbouringSADCMemberStatesandadjoiningregions;
Improvingthecoverage,reliabilityandsecurityofICTinfrastructure;
14
Increasing the extent of ICT skills and human resources, investment in ICT research &
development,andprivatesectorcollaborationforindustrydevelopment;
Accelerating the adoption of ICTs within government, parastatals, the private sector and the
general public in order to increase service levels, efficiencies, profitability, and transparency,
whichwillinturnattractfurtherprivateinvestmentinthesector;
Using ICTs to help reduce the region's carbon footprint and minimise other environmental
impactsbyusing'smartmonitoring'systems,remotesensingandcrowdsourcing;and
UsingrelevantprogressmarkerstomonitorthelevelsofICTuseandidentifybottlenecks.
Ascanbeseen,themajorityofactivitiesproposedfortheICTSectorPlanaresoftprojects,without
a direct return on investment, designed to put in place the required human capacity, institutional
frameworks and enabling policy environments. Once these are established, it is expected that the
privatesectorwillbekeentoimplementmostofthehardprojects.InthisrespecttheICTsectoris
somewhatdifferenttomostoftheotherinfrastructuresectorscoveredbytheRIDMP,inthatcapital
costsarerelativelylowandthereturnoninvestmentislikelytobehigher.Andalthoughtheextentof
public financing required for the soft projects is not insignificant, there will ultimately be large
indirect returns on the investment provided by the much increased efficiency and transparency
levels,highertaxreturnsresultingfromthewealthcreatedbythe'oil'oftheICTrevolutionseeping
moreextensivelyintoalltheothercommercialsectors.
1.2
PolicyandLegislativeFrameworksGuidingtheICTSector
The following key policies and frameworks provide the context for the broader objectives of the
RIDMP,allofwhicharedirectlyorindirectlyrelevanttoICTs,duetothecrosscuttingnatureofthe
technology:
SADCTradeProtocol(1996);
SADCProtocolonFacilitationofFreeMovementofPersons(2006);
TheproposedCOMESAEACSADCGrandFreeTradeAreaFramework(2010);
TheSADCRegionalIndicativeStrategicDevelopmentPlan(RISDP)2005;
TheSADCProtocolonTransport,MeteorologyandCommunications(1996);
TheSADCTelecommunicationPolicyGuidelines(1998);
SADCDeclarationonICTsbyHeadsofState(2001);
TheeSADCStrategy(2010);and
TheAfricanUnionProgrammeforInfrastructureDevelopmentinAfrica(PIDA)(2012).
TheSectorPlanalsobuildsonglobalandcontinentalframeworksandinitiativessuchastheWorld
Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), PIDA, the COMESA TCS/PIP, Connect Africa and the
African Information Society Initiative (AISI), as well as best practices in national ICT policies and
particularlybroadbandpolicies.
Building on these well established goals, policies and plans, the ICT Sector Plan is a strategic
framework document to guide the implementation of regional ICT infrastructure development,
forming the basis for priority setting, feasibility assessments, preparation for bankability and
investment.TheRIDMPwillinthisrespectconstitutethebasisforSADCMemberStatescommitment
toacommonICTinfrastructuredevelopmentprogramme,intheformofaDeclaration,aswellasthe
basisforregularreviewofitsimplementation.
1.2.1
TheRegionalIndicativeStrategicDevelopmentPlan(RISDP)
In2003theRISDPwasadopted,providinganindicativeframeworktoguideSADCMemberStatesin
theachievementoftheSADCobjectivesovera15yearperiod.TheRISDPdefinedthevision,mission
15
and strategic objectives for a broad range of development goals, including the basis for ICT
development,focusingonICTsroleintransformingSADCintoaninformationbasedeconomywith
specificobjectivesanddeadlines.
AsidefromICTinfrastructurerelatedareas,estrategiesrevolvingarounddevelopmentofeservices
andapplicationswerealsoamajorcomponentoftheRISDPICTstrategy.In2009,atitsmeetingin
DRC,theSADCCouncilofMinistersdirectedtheSADCSecretariattoconductamidtermreviewof
RISDP in accordance with the directive made in 2003 that the RISDP be regularly monitored and
evaluated.
1.2.2
ProtocolsandOtherDocumentsandStatutes
InmanyrespectstheinitiativesthatwereproposedintheRISDPareverysimilartothoseoutlined
hereintheICTSectorPlan.IntheinterveningnineyearssincetheRISDPwasadopted,progresshas
been slow, largely because of the limited reform in the telecommunication sector, leading to high
costsofaccessresultinginlowlevelsofdemand.
While SADC Member States have made ICTs a priority at a policy level for more than a decade, in
practice, it was recognised that implementation posed several challenges. To address these, more
concerted efforts were made to assist Member States to develop their national ICT policies and
strategic plans based on the SADC guidelines. As part of this process SADC created an ICT
development strategy called the eSADC Strategy Framework. Developed with support from the
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), this became the overarching strategy
document, approved by the SADC Ministers responsible for Telecommunications, Postal and ICT in
LuandainMay2010.
The eSADC framework addresses convergence issues and harmonisation of ICT infrastructure,
services and indicators; promotes ICT usage for regional economic integration, enhancement of
connectivity and access to ICT services. Aside from addressing policy, legislation and regulation, it
also focused on crosscutting issues such as ensuring gender is taken into consideration, as well as
capacity building programmes and the development of eapplications such as egovernance, e
parliament, ecommerce, eeducation, ehealth and eagriculture. The strategy also establishes a
methodology for data collection and analysis, and reviewing the status of ereadiness and e
strategiesadoptedbySADCMember States.Areviewofestrategiesfromotherselected countries
andsubregionsinAfricaandtherestoftheworldtookplace,aswellasexaminationofthemodels
recommendedbyinternationalorganisations.
The Luanda 2010 SADC ICT Ministers meeting also approved the recommendations made by the
Regional Alliance Task Team (RATT) for the adoption of a policy statement including the following
policy objectives: transparency; cost based pricing; effective competition; regulatory certainty and
predictability; regional development; and infrastructure development. The meeting also proposed
regional priorities for 2011/2012 which included the setting up of National and Regional Internet
Exchange points; harmonisation of Cyber Security Regulatory Frameworks in SADC; and a Regional
projecttoimproveinterconnectionamongphysical,electronicandfinancialpostalnetworks.
Priortothis,SADCMinistersresponsibleforTelecommunication,PostalandICThaddecidedin2009
to adopt the joint International Telecommunication Union (ITU)/ Deutsche Gesellschaft fr
Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)/European Commission project "Harmonisation of ICT Policies
inSubSaharaAfrica(HIPSSA)"toassistintheimplementationofthenecessarypolicyandregulatory
reforms identified for the region. An assessment of Member States national ICT policies and
legislationwasmadeandgapsinsomecountrieswerefoundwhereregionalpolicyobjectiveswere
notyetaddressed.Bestpracticesfromtheregiontofillthesegapswerealsoidentified.
16
To reflect market and technology evolution, changes were suggested to the Transport,
Communications and Meteorology (TCM) Protocol, the SADC Telecommunication Policy, and the
Telecommunication Model Bill. In addition a new Policy Framework on Convergence was also
developedtoguideMemberStatesinaddressingthechallengesofconvergenceandtoharnessthe
potentialdevelopmentalopportunitiesthatemergewiththetransformationofthesector.
A full rewrite of the SADC Telecommunication Policy is also being made to change it to a
comprehensive SADC ICT Policy, instead of just amending the existing one. The necessary changes
wouldalsobeincorporatedintotheTCMProtocol,andrevisionstotheModelBilltoalignitwiththe
convergencepolicyproposed.
ThesevariousstrategieshavealreadyclearlymappedoutmostoftherequirementstoachieveDigital
SADC 2027, but their implementation at the national level is still lacking in most SADC Member
States.AsstatedintheeSADCstrategydocument;Althoughatthepolicylevel,MemberStateshad
adoptedICTasakeydrivingelementforsocioeconomicdevelopment(ICTDeclarationof2001),in
practice, at the strategic level, implementation had not taken place. This therefore called for
concertedeffortstoassistmemberStatesindevelopingtheirnationalICTpoliciesandstrategicplans
basedontheSADCguidelines.
At the same time, the ICT sector has evolved considerably since these strategies were developed
(especially with regard to the broadband imperative1) and there is a need to ensure that the
strategies incorporated into the RIDMP reflect the latest developments. Addressing infrastructure
requirementstomeetexplodingbroadbanddemandisnotauniquelySouthernAfricanproblemor
even a developing country problem. Globally, governments and operators are now grappling with
these issues. Policy makers and regulators are having to reevaluate their strategies, and operator
networks are still in the process of migrating from a voicecentric model to a broadband capacity
model. This affects the provision of ICT infrastructure and services at every level continental,
regional,nationalandlocal.
1 Goalsforconnectivityhavenowmovedbeyondsimplygettingconnectedtotheinternet,toensuringthat
every person has access to sufficient bandwidth to support realtime multimedia applications at least
1Mbps.
17
2.
SituationAnalysis
2.1
CurrentSectorStatus
2.1.1
VoiceTelephony
SADCMemberStateshaveprogressedrelativelywelloverthelastdecadeintermsofaccesstovoice
telephony.Encouragedbytheearlyintroductionofprepaidservices(whichnowaccountfor8090%
ofsubscribersintheregion),mobileuptakestoodatanaverageof60%ofthepopulationin2010,
withlittlesignofgrowthslowingdownasyet,asshowninthechartsbelow.Theaverageacrossthe
SADCregionisalittlebehindworldaverages,buttheaverageobscuresfairlylargevariations(about5
times) between SADC Member States, with the DRC and Malawi at only around 20% penetration
whileSeychelles,BotswanaandSouthAfricaareover100%(duetotheuseofmultipleSIMcards).
140,000,000
120,000,000
100,000,000
80,000,000
60,000,000
40,000,000
20,000,000
0
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Figure2:GrowthintotalmobilesubscribersintheSADCregion
Source:ITU(2011)
Figure3:TrendsinmobilesubscriberdensitySADCMemberStates
Source:ITU(2011)
18
2009
2010
Figure4:AveragemobilepenetrationtrendsworldwidevstheSADCregion
Source:ITU(2011)
StimedistancegapanalysisontheaveragepenetrationtrendsshownaboveindicatesthattheSADC
regionisalittleunder4yearsbehindtheworldaverage,butaheadoftheoverallAfricanaverage.
ThedominanceofmobileoverfixedlinesubscribersintheSADCregionshowssimilartrendstothose
takingplaceinAfricaasawhole,andtherestoftheworld,withfixedlinesonlyrepresentingabout
6% of total voice subscribers (2% if South Africa is taken out of the equation), and this actually
declinedmarginallybetween2009and2010to6.14millionlines,ofwhichover4millionareinSouth
Africa.
Figure5:TrendsinfixedlineaccessintheSADCregion
Source:ITU(2011)
19
Figure6:AveragefixedlinepenetrationtrendsintheSADCregion
Source:ITU(2011)
Except for Swaziland, mobile markets in the SADC Member States are relatively competitive, as
showninthechartbelow.Howeverwherethereareonlytwoorthreeoperatorspresent,theextent
of competition is unlikely to be sufficient to drive prices down. Even where there is significant
competition, there is still suppressed demand (mainly through curtailed usage), because costs
remainrelativelyhigh(comparedtoAsiaforexample).Highcostsoftenstillprevailduetoexogenous
factors,themostnotableofwhicharehighinputcosts(e.gdieselpoweredbasestations,equipment
importtaxes,spectrumandlicencefees),governmenttaxesonairtime,smallmarketsleadingtolow
economies of scale, and high perceived levels of business risk, leading to short time horizons for
achievingreturnsoninvestment.
Zimbabwe
Zambia
Tanzania
Swaziland
South Africa
Seychelles
Namibia
Mozambique
Mauritius
Malawi
Madagascar
Lesotho
DRC
Botswana
Angola
0
10
Figure7:Numberofmobileoperatorspercountry
Source:ITU(2011)
Neverthelessmobilevoiceandtextmessagingserviceshavenowbecomea'masstechnology'across
the region, and the development focus has shifted to mobile and fixed broadband, while ensuring
theremainingremoteruralandotherdisadvantagedgroupscangainaccess,suchasthroughtheuse
ofUniversalServiceFunds.
Increasingly, convergence of technologies is being reflected in national licensing environments, as

showninthetablebelow.
20
Table1:TelecommunicationsLicensingStatusinSADCMemberStates
ServiceandTechnologyNeutralLicenceStatus
Angola
AwaitingCabinetapproval
Botswana
Yes
DRC
No
Lesotho
Yes
Madagascar
No
Malawi
Mauritius
Yes
Mozambique
Namibia
Seychelles
No
SouthAfrica
Yes
Swaziland
No
Tanzania
Yes
Zambia
No
Zimbabwe
No
2.1.2
InternetandBroadbandAccess
GrowthininternetandbroadbandaccessandusageinSADCMemberStates(asinotherdeveloping
regions) has not kept pace with voice penetration. An average of only 4% of the SADC region's
populationareinternetuserstoday.Intheabsenceofregulargatheringofdataoninternetusersby
nationalregulatorsinthe region,thelevelofreliabilityofthis estimate isnot entirelyclear.Upto
datedataisnoteasytogatherinAfrica,andthedistinctionbetween'users'and'subscribers'isnot
alwaysmade,orifitis,thelevelofsharingofinternetaccountscanvarysignificantly.Nevertheless,
otherproxyindicators,suchasthenumberofFacebookusersinthecountry,whichalthoughquite
volatileandexhibitveryrapidgrowthinsomeSADCMemberStatesintheregion,indicatesthatthe
internetuserfiguresareprobablywithin50%oftheactualnumberofusers.
As shown in the charts below, similar to voice penetration figures, the average across the region
obscuresevenwidervariationsininternetpenetrationratesbetweenMemberStatesrangingfrom
1% in the DRC, to almost 40% in Seychelles a 40 times variation, vs only 5 times for mobile
penetration. Clearly income levels are a strong factor in determining ICT uptake, but it is also
apparent that suppressed demand due to other factors has a much larger role, at least until the
major bottlenecks are removed. In terms of indicators of the progress of the RIDMP, one would
expect to see decreases in the level of variation in ICT uptake between SADC Member States as
bottlenecksareremovedandcoveragetendstowardtheuniversal.
21
Figure8:TrendsininternetpenetrationintheSADCregion
Source:ITU(2011)
As can be seen from the above graph, except for the smaller more economically developed island
states of Mauritius and the Seychelles, the growth in internet users has been relatively flat in the
region. These generally low levels of internet penetration, are partly the result of the high cost of
access,combinedwithlowincomelevels,andthelackoffixedlineinfrastructure,combinedwiththe
relativelyshortperiodthatlowercostwirelessinternetservices(mainly3GandWiMax)havebeen
availableinmajorurbanareas.
The graph below charts the average growth in internet penetration worldwide and in the SADC
region,andshowsthattheregionisfallingbehindcomparedtotherestoftheworld(althoughitis
ahead of the average for Africa as a whole). The Stimedistance gap is alsomuch greater than for
mobiletelephony,withtheSADCregionbeingalmost10yearsbehindtheworldaverage.
Figure9:AverageinternetpenetrationtrendsintheSADCregion
Source:ITU(2011)
22
Over the last few years operators have begun to deploy wireless/mobile internet services in major
populationcentres2inalloftheSADCMemberStates,andwiththerecentarrivalofmoresubmarine
cables in the subcontinent, along with fibre to the landlocked countries, mobile internet access
levelsarecurrentlyrapidlyincreasing,andthetrendlinesabovefortheSADCregionarelikelytotick
sharplyupwardoverthenextfewofyears.
Figure10:WiMaxdeploymentsinSouthernAfrica
Source:Wimaxmaps.org(2011)
Ofparticularrelevanceistheextentofbroadbandpenetrationintheregion.WhiletheITUhasnot
made recent statistics on mobile broadband publicly available, the chart below shows the fixed
broadbandtrendsintheregion.Thewidevariationsinfixedbroadbandsubscriberpenetrationare
largelyareflectionoftheavailabilityoffixedlinesinthecountry.Thesubsequentchart,showingthe
relativeuptakeoffixedandmobilebroadbandworldwideandindevelopingcountriessince2007,is
likely to be reflected in the SADC region as well. The rapidity of this change and the extent of
broadband penetration over the short term will largely depend on the effectiveness of the
implementationoftheRIDMP.
2 Nationally, the fixed and mobile infrastructure that is in place today was initially dimensioned for voice
services and will not be able to fully handle the demands for broadband without substantial and costly
upgrades,mainlyinvolvinginterconnectingbasestationswithfibrebackhaullinks.
23
Figure11:TrendsinfixedbroadbandpenetrationintheSADCregion
Source:ITU(2011)
Figure12:Trendsinfixedandmobilebroadbandworldwide
Source:ITU(2011)
24
Table2:BroadbandpenetrationlevelsinSADCMemberStates
Fixed+Mobilepenetration%of
population
5.7
6.9
0.0
N/A
N/A
N/A
28.4
1.6
7.9
12.0
18.1
0.1
2.1
0.1
1.0
Country
Angola
Botswana
DRC
Lesotho
Madagascar
Malawi
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Seychelles
SouthAfrica
Swaziland
Tanzania
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Source:SADCeCommerceStudy2012
2.1.3
OpticFibreInfrastructure
Highbandwidth fibre optic backbone networks are a particularly important element in the ICT
ecosystemandoftenamajorcontributortothecostofinternetaccess,especiallybroadbandaccess.
Nationalbackbonenetworksconnecttownsandcitieswithincountriesandoftenacrossborders,to
neighbouringcountries,aswellasprovidingthelinkstotheinternationalsubmarinecablenetworks
thatcarrytrafficbetweencontinents.Bythesametoken,forlandlockedcountries,theirinternational
links are provided by the national backbone networks of their neighbours a key rationale for
regionalcooperation.
In relatively undeveloped markets, such as in the SADC region, with suppressed demand and little
local content, the bulk of demand is for international content, and the arrival of affordable
internationalcapacityisakeydemanddriverfornationalnetworkexpansion.Followingthearrivalof
plentifuland cheapinternational bandwidthfromcompetingsubmarinecables,itcanbe observed
that major investments in backbone infrastructure are made and local broadband services rapidly
expand. The chart below shows use of international capacity in SADC between 2002 and 2011,
indicatingthemassivegrowthwhentheadditionalsubmarinecablesbegantoarriveintheregionin
mid2009.
SADC Region Total International Bandwidth
(MBps)
200000
180000
160000
140000
Mbps
120000
100000
80000
60000
40000
20000
0
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Figure13:TrendsininternationalbandwidthcapacityuseSADC
Sourcedata:Hamilton(2012)
25
2011
As can be seen from Figure 14 in the map below, with the West African Cable System (WACS)
submarine cable becoming operational this year, there will be at least 17 submarine cable landing
stationsintheregion.AllofSADCsMemberStatecoastalcountrieswillhaveaccesstoatleastone
submarine cable, and most will have direct access to two. They only Member State without a
potentialbackupcable(eitherdirectlyorviaaneighbouringcountry)istheSeychelles.
Figure14:SubmarinecablesinAfrica
Table3:SADCMemberStateunderseafibreroutestotherestoftheworld
Country
Angola
Botswana
DRC
Lesotho
Madagascar
Malawi
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Seychelles
SouthAfrica
26
AccesstoRestofWorldandBackupRoutes
SAT3,WACS,(BrazilAngolaCable)
NamibiatoWACSandviaSouthAfrica
WACS,ACE
ViaSouthAfrica
Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System (EASSy), Lower Indian Ocean
Network(LION)(SEACOM)
ViaTanzaniaandMozambique
Southern AfricaFar EastWest Africa submarine cable (SAFE), LION1
(LION2,BRICS)
SEACOM,EASSy,viaSouth Africa
WACS,viaSA
SEAS,nobackup
SAT3, SEACOM, SAFE, EASSy, WACS, (South Atlantic Express (SAex),
BRICS)
Swaziland
Tanzania
Zambia
Zimbabwe
ViaSAandMZ
SEACOM,EASSy
ViaNamibia,Botswana,andTanzania
ViaSouthAfricaandMozambique
WiththeterrestrialfibrelinksbetweenSADCMemberStatesnowinplace(seebelow),thereisalso
thepossibilityofaccessingthesubmarinecablesinneighbouringorevenmoredistantcountriesif
accesstothelocallandingstationisnotcompetitivelypriced.Theeconomicsustainabilityofusinga
foreign landing station depends on the affordability of national backbones to the neighbouring
country, and is of particular importance for the private operators in countries surrounding South
Africa(wherethemostsubmarinelandingstationsarelocatedandthemostcompetitivepricesare
likely to be) Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe. There is also
now the possibility of using one of the new regional operators such as Liquid, which provide
competitivelypricedaccesstothesubmarinecablesfromanyoftheirPointsofPresence(POPs)in
theregion(seebelowforfurtherdetails).
2.1.4
TerrestrialCommunicationInfrastructure
There has been a tremendous improvement over the last few years in terrestrial fibre optic,
microwave,andsatellitecapacityinmostSADCMemberStates.ComparedtootherregionsinAfrica,
SADC now has the most pervasive regional terrestrial fibre network. The bilateral links between
nationalbackbonesoftheincumbentoperatorsineachcountryformsthebasisformostofthecross
border terrestrial fibre in the SADC region, achieved under the aegis of Phase I of SATA's SADC
RegionalInformationInfrastructure(SRII)project.
Figure15showstheextentofthe crossborderandnationalfibreroutes,takingintoaccountboth
the incumbent, state and private/parastatal (nonincumbent) infrastructure, and routes that are
already under construction (or fully funded with tenders launched i.e. should be operational by
end2012orearly2013shownbydottedlines).
Whilethemapshowsthatmuchoftheminimumrequiredcrossborderinfrastructureisinplace,this
byitselfdoesnotguaranteethatthecapacityattheregionallevelisaffordable.Mostofitisowned
anddeployedbyincumbentoperators(exceptinAngola,SouthAfrica,ZimbabweandTanzania)and
although there is a lack of generally available information on pricing of fibre links, most of it is
unlikelytobecompetitivelypriced,makingiteconomicallyunfeasibletouseefficiently.
Most efforts to address required fibre infrastructure in southern Africa (and elsewhere on the
continent)hasapproachedtheneedtoaddressthemissinglinksbyfacilitatingtheinterconnectionof
thenational infrastructureofincumbentoperators. Thisapproachhashelpedtominimise external
fundingrequirements(asthecostsareusuallymetbytheoperatorsthemselves),butthishasleadto
networkdevelopmentthathasdiscriminatedagainstnewmarketentrantsbecauseitisnotbasedon
openaccessorstronginterconnectionregulation,leadingtohighpricesforaccess.
ThistrendhasmadeoperatorsinthelandlockedSADCMemberStatesevenmorevulnerablebecause
they have to pay the full cost of terrestrial transit across their neighbours' territories to get to the
coast,sothateveniftheyareinvestorsinthesubmarinecable,theymaynotbeabletoreapitsfull
benefits.ThiswasdiscoveredtoNamibia'scostwhenitinvestedinSAT3,butfoundsatellitecapacity
cheaperthanrentingterrestrialcapacityfromTelkomSAtogettotheSAT3landingstationinCape
Town.ThiswasbeforetheSouthAfricanfixedmarketwasfullyopened,andatthetimeTelkomSA
was able to charge whatever it wished for national capacity, even to its coinvestor in the SAT3
submarinecableconsortium.
Inconclusion,itcanbesaidthatasidefromafewexceptions,affordableregionalICTinfrastructureis
notyetwidelyinplaceintheSADCMemberStates.Thelackofcompetitivenationalinfrastructure
27
compared to the extent of competition in submarine cables, is demonstrated by the fact that
capacity from a southern African submarine landing station to Europe, North America or Asia is
usuallycheaperthantheincountrynationalbackbonecapacityneededtogettothelandingstation.
ThisisthecasecurrentlyintheSADCMemberStateswhichhavecompetingsubmarinecables,such
asMozambiqueandSouthAfrica,whereitmayonlycostUS$200US$300/Mbps/monthforcapacity
fromthecoasttoLondon,whileitcostsUS$500US$2000/Mbps/monthforcapacityfrominlandto
thecoast.
Figure15:SADCFibreandMicrowaveTelecommunicationInfrastructureby2012/13
Legend:Brown/purplelines:fibre,redlines:microwave,dottedlines:planned.Source:HamiltonResearch3(2012)
Theeffectofcompetitiononnationalbackbonepricingcanalsobeobservedwhencomparingprices
for capacity between, for example South Africa (which has at least four competing backbone
providers) and Namibia, where Telecom Namibia is the only provider. In South Africa the cost of
capacityiscurrentlyatleast45%lessthanthesamecapacityontheNamibianside.
The interconnection matrix shown in Table 4 below summarises the extent of cross border fibre
infrastructureinplacetoday,andalsoshowsthedegreeofcompetitiononroutes,andnationally.
3 http://www.africabandwidthmaps.com
28
Table4:CrossBorderInterconnectionMatrix
29
Alternative/UtilityInfrastructureSADCModelsforICTUse
Powertel in Zimbabwe is one of the few successful examples of a national electricity grid operator
spinning off a subsidiary to exploit the valueadd of its network for providing telecommunications
wholesaleservices.
BycontrastinZambia,theincumbentoperator,Zamtel,wasabletoreachanexclusivityagreement
with the electricity utility so that only it could make use of Zesco's grid. While this agreement is
currentlythesubjectofadispute,thearrangementhassofarmeantthatotheroperatorsneedto
buildtheirowninfrastructurealongthemainroutes.
In the case of Tanzania and South Africa, the electricity distribution networks have provided their
excess fibre, poles and rights of way to new state owned entities tasked with providing national
backbone services. In the case of Tanzania this is the National ICT Broadband Backbone (NICTBB)
which is being managed by the incumbent operator, and the network is the only one available
currently.
In South Africa's case, the state owned Broadband Infraco is independently run, and is also an
investorintheWACSsubmarinecable,soitcanofferbothdomesticandinternationalservices.Italso
competeswithanumberofotherprivateplayersinthemarketsuchasTelkomSA,NeotelandDark
FibreAfrica.
At a regional level these and the other national electricity distribution networks are increasingly
beinglinkedtogetheraspartoftheSouthernAfricanPowerPool(SAPP),whosecoordinatingcentre
islocatedinZimbabwe.Asshowninthemapbelow,thereismuchofthisregionalinfrastructurethat
couldbeusedtofurtherextendterrestrialfibrebackbonesacrossborders.
Figure16:SAPPNetwork
2.1.5
PrivateTelecommunicationInfrastructureProviders
With the spread of market liberalisation in SADC Member States there are a growing number of
privatelyownedinternationaltelecomoperatorsprovidingservicesintheregion.Somearededicated
wholesaleoperators,butmostoperatemobilenetworksthatinmanycaseshaveconstructedtheir
own transmission networks in order to carry traffic between base stations and to international
gateways. As technologyneutral unified licensing expands, there are also a growing number of
operators that provide a mix of mobile and fixed line services that in some cases now include a
majoritystakeintheincumbentoperator.
30
Mostoftheseoperatorsnotonlyreachthebordersoftheirrespectivecountries,butinmanycases
theyhaveafootprintinneighbouringcountries.Manyofthelargeroperatorshavealsoinvestedin
one or more of the submarine cables landing in the region. Where the national regulatory
environmentallowsthemtointerconnectinternationally,andtoresellcapacitytothirdparties,they
couldprovideasubstantialnumberofcompetitivelypricedcrossborderlinks.
Thelargermobileoperators,MTN,BhartiAirtelandVodacomhaveaparticularlystronginterestin
connecting their infrastructure across borders because of their recent competitive play of
implementinga'noroaming'oronnettariffsforcallsbetweenusersoftheirnetworksindifferent
countries. In addition, these operators can take advantage of the many communities that are
bisectedbynationalboundaries,whichhaveastrongsuppresseddemandtocommunicatewitheach
otherduetothehighcostofinternationalcalls.
Theinterestoftheprivatesectorindeployinginfrastructurealsohighlightstheimportanceofpolicy
and regulatory development in the RIDMP to further encourage competition in the carrier market
and promote passive infrastructure provisioning, wholesale price regulation where needed,
infrastructuresharingandopenaccessnetworks.
Theprivateretailoperatorspresentintheregion(aswellasinothercountriesoutsidetheregionbut
notlistedhere)are:
BhartiAirtel(exZAIN,Celtel)DRC,Madagascar,Malawi,Seychelles,Tanzania,Zambia
EconetWirelessBotswana,LesothoandZimbabwe.
Etisalat/AtlantiqueTelecomTanzania
Expresso/SudatelMalawi
LapGreenClaimstohavelicencesinDRCandTanzania.
MillicomInternationalCellular(Tigo)DRC,Mauritius,andTanzania
MTNBotswana,SouthAfrica,Swaziland.
Orange/FranceTelecomgroupBotswana,Madagascar,Mauritius.
OrascomTelecomNamibiaandZimbabwe
VodacomDRC,Lesotho,Mozambique,SouthAfricaandTanzania.
Therearealsoanincreasingnumberofcompaniesspecialisinginregionalwholesaleterrestrialfibre
carrierservices,asdescribedbelow.
LiquidTelecom
Econet Wireless' subsidiary Liquid Telecom has recently extended an 8,500 km fibre link running
fromtheDRCborderthroughZambiaandZimbabwetoSouthAfricawhereithasestablishedadirect
connection to the SEACOM submarine cable. This is part of Liquid's plans to interconnect with
Botswana, Mozambique and Namibia. The network also forms one of Zimbabwes national
backbones,linkingmajorcitiesandtowns.
Phase2comprisesaroutefromHararetotheMozambicanborderatMutare,aseconddiverseroute
toBeitbridgeviaMasvingoandasecondroute toZambiafrom BulawayotoVictoriaFalls.Phase3
comprisestheroutefromBulawayototheborderwithBotswana,asecondroutetoBotswana(and
Namibia) from Victoria Falls to Kasane, and a second route from Harare to Mozambique via
Nyamapanda.AlargesectionofthenetworkinZimbabweusestheenergyprovidersfibrenetwork
(PowerTel), and similarly, operations in Zambia are a joint venture with the Copperbelt Energy
Corporation(CEC).
31
MalawiandMozambiquehaverecentlybeenincludedinLiquidexpansionplans,andconstructionis
starting in the Katanga Province of DRC where Liquid will eventually connect Lubumbashi to the
capital,Kinshasa,bytakingthecableonhighvoltagetransmissionlines.
Figure17:LiquidTelecommunicationCurrentandPlannedRegionalBackbone
GatewayCommunications
One of the largest wholesale carriers in Africa, Gateway is a subsidiary of Vodacom and has a
presence in 13 countries and clients in about 40 African countries, mostly for its satellitebased
services.GatewayhasboughtcapacityonSEACOMandisaninvestorinWACS.IntheSADCregion,
GatewayhasofficesinAngola,Mozambique,SouthAfricaandTanzania.Gatewayhasdeployedfibre
inMalawiandplanstofurtherexpandterrestrialnetworksintoNamibia,Zimbabwe,Botswanaand
Swazilandintheshortterm.
MTNBusiness
MTNisaSouthAfricanbasedmultinationaltelecommunicationsprovider.AfterMTN'sinitialstartas
amobileproviderithasbeengrowingitsdatanetworkservicesbusiness.IntheSADCregionMTN
Business' main operations currently are in Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia, but it also provides
connectivity in other African countries by partnering with local providers. MTN also lays its own
nationalandinternationalfibrewherenecessary,suchasaprojecttointerconnectZambia,Botswana
andNamibia.MTNisamajorshareholderinSEACOMandithasinvestedintheWestAfricancable
system(WACS).
InternetSolutions(IS)
ISisaSouthAfricanbasedinternetproviderwhichhasexpandedasaregionalprovideroperatingas
adivisionofDimensionData,aSouthAfricanITmultinationallistedontheLondonstockexchange.IS
has bought a number of STM1s on SEACOM, as well as having bandwidth on SAT3. Seeking to
32
leverage this infrastructure, with plans to grow across Africa, IS has so far established offices and
POPsinBotswana,Mozambique,Namibia,ZambiaandMozambique.
SEACOM
Mauritius offshore company SEACOM began operations in 2009 as the first eastcoast submarine
cable in Africa, but is now becoming a combined submarine and terrestrial regional carrier. The
businessmodelisstructuredsothatthepriceofSEACOMcapacityisthesame,regardlessofwhereit
ispurchased,onthecoastorinland.ToprovidetheserviceinSouthernAfricaithaspartneredwith
Six Telecoms in Tanzania, TDM in Mozambique and Dark Fibre Africa in South Africa. SEACOM has
alsoreachedagreementwiththeWestAfricanprivatesubmarinecableoperatorMainOne,toshare
landing stations with each other so that customers can be offered access to points of presence on
bothcoasts,includingredundancyandadditionalcapacityonboththeeastandwestroutesaround
Africa.
Orange/FranceTelecom
Orangeisalongstandingglobalplayerinthecapacitymarketandtheconsolidationofitsofferingsin
theregionwilllikelytakeplaceiftheACEfibrecable(inwhichitisthemainshareholder)extendsto
Angola, Namibia and South Africa. France Telecom is also investing heavily in submarine fibre
infrastructuresuchasACEandLION.
SatelliteOperators
In addition, mention should be made here of the large number of satellite operators which have
coverageintheregion.TheseincludeRASCOM,EutelSat,PanamSatandIntelsat,whichallcompete
withoneother toprovidetelecommunicationandbroadcastingservices.Due tothelatencyissues
with satellite bandwidth and the high cost of capacity, unless there is no terrestrial alternative,
satellite links are best suited to broadcasting and narrowband communication links, such as for
bordercontroldata,financial transactions,ATMandbankcard authorisations,stockreportsetc.In
addition,iftheterrestrialinfrastructurehasnoredundancy/security,(oftenthecaseinmoreremote
areas)thensatellitelinksarenecessary.
AnewMediumEarthOrbit(MEO)satelliteinitiativecalledO3B(OtherThreeBillion)isduetolaunch
satelliteandservicesshortlywhichpromisemuchlowerlatenciesandcapacityprices.Thesatellites
need to be tracked as they pass overhead, so this necessitates much higher cost groundstation
equipmentthangeostationarysatellites.Asaresulttheserviceisnotorientedtoendusersbutis
aimedatprovidingbackhaullinksfortelecommunicationoperatorsneedingtoconnecttheirremote
networks where no terrestrial infrastructure exists or to provide backup links if the terrestrial
infrastructureisinsecure.
2.1.6
NationalandRegionalInternetTrafficExchange
NationalInternetExchangePoints(IXPs)areavitalpartofICTinfrastructure,necessaryforensuring
low latency between networks and minimising the flow of national/regional traffic that would
otherwise travel outside the country or region. Most IXPs are operated by national associations of
InternetServiceProviders(ISPs).Governmentssometimesplayaroleinprovidinganeutralfacilityto
host the IXP, but generally, the IXPs that have emerged have not benefited from any specific
involvementbygovernment.
SADCisaheadofotherregionsinAfrica,withthemajorityofMemberStateshostingatleastoneIXP
thereare12IXPsintheregionandonlyLesotho,Madagascar,SeychellesandSwazilanddonot
haveone.Nevertheless,participationbylocalinternetprovidersinsomeoftheIXPsthathavebeen
33
establishedislow,andhasnotreachedacriticalmassofoperatorstomakethemselfsustaining.In
addition,localtrafficisnotalwaysexchangedthroughtheIXPsandonlyafewhaveadditionalshared
facilities to minimise international traffic and increase quality of service, such as caching servers,
mirrorservers,domainnameserversandContentDistributionNetwork(CDN)services.
Asaresultofthelackofregional exchangesandtheabsenceofnationalexchangesinsomeSADC
Member States, along with many poorly functioning4 existing IXPs, millions of dollars annually are
paid to offcontinent internet transit providers for traffic which could stay local or regional, and
exhibitmuchbetternetworkperformanceatfarlowercost(assumingcapacitypricingisreasonable).
Asmentionedearlier,thelackofcompetitivelypricednationalcapacityisoneofthekeyconstraints
to increased use of IXPs. High local bandwidth costs make it expensive to establish links from the
internetprovidertotheIXP,andthismakesithardtoeconomicallysustainthelinkwhencombined
with the extra administrative burden for the relatively small amounts of local traffic exchanged5,
especially if the policy environment restricts services such as Voiceover Internet Protocol (VoIP).
IXPsappearmoreactivewherelocalbandwidthcostshavecomedownand/orinternationalcapacity
costsarerelativelyhigh(especiallythecaseinthelandlockedcountries).
There are a variety of other reasons for the slow pace of IXP development, most of them non
technicalreasonsrelatingtocapacitybuildingneeds,dominanceofincumbentsintheinternetsector
or international gateways, and the level of trust between providers in the market, which results in
resistancetosharingresources.
The need to promote the development of IXPs has been recognised at continental and regional
levels,withtheAUCandSADCbothdeclaringtheneedfortheirestablishment.Howeverthisinterest
has not yet been fully translated into concrete policies to promote the establishment and
improvementofIXPs,andthereislackofclarityoverhowbesttoensuretheirsustainability,andhow
todeveloptheirroleinoptimisingregionaltrafficflows.Therehavebeensomeproposalsforprojects
toestablishaSADC'RegionalIXP'whichwouldinterconnectthenationalIXPs.HoweverregionalIXPs
usually evolve naturally as an outcome of vibrant carrier markets where IXPs located at the main
points of fibre network interconnection6 become 'superIXPs' attracting international and regional
carrierstolocatetheirPointsofPresencetheretotakeadvantageoftheeconomiesofscalethatthe
traffic at these hubs brings. There is a strong 'network effect' in this process and the larger these
exchanges become, the more attractive they are for other carriers to build their infrastructure to.
Typical examples in Europe of local IXPs which have become regional or even global IXPs are the
LondonInternetExchange(LINX)andtheAmsterdamInternetExchange(AMSIX).
StrongIXPswheremultiplefibrecarriersarelocatedalsoperformanimportantfunctioninhelping
the market for bandwidth to function as efficiently as possible, driving down pricing as carriers
compete for business. This is because customers can very easily and quickly switch carriers with a
simple router configuration change, making it possible to take immediate advantage of competing
priceoffers.
4 LimitedmembershipfromthelocalISPs,orlowlevelsoftrafficbeingexchangedthroughtheIXP
5 Thelackoflocallyhostedapplicationsmeansthebulkoftrafficisinternational,reaching90%oftotaltraffic,
ormoreinsomecases
6 e.g. Cape Town, Luanda, Mtunzini and Dar es Salaam which will all have at least 3 submarine landing
stationsbynextyear,orJohannesburgorHarare,whereatleast3internationalterrestrialfibrebackbones
interconnect.
34
Anindicationoftheimpactofhighpricesisparticularlyvisibleatthelevelofinternettrafficpassing
betweenSADCMemberStates.Astudy7carriedoutbytheInternetSociety(ISOC)in2011foundthat
thereisverylittleinternettrafficexchangedirectlybetweenSADCMemberStates,mainlyduetothe
highcostofnationalorcrossborderinfrastructure,makingitcheapertoexchangetrafficinforeign
locations such as London, Frankfurt or Hong Kong. This even extends to the exchange of traffic
betweeninternetoperatorsatthenationallevel,whereIXPsarenotbeingusedbecauseitischeaper
toroutetrafficoutsidethecountryonsubmarinecablesthanitistobuylocalcapacitytoexchange
traffic(seebelowformoredetails).
ThetablebelowsummarisestheresultsoftheISOCstudy,whichshowthatalthoughover80%ofthe
borders between neighbouring SADC mainland countries have fibre links between them, internet
trafficisonlyexchangeddirectlyinlessthan25%ofthe1328potentiallinksbetweenSADCMember
States. The much higher cost of direct traffic exchange over submarine cables is not as easily
justifiable,sotheSADCislandnationswerenotincludedinthecomparisons.Nevertheless,excepting
thelinkbetweenMadagascarandMauritius,noneofthethreeSADCislandnationsexchangetraffic
directlywithanyotherSADCcountry,soiftheywereincluded,thefigurewouldfalltolessthan20%.
Table5:SADCMainlandInterconnectivitySummary
NumberofFibre
Numberof
SADCNeighboursnot
SADCMemberStatesPeeredatIPlevelbyat
Country
LinkstoSADC
SADCIP
ConnectedbyFibre
LeastOneInternetProvider
Neighbours
Peers
Angola
1/3
DRC,Zambia
1
Namibia
Botswana
4/4
None
3
SouthAfrica,Zambia,Zimbabwe
DRC
1/3
Angola,Tanzania
0
None
Lesotho
1/1
None
1
SouthAfrica
Malawi
3/3
None
2
Mozambique,Tanzania
Mozambique
4/6
Zambia,Tanzania
2
SouthAfrica,Malawi
Namibia
5/5
None
3
Angola,SouthAfrica,Zambia
Botswana,Lesotho,Mozambique,Namibia,
SouthAfrica
6/6
None
8
Swaziland,Tanzania,Zambia,Zimbabwe
Swaziland
2/2
None
1
SouthAfrica
Tanzania
2/4
DRC,Mozambique
3
Malawi,SouthAfrica,Zimbabwe
Angola,Malawi,
Zambia
5/8
3
Botswana,Namibia,SouthAfrica,
Mozambique
9
Zimbabwe
4/5
Namibia
3
Botswana,SouthAfrica,Tanzania
InternationalLinks
inplacevsTotal
38/47
30
30/132
Linkspossible
%ofTotalAvailable
80.9
22.7
Source:ISOC(2011)
ThefiguresaboveactuallytendtooverstatetheextentofbothfibreandIPlevelinterconnectiondue
toavarietyofreasons,listedbelow:
1.
The proportion of the traffic exchanged at the IP level between SADC Member States is
actually much less than the 22.7% figure implies, which just counts the number of operator
7 Thestudyiscurrentlystillintheprocessoffinalisation,cfKarenRose,rose@isoc.org
8 The number 132 is derived from the 12 mainland SADC Member States which could have operators
exchangingtrafficdirectlywitheachotheri.e.eachcouldpeerwith11othercountries12x11=132.
Evenifthereisonlyoneoperatoroffibreroutesoutofthecountry,(suchasinthecaseofLesotho)internet
providerscouldstillpeeroverthislinkwithprovidersinotherSADCMemberStatesiftrafficlevelsandcosts
justifiedthisrelativetothecostsofpayingfortransit.
9 DuetothecloseproximitywithZimbabwe'slinktoZambiaandBotswanaatthisborder,aseparatelinkto
Namibia may not make much technical or economic sense, unless transit to Namibia via Botswana or
Zambiaprovesunsustainable.
35
2.
connections, rather than the amount of traffic. Ideally internet providers in each country
wouldberoutingalloftheirtrafficbythemostefficientanddirectroutesbetweentheSADC
Member States, but currently this is largely confined to incumbent and mobile operators in
landlockedSADCMemberStatesusingthenetworksoftheirsistercoastalcountryoperatorsto
gainaccesstotherestoftheworld.
Most of the crossborder fibre links are established as bilateral arrangements between
neighbouring incumbent operators, and capacity on the link is usually not available at
competitivepricestothirdparties.Also,morethanonelinkbetweenneighbouringcountriesis
required to ensure continuity of service in the event of a cable cut, and/or to promote
competitivepricingontheroute.
Table6:ListofoperatorsexchangingtrafficdirectlywitheachotherintheSADCmainland
CrossBorderLink
OperatorsExchangingTrafficDirectly
Angola/Namibia
InternetTechnologiesNA/InternetTechnologiesAngola
BTC/Neotel,Telkom
Botswana/SouthAfrica
Botswana/Zambia
BTC/Zamtel
Botswana/Zimbabwe
BTC/Powertel
Lesotho/SouthAfrica
TL,VodacomLS,/VodacomTelkom
Malawi/Mozambique
MalawiTelecom/TDM
Malawi/Tanzania
MTL/TTCL
Mozambique/SouthAfrica
Namibia/SouthAfrica
TDM,Intradata/TelkomSA,IS
Namibia/Zambia
TelecomNamibia/Zamnet,UUNet,QuickEdge
TelecomNamibia/Neotel,TelecomNamibia/MTNBusiness
SouthAfrica/Swaziland
Telkom,Vodacom,MTNBS/SPTC,Vodacom,RealNetSwaziland
SouthAfrica/Tanzania
IS/WIA,SixTelecom
SouthAfrica/Zambia
MTNBusiness,UUNET/MTN,Sprint
SouthAfrica/Zimbabwe
TelkomSA/TelOne,AfricaOnline
Tanzania/Zimbabwe
SpiceNet/Telecontract
Source:ISOC(2011)
Direct traffic exchange between internet network operators takes place through use of the Border
GatewayProtocol(BGP)inconjunctionwithanAutonomousSystemNumber(ASN),whichallowsany
independentnetworktoidentifyitselfuniquelyintheglobalroutingtablesandautomaticallyroute
traffic for itself over multiple paths. As a result counting the number of ASNs provides a good
indicationofthelevelofmaturityandextentofinterconnectionbetweenoperatorsinacountry.
The chart below shows the uneven and generally low level of use of ASNs in the region. Even
excludingSouthAfrica,thenumberofASNspercountryintherestoftheregionvariesbymorethan
afactorof10.ThenumberofASNswouldnormallybeexpectedtoreflectthecountry'spopulation
size, wealth and maturity of the internet sector, but the figures below show this is clearly not the
case yet, and that basic policy constraints currently have a more significant impact on the level of
internetdevelopmentinthecountry.
36
Figure18:ASNsinSADCMemberStates
Source:RIPE(2011)
2.1.7
PostalInfrastructure
Similarly to other regions, the public postal sector in SADC is undergoing challenging times due to
competitionfromtheprivatesectorinsomeservices,andgreateruseoftheinternetforlettersand
legal documents. As a result the region has recorded an average annual decline of 5% in mail
volumesinrecentyears.Followinginternationaltrends,thisdeclinecanbeexpectedtocontinuein
theforeseeablefuture.Howeverglobally,parcelmailappearstobeincreasingsteadilyasaresultof
increasinguseofecommerceandthisislikelytotakeplaceinSADCaswell.
Within SADC the basic postal infrastructure is largely in place and the exchange of regional mail is
functioning, although coverage of post office branches is still limited in most rural areas and mail
trafficisprobablynotasrapidandsecureasmightbedesired.Asidefromtheconstraintscreatedby
thelimitedcapacityofthepostaloperators,otherreasonsforfailuretoachieveinternationalservice
standardsare:
Lackofdirectflights;
Agingvehiclefleets;and
Delaysinclearanceofitemsbycustomsofficials.
Withregardtothelatter,customspracticesandprocedurescansignificantlyaffectcourierservices
forexample,ifaMemberStatehasnocustomsclearancepoliciesthatspecificallyrecognisecourier
service products, this may require them to be treated under timeconsuming procedures designed
for regular cargo. However, on average nearly 98% of postal items remain in the domestic service
whilejustover2%ofitemscrossnationalborders.
The modes of mail and parcel international exchange partly depend on the infrastructure of other
sectorsprincipallytransportandcommunications.Thegrowingcrossborderairandroadnetworks
areimprovingtheoptionsintheregionforthetransportofphysicalmail.Generallytheinternational
postal systems are dependent on the major air transport hubs for routing air mail, particularly
Johannesburg,althoughsomeofthesemightbeoutsidetheregionforexampleNairobiairportfor
Tanzania. The expanding telecommunication networks in the region are increasing the options for
linking up postal branches for electronic and financial services and administrative purposes.
Improvingthesecurityandreliabilityofthephysicalnetworkscontinuestobeapriority.Alongwith
37
increased competition from private courier companies this appears to have helped encourage
significantimprovementinthequalityofservice.
In an effort to improve mail exchange in the region, postal services established the Regional Road
TransportNetwork(RTN)in2010,toallowinternationalmailcomingintotheregionviaSouthAfrica,
to be transported by road to various SADC Member States. The RTN covers eight SADC Member
States(Botswana,Lesotho,Mauritius,Malawi,Mozambique,Namibia,ZambiaandZimbabwe),and
volumes have steadily increased since the launch to about 45 000 kg of mail a month in October
2011.
AccordingtotheUniversalPostalUnion(UPU),publicpostaloperatorsinSADCMemberStatesheld
96% market share of domestic letter post, and 80% of international letterpost, but only 28% of
domesticparcelserviceand20%ofinternationalparcelservices.Thecouriercomponenthaslargely
been opened for competition and the private sector is particularly active in this market. In South
Africaalonethereare50couriercompanies.Asliberalisationofthesectorhastakenplace,courier
servicesuppliersusuallyseektotakelargersharesofadditionalinternationalmailservices.Effortsby
postal services to reduce costs and increase coverage have also led to the use of franchising with
retailoutlets,petrolstations,andmunicipalofficesoftenprovidingvariouspostalservices.
TheInternationalPostalSystem(IPS)fortrackingandtracingmailhasbeenimplementedin11SADC
Member States and nine offer trackandtrace online. However limited computerisation/branch
officeautomationandskillsshortageshaveresultedinasomewhatinconsistentservicequalityand
coverage.SofaronlySouthAfricaandMauritiushavefullycomputerisedtheirpostalnetworks.
Table7:ICTInfrastructureStatusofSADCPostalOperators
Country
ICTInfrastructureSupport
Angola
Botswana
Lesotho
Fibreopticinstallationinprogress
Currentlycarryingoutcounterautomationof
offices
95%ofcountrycoveredsofar
Counterautomationforurbanandrural
areasalmostcomplete.
PartialcoverageofICTInfrastructureavailable
Networkingofficesinprogress
2officesconnectedelectronicallyand46offline
Malawi
PartialCoverageofICTInfrastructureavailable
48officesconnectedelectronically
130officesoffline
Mauritius
PartialcoverageofICTInfrastructure
available
60domesticofficesofferingonlineelectronic
102offeringofflinein2010andtargetof
connectingallthesebyDecember2011
Partialcoverage
Namibia
FutureProspects
Needstoshareexperienceswithotherpostal
administrations
Allmajorcitiesandtownscovered
NeedsICTinfrastructuresupportforfull
coverage
NeedsICTInfrastructure
Internetconnectivityinmajortownswhile
othertownsandruralareascoveredbyGPRS
andtelephones
NeedsITinfrastructuresupportforfull
coverage
NeedsICTsupportforfullcoverage
SouthAfrica
Infrastructuresupportavailableinbothurbanand WorkingonadoptionofinnovativeITsolutions
ruralareas
Swaziland
All30officesadequatelycovered
Needsasystemthatlinksalloffices
Intheinitialstagesofprocuringapostal
electronically
automationsystemwhichwillconnectalloffices
fromEscher
MostpartscoveredthoughthroughGPRSupto Needcapitalforexpandingnetwork.
districtlevel.
14officesonline
155offlineand20wereexpectedonlinebyDec
Tanzania
38
2011
CounterautomationusingPostGlobal,already
coveredover28
Zambia
ICTsupportavailablethroughoutthecountry
Mobileandinternetaccessavailable
Successfullyrolledoutcounterautomationin
2010to21officesandcompletionofrolloutis
2012
120officesonline
Zimbabwe
PartialcoverageofICTInfrastructureavailable
Needscapitalforexpansionofwidearea
23officesonWAN
network
Internetlimitedto100officescoveredbymobile Counterautomationrequired
phones
Source:SAPOA(2011)
Asreflectedinthechartsbelow,expansionofgovernmentpostalservicestoprovidemoreuniversal
coverage has been slow. Over the last five years the number of post office branches in the SADC
region has only grown by 3%. The number of post office boxes has only increased by 6% over the
sameperiod(excludingSouthAfrica,whichaccountsforalmost85%oftheregion'spostofficeboxes,
wherethenumberhasactuallydeclinedslightlyovertheperiod).
Intheregionasawhole,theaveragenumberofpeopleperpostofficebranchin2009wasonein
63,00010.ThisiscomparedtotherecommendedUPUpostaldensityratioofoneoutletper10000
people. Funding has been a major issue since most of the new outlets cover the rural and
marginalised areas where the postal operators are obliged to open outlets in order to increase
universalaccess,yettheseareasarenotviableintermsofbusinessgeneration.
Table8:PostalBranches,PostOfficeBoxesandPostalCodeAddressinginSADC
Country
Numberof
PostOffice
NumberofPO
%POBoxes PostalCodeAddressing
PostOffice
Branches/
Boxes
/Capita
SystemsStatus
Branches
10000people
0.04
0.21
None
Angola
57
28,412
1.04
137,850
6.67
120
0.02
61,201
0.09
None
159
0.83
52,035
2.70
None
Madagascar
617
0.28
19,109
0.09
None
Malawi
333
0.21
60,554
0.38
FeasibilityStudy
Mauritius
115
0.88
2,396
0.18
Beingimplemented
Mozambique
126
0.05
16,934
0.07
None
159
0.74
97,400
4.54
FeasibilityStudy
0.56
1,870
2.10
None
2484
0.51
4,107,529
8.38
Present
Swaziland
91
0.66
36,400
2.66
FeasibilityStudy
Tanzania
569
0.13
175,912
0.41
FeasibilityStudy
Zambia
159
0.11
52,035
0.37
FeasibilityStudy
Zimbabwe
335
0.28
105,235
0.87
FeasibilityStudy
Botswana
214
DRC
Lesotho
Namibia
Seychelles
SouthAfrica
0.20
FeasibilityStudy
2.06
TOTAL/AVE
5543
4,954,872
Source:UPU2010.(FiguresinitalicsrepresentestimatestoassistincomparabilityofdatabetweenSADCMemberStates).
10 This average obscures the very wide variation indensities between countries, with variance between 1:9
000incountriessuchasMauritius,and1:450000intheDRC.
39
7600
7550
7500
7450
7400
7350
7300
7250
7200
7150
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Figure19:NumberofpostofficebranchesintheSADCregion
Source:UPU(2010)
860000
850000
840000
830000
820000
810000
800000
790000
780000
770000
760000
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Figure20:NumberofPOboxesintheSADCregion,excludingSA
Source:UPU(2010)
The ability to deliver mail is limited by the lack of postal codes and addressing systems in most
Member States. Addresses are not only important for social and commercial reasons, but are also
considered important for delivering health and emergency services, and providing access to basic
publicservicessuchaselectricityorwater.Inthisrespecttherearealargenumberofdifferentpublic
and private stakeholders keen to see addressing systems in place, and people without addresses
cannoteasilyvoteorenjoyafulllegalidentity,norcantheyeasilyopenabankaccountorqualifyfor
creditorloans.
As shown in table 8 above, so far only South Africa has made effective use of its addressing and
postalcodesystem,althoughMauritiusisatanadvancedstage ofimplementation,andBotswana,
Lesotho,Malawi,Namibia,Swaziland,Tanzania,ZambiaandZimbabwehavecarriedoutpreliminary
studieswhilefurtherimplementationawaitsfunding.
The postal system has also been diversifying, and the transport of physical mail is now just one of
threepillarsphysical,electronicandfinancialservices.AsaresultpostofficesacrosstheRegionare
now taking on responsibilities for services such as provision of public access to the Internet, e
government services and funds transfer between customers. The most common services currently
40
available are mobile money transfers, telephone money transfers, electronic money transfers, bill
payments,bankingservices,andonlinetrackandtraceservices.
2.1.8
Communications,eServicesandApplications
Due to the constraints to the use of the internet created by the historic lack of affordable and
widespreadbroadbandinfrastructureintheregion,therehassofarbeenlittleneedoreffortmade
tomeasuretherelativelysmalluseoflocaleservicesandotherapplications.Ithasnotmadesense
for resource constrained governments to make the considerable effort of putting services online
when only a small minority of the population have internet access. And by the same token, most
NRAs and national statistical offices have not yet updated their data gathering to account for new
technologicaldevelopments,suchasthetypesofegovernmentservicesavailable,numberlocalweb
sites, or volumes of online transactions. As a result there are virtually no statistics that provide a
clearindicationoftheirdiversityanduptakeacrosstheSADCregion.
There are, however, some proxy indicators that can help provide some general indications of the
extentofuseofonlineservicesgenerally.ThesearethenumberofIPaddressesanddomainnames
per country, and the number of Facebook users. While each is subject to some provisos in
interpretation (such as some mobile operators providing free access to Facebook, and many web
sites in the region using the .com domain11), taken together they can be seen to follow similar
national distribution patterns to wealth levels and the availability of affordable internet
infrastructure.
Figure21:InternetProtocol(IP)addressespercapitaintheSADCRegion
Source:AfriNIC(2011)
11InthefuturethedotAfricatopleveldomain(TLD)isproposedasanewgTLD(GenericTopLevelDomain)for
thepromotionofAfricanbusiness,peopleandcultureontheinternetandwilllikelyresultinlessuseofthe
.comdomainforwebsitesintheregion.
41
Figure22:NumberofDomainNamesregisteredinSADCMemberStates
Source:Webhosting.info(2012)
Figure23:FacebookuserpenetrationinSADCMemberStates
Source:Facebook2011(StatisticsforZimbabwearenotprovidedbyFacebook)
2.1.9
ICTCosts/Tariffs
Similarlytothelackofdataonwholesalecapacitypricingmentionedearlier,thereisalackofupto
datepubliclyavailableinformationandbenchmarksonthecostsofusingICTsintheregion.However
theITUpublishesabasic'ICTpricebasket'comprisingtheaverageoffixedcallcosts,mobilecallcosts
and fixed broadband costs, expressed as a percentage of Gross National Income (GNI)/capita, for
most countries. Although the latest data available are for 2009, which do not include mobile
broadband,andcostsareexpectedtohavedroppedconsiderablysincetheninsomeSADCMember
States,thefiguresdogivesomeideaoftherangeofICTcostsintheregion.
42
Table9:ICTPriceBasketforSADCRegion
Country
Angola
ICTPriceBasket
2009(%ofGNI)
21.45
Botswana
5.46
DRC
N/A
Lesotho
28.03
Madagascar
55.48
Malawi
52.85
Mauritius
Mozambique
1.67
56.16
Namibia
6.95
Seychelles
3.09
SouthAfrica
4.2
Swaziland
36.15
Tanzania
53.72
Zambia
37.37
Zimbabwe
Average
Source:ITU(2010)
N/A
27.89
The figures above show large variations between SADC Member States, with Mauritius having the
lowestcostsandMozambiquehavingthehighest(relativetoincomelevels).Theaveragecostacross
the region as a whole is some 25 times higher than costs in developed countries, which average
about1%ofGNI/capita.
Aneasilyavailableandmoreuptodateproxyindicatorofcostofcommunications(andthedegree
ofcompetitionandopennessinthetelecommunicationsmarket)isthechargeforinternationalVoIP
calls.Thesepricesreflectthevoiceterminationratesthatoperatorschargeeachothertohandlecalls
fromanothernetwork.Retailcalltariffsarepartlybasedonthesesettlementrates,whicharemuch
lower in markets that are competitive or strongly regulated. The two graphs below show that the
cost of international voice connections to Member States in the region varies considerably; by a
factor of 8 for fixed lines and 3 for mobiles. The average cost across the region is about 10 times
higher for international calls to fixed lines in SADC Member States than it would be for calls to
developedmarketsinEuropeandNorthAmerica,andabout30%higherformobilelines12.
12 Although the variation in costs of calling a mobile internationally vary considerably even in developed
countries, where for some the rate is commonly around US$0.10c/minute, while in others such as Hong
Kong it is US$0.02c/minute.For reasonsunclear, agood number ofdevelopingcountries also havemuch
cheaperinternationalincomingcallstomobiles,includingChina,IndiaandThailandwhicharealsobetween
US$0.2candUS$0.3c/minute
43
Figure24:FixedlineinternationalcalltariffsperminuteinSADCMemberStates
Source:GoogleVoice(2012)
Figure25:MobileincominginternationalcalltariffsperminuteinSADCMemberStates
Source:GoogleVoice(2012)
WhilethehighcostofincomingcallstotheSADCregionmaynothaveadirectimpactonICTaccess
withintheMemberStates,itdoesprovideaverygoodindicationthatSADCMemberStatemarkets
are not efficient or competitive. In addition the high prices limit the amount of international calls
made,especiallyforthosewithoutaccesstobroadband.Underliningthelackofcompetitivepricing
isthecostofoutgoinginternationalcallsfromtheSADCregionwhicharealmostalwayssignificantly
higherthancallsintheotherdirection.Andincontrasttosomeothereconomicregions,suchasEast
AfricanCommunity(EAC)wherecallsanywherewithintheregionarepricedthesameasanational
call, calls made between SADC Member States are often much higher than they are to countries
much further away in Europe or North America. For example, even though South Africa and
Botswanaareneighbours,directlyinterconnectedbyfibre,TelkomSouthAfricachargesR1.52/minute
tocallaBotswanafixedline,andR3.20tocallamobile,whileitcosts0.70ctocallanyfixedormobile
numberinCanada.
44
2.1.10
Research,Innovation,Training,Content&IndustryDevelopment
Similarlytotheareaofonlineservicesdiscussedintheprevioussection,thereareveryfewavailable
indicators of the current extent of ICT research, innovation capacity building, local content
generationorICTindustrydevelopment,largelybecausefewmemberstateshavebeguntoregularly
publish uptodate statistics relating to these crucial aspects of national development in the
informationage.
Nevertheless all SADC Member States have a range of higher education and research institutions,
ranging from national universities to specialised agricultural research bodies, many of which have
someformofICTdepartment.MostSADCMemberStatesalsohavesometypeofSciencePark,often
closelyassociatedwithauniversity,andatechnologytransferagencyorinitiative.Agrowingnumber
ofMemberStatesalsohaveICTsmallbusinessincubationfacilitiesthatareoftencloselylinkedtothe
local Science Park. Although most SADC Member States in the region have basic ICT equipment
assemblyandmaintenancefacilities(suchasfordesktopcomputers),MauritiusandSouthAfricaare
probably the only SADC Member States in the region with advanced ICT business support services
andcircuitboardlevelICTmanufacturingcapabilities.
In summary, the key ICT related higher education, research institutions and business incubators of
notewithintheregionarelistedbelow,manyofwhicharemembersoftheInternationalAssociation
ofScienceParks(IASP):
Angola:KilambaParqueTecnologico;
Botswana:BOTEC,BotswanaInnovationHub;
Madagascar:MalagasyiHub,TechnopoleduToamasina;
Mauritius: Ebne Cyber Tower, National Computer Board ICT Incubator Centre, Rose Belle
BusinessPark;
Mozambique: Mozambique ICT Institute (MICTI) and ICT incubator, Maluana Science and
TechnologyPark;
Namibia:NamibiaPolytechnic/BusinessInnovationCentre(NBIC);
SouthAfrica:BandwidthBarn,CapeITInitiative(CITI),CSIR/MerakaInstitute,EasternCapeIT
Initiative, Fort Hare Telkom Centre of Excellence in ICT4D, Highveld Techno Park (HTP),
MidrandInnovationHub,PretoriaInnovationHub,NorthWestUniversity,SoftlineTechnology
Park(STP),SmartXchange,TechnoparkStellenbosch,BlueIQ,Nemisa;
Tanzania: Dar Teknohama Business Incubator (DBTi), Raphta City, Nelson Mandela African
InstituteofScienceandTechnologySciencePark;
Zambia:AWEPBusinessIncubator;and
Zimbabwe:NationalUniversityofScience&TechnologyTechnopark.
In terms of local content generation, particularly in the area of learning resources, indigenous
knowledgeandculturalheritagepreservation,littleconcertedefforthasbeenmadeintheRegionto
publish material online. Again this is largely because of resource constraints, along with the low
levelsofbroadbandpenetrationupuntilveryrecently.
Nevertheless the national broadcasting agencies and the press have the largest storehouses of
potentialmaterial(inamixtureofdigitalandanalogueformat)thatcouldbemadeavailableonline
or for rebroadcasting. Crowd sourcing of some material from individual users is also becoming an
increasinglyviableopportunityasmoreandmorepeoplegainbroadbandconnectivity.Digitisationof
thecontentofnationalarchivesandnationallibrariesoftheMemberStatesisalsoatasimilarlylow
level, with the exception of the South African National Archives. There are also some private and
nonprofiteffortstodevelopelectroniceducationalmaterialssuchasSouthAfricanbasedMindSet.
45
ThereisconsiderablepotentialtosharecontentandcontentdevelopmentcostsbetweenMember
States with the same national languages and similar cultural groupings. However one of the
constraints to broadening the availability of relevant content is the lack of clarity regarding use of
intellectualpropertyrightsintheregion.
2.2
EnablingEnvironmentandInstitutionalArrangements
As indicated above, the pattern of ICT infrastructure distribution and usage in Southern Africa is
largely a reflection of the policy and regulatory environment in place at the continentwide level,
regionallyandwithinthevariousSADCMemberStates.
Institutionsatthegloballevelhavehadaroleinsupportingthedevelopmentofanenablingpolicy
andregulatoryenvironmentonthecontinent,aswellaspromotingtheadoptionofworldstandards
and supporting institutional capacity building in particular the International Telecommunication
Union (ITU) and the Universal Postal Union (UPU). In addition the United Nations Educational,
ScientificandCulturalOrganization(UNESCO),UnitedNationsConferenceonTradeandDevelopment
(UNCTAD), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the United Nations
Center for Science and Technology for Development (UNCSTD) all play various roles in supporting
policydevelopmentforuseofICTsineducation,services,trade,industry,andR&D.TheWorldTrade
Organization (WTO), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), supports mediation in
internationaltradeandintellectualpropertydisputes,whichcaninvolveICTs.
2.2.1
International/ContinentalLevel
Atthecontinentallevel,thekeyfeaturesofthepolicyandinstitutionalframeworksthatapplywere
initiallyencapsulatedbytheAfricanInformationSocietyInitiative,adoptedbytheUNECAConference
of Ministers in 1996 as a common vision for Africas quest to bridge the digital divide. It was
subsequentlyendorsedbytheAU'spredecessor,theOrganizationofAfricanUnity(OAU).
Severalimplementationactivitieshavesincetakenplaceinthefollowingareas:
Policyawareness;
Trainingandcapacitybuilding;
NationalInformationandCommunicationInfrastructure(NICI)plans;
Developmentinformation;
DemocratisingaccesstotheInformationSociety;
Sectoralapplications;and
Infrastructuredevelopmentandinternetconnectivity.
The AfricanTelecommunicationUnion (ATU)hasalsobeenactiveinpromotingsimilargoalswithin

theTelecommunicationsector.
In 2008 the African Union Commission's Reference Framework on ICT policies and regulations was
published,partlyasaresponsetothebroadpolicygoalsidentifiedbytheConnectAfricaSummitin
2007.TheReferenceFrameworkisasetofICTgoals,strategies,policiesandregulationsproposedfor
adoptionbyMemberStatesandtheRegionalEconomicCommunities(RECs),includingSADC.
In support of AISI, the Connect Africa Summit and the Reference Framework, the AUC has been
developing the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), which was adopted at
theHeadsofStatemeetinginJanuary2012.Attheprojectlevel,implementationandexecutionwill
be led by country governments and supported by the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency
46
(NPCA).ImplementationprogressistobemonitoredbytheRECs,includingSADC,andtheRECshave
akeyresponsibilityinthePIDAframeworktoassuretheharmonisationandimplementationofpolicy
andregulatorymeasuresintheirMemberStates.
ThePanAfricanPostalUnion(PAPU)isresponsibleforthedevelopmentofthepostalsectoronthe
continent,andhasbeenactiveindefiningandsupportinganenablingpolicyenvironmentforpostal
operators.PAPU'scurrentmainactivitiesinthisareaarethedevelopmentof:
Commonstandardsacrossregions;
Public/privatepartnerships;
Nationaladdressingandpostalcodesystems;
Coherent,consistentregulatoryframeworksandreformofthepostalsector;and
ScopeofUniversalServiceObligationsandtheirharmonisation.
PAPUhasalsoendorsedtheproposalofEgypttoestablishanAfricanRegionalTrainingCentre,which
wouldincludecapacitybuildinginsomepostalpolicyareas.
2.2.2
RegionalCooperation(policies,strategiesandplans)
SADChasbeenpromotingimproveduseofICTsamongMemberStatesfor20years,beginninginthe
early 1990s when it began to develop regional policies on the use of ICT for development as an
instrument for regional integration and assisting Member States to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals. This culminated in the 1996 Protocol on Transport, Communications and
Meteorology,knownastheTCMprotocol.
ImproveduseofICTswasfurtherunderlinedatthe18thSADCsummitinMauritiusin1998,whenit
was agreed that the 1999 SADC Consultative Conference theme would be: "SADC in the next
Millennium:TheChallengesandOpportunitiesofInformationTechnology".Thiswasunderscoredby
theSummitdeclaration13:"Themasteryofinformationtechnology(IT)andthecapacitytofullyutilise
IT[is]aprerequisitefortheSADCregiontobeanactiveparticipantintheglobaleconomywhereby
strategicadvantagesarederivedfromtimelyaccesstoinformationoritsspeedydisseminationtothe
marketplace".
In 2000, the SATCC Committee of Ministers Decision 52/2000 urged Member States to give ICTs
priorityfor nationalandregionalsocioeconomicdevelopment, andinthefollowingyear the2001
SADCHeadsofStates(HOS)meetinginBlantyredecidedonthefollowingpriorityareasofaction:
TheregulatoryenvironmentforICT;
InfrastructureforICTdevelopment;
CommunityparticipationandgovernanceinICTdevelopment;
ICTinBusinessDevelopment;
HumanresourcecapacityforICTdevelopment.
In 2002 the SADC eReadiness Task Force was constituted which recommended three means of
directlyimprovingereadinessandharnessingICTforsocialandeconomicadvancementwithinthe
SADCregion:
Establishingthepolicyframeworkforaction,
Buildingthenecessaryinfrastructure,and
13 http://www.info.gov.za/speeches/1998/98b24_4629811399.htm
47
Undertakinggroundlevelprojects.
As outlined in the TCM Protocol, the Committee of SADC Ministers Responsible for the Transport,
CommunicationsandMeteorologyportfoliosisthehighestregionalpolicybodyintheICTSector.The
CommitteeofICT Ministersreportsto theSADCCouncilof Ministers,which normally meetsonan
annual basis and is responsible for overall assessment of the adequacy of ICT infrastructure in
meeting the economic growth and development of the region, approving amendments to the
protocolandvariousotherhighlevelfunctions.
Reporting to the Committee of Ministers, the Committee of Senior Officials meets at least twice a
year and consists of the Permanent Secretaries, Director Generals and other similar officers
responsible for Transport, Communications and Meteorology. Among other functions, it is
responsibleforreviewingpolicies,recommendingtheregionalpolicyagendaandcoordinatingthe
implementationstrategiesdeveloped.
The I&S Directorate has the overall responsibility for ensuring progress in infrastructure
development, to: "Promote and monitor the implementation of regional protocols, policies and
strategies on energy, transport and communication, tourism and water that contribute to poverty
alleviation".
To facilitate project implementation, a Project Coordinating Unit (PCU) for infrastructure

developmenthasbeensetupwithintheI&SDirectorate.ThePCUhasfoursectorexpertsappointed
toit,includingoneforICTs,anditalsoparticipatesinTransboundaryInfrastructureProjectSteering
Committees, NEPAD and Development Finance Institution meetings. Alongside the PCU, the SADC
ProjectPreparationandDevelopmentFacility(PPDF)isbeingoperationalisedtocomplementexisting
project preparation facilities from other financing sources, and would be expected to include ICT
expertise.
One of the responsibilities of the newly formed Cluster of Ministers Responsible for Infrastructure
Development is to review the status of the development of the RIDMP. The group held its first
meetinginZimbabweinJune2010.AtthemeetingtheMinisterscommittedthemselvestofasttrack
the conclusion of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) for crossborder projects, strengthen
MemberStates'nationalandcrossborderstructurestooverseetheimplementationofprojects,and
leveragesupportforfinancingofinfrastructureprojectsfromtheMinistersresponsibleforFinance.
The Cluster of Ministers also works closely with the Ministerial Task Force on Regional Integration,
andatitsJunemeetingfocussedontheSRIIPhaseII,DigitalTelevisionMigration,HomeandAway
Roaming, the RASCOM Africawide communications satellite and the Pan African eNetwork
Project14.
In addition there is the subsectoral Telecommunications Committee and a Postal Services

Committee comprising a) senior officials and technical experts responsible for policy development
and technical coordination in the subsector, and b) consultative members representing service
providers,users,regulators,labourgroupsandotherrelevantstakeholders.Thesecommitteesmake
recommendations to the Committee of Senior Officials regarding their policy reviews. The sub
sectoralcommitteesareresponsibleforensuringcompliancewithinternationalobligationsandco
ordinatingtimeframesforharmonisation.
14 A joint initiative between the Indian Government and the African Union, aiming to connect African
countries to satellite and fiberoptic networks. The services currently offered under the project are
telemedicineandelearning.
48
ThethreeregionalinstitutionsthatarerecognisedbytheTCMprotocolandhaveastrongroletoplay
in the RIDMP are the Communications Regulators Association of Southern Africa (CRASA), the
Southern Africa Telecommunications Association (SATA) and the Southern African Postal Operators
Association(SAPOA).
The purpose of CRASA is to facilitate the development and harmonisation of policy and regulation
within the region and it has been active in the development of a number of guidelines, model
policiesandregulationsandsubjectareatoolkits.CRASAwasformerlyTRASA('Telecommunications'
was changed to 'Communications' to reflect its converged role). It represents all the national
regulators, apart from Madagascar and Seychelles (Seychelles and Swaziland do not yet have
separateregulators,andMadagascarisnotcurrentlyanofficialSADCmember).Inaddition,CRASA
hassevenAssociateMembersoperatorsandequipmentmanufacturersAngolaTelecom,Ericsson,
MultiChoice (South African digital TV broadcaster), Nokia Siemens Network, the Vodacom Group,
VodacomTanzaniaandQualcomm(theUSbasedintegratedcircuitmanufacturer).
In2011CRASAcompleteditsmergerwithSAPRA,theSouthernAfricanPostalRegulatorsAssociation.
SAPRA's membership of national postal regulators was smaller, comprising about half the SADC
Member States Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. SAPRA's remit
focussed on the harmonisation of postal regulatory frameworks, the promotion of postal sector
reform,thedevelopmentofcommonservicestandardscompatiblewithinternationalones,ensuring
affordable universal postal services and improving postal security. The TCM protocol also binds
MemberStatestoprovideefficientandaffordablemarketrelateduniversalpostalservices.Thisisto
be accomplished by promoting commercialisation and legal autonomy of postal administrations,
restructuringofpostalservicesandharmonisedregulatoryandoperationalpolicies.Improvementof
postalsecurityandcooperationwithtransportservicesispromotedtoimprovespeedandsecurity
ofmailservices.
SATAwasestablishedin1980astheSouthernAfricaTelecommunicationsAdministration,until1999
whenitcameundertheambitoftheTCMprotocolasanassociationofallthegovernmentowned,
fixedlineoperatorswithintheSouthernAfricanregion.SATAisnowopentoanylicensedoperatorin
theregion,thoughinpractice,fewoftheprivateoperatorshavejoined.Since1999onlythreeprivate
operators have become members Movicel Angola, Econet EziCel Lesotho and Teleaccess
Zimbabwe.ThenoteworthyexceptionstoSATA'smembershipareOCPT(theDRCincumbent),Neotel
(the2ndfixednetworkoperatorinSouthAfrica)andCable&WirelessSeychelles.
SATA aims to encourage technical and business cooperation between its members, assist in the
implementationandmonitoringoftheTCMProtocolandhasbeencoordinatingtheimplementation
of the SADC Regional Information Infrastructure (SRII) to interconnect its members on a bilateral
basis. It has also been tasked with developing an eWaste strategy. Within the context of the TCM
Protocol,SATA'sremitisto:
Collaborate with the relevant organs within the ministries responsible for ICT to ensure
effectivenessoftheProtocol'sprovisions;
EncourageallrelevantpublicandprivatesectorICTserviceprovidersandotherstakeholders
to comply with the provisions of the Protocol as far as the implementation strategies are
concerned;
MaintainregionalimpetusforimplementationandmonitoringofregionalICTprogrammesby
facilitatingcollectiveparticipationofmembers;and
AsaSectoralConsultativeMemberofSADConICT,SATAprogrammesandfacilitatesdetailed
implementation of sectoral strategies, evaluates performance, surveys results and identifies
strengthsandweaknessesthroughouttheregion.
49
On the postal side, the Southern African Postal Operators Association (SAPOA) was inaugurated in
2001 to improve the quality of postal services in the region, support the common interests of the
postal operators, and promote regional standardisation and harmonisation of the postal network
designandservicedeliverysystems.SAPOA's20092012strategicplanaddressesfivestrategicissues:
Harmonisationofpostalpolicies;
Developmentofpostalpolicyandregulation;
UtilisationofICTstobridgethedigitaldivide;
Developmentofharmonisedaddressingsystems;and
AcommonapproachtomarketliberalisationandUniversalServiceObligation.
Inaddition,attheregionalleveltheSouthernAfricaBroadcastingAssociation(SABA)isthegroupof
broadcast industry members whose main role is to ensure quality broadcasting and high industry
standardsintheregion.Italsoengagesinsomeinitiativestoimprovemediacapacityintheregion.At
SABA's18thAGMin2011itwasdecidedtoundertakeareviewthatwouldtakeintoconsideration
the economic, technological, social and political changes that have been taking place since the
establishment of SABA in 1993. It also recognised the need for collaboration between CRASA and
SABA in accelerating harmonisation of broadcasting policy and regulatory frameworks and
broadcasting infrastructure rollout in the region. To this end the CRASA and SABA Secretariats are
negotiating a MoU between the two associations in order to enhance the working relationships,
especiallyregardingissuesrelatingtotheplannedmigrationfromanaloguetodigitalbroadcasting.
Atthesupraregionallevel,SADCispartoftheCOMESAEACSADCTripartiteFrameworkofRECsthat
are in the process of merging. In the lead up to this longterm process, the three RECs are
collaborating on regional infrastructure projects. In this respect the RIDMP is a key input to the
proposed Tripartite Framework Interregional Infrastructure Master Plan, as well as to the African
Union'scontinentwidePIDA.
SotheSADCregional/crossborderinfrastructurewouldbedevelopednotonlytoservetheSADC
regionmoreefficiently,buttobepartofthecontinentalinfrastructurethatwillmakeinterregional
trade easier and more competitive for the benefit of the broader group of African citizens. The
networkeffecthasapositiveroletoplayhere,sinceincreasedaccessibilityofSADCinfrastructureto
therestofthecontinentwillinturnincreasetheattractivenessofinvestmentinSADCinfrastructure.
TheNorthSouthCorridor(NSC)projectistheflagshipTripartiteprojectandwiththerecentinclusion
of ICT expertise on the project team, there are increased opportunities for promoting regional co
operationinthedevelopmentofICTinfrastructurehere,mostlikelybasedonaugmentingregional
backboneswithaccesstoalternativeinfrastructurevia'smartcorridors'asproposedbyPIDA.These
wouldinvolveensuringsufficientductsforthelongtermalongthecorridorandlayinginitialfibresas
neededbytheoperatorsalongthewaytoprovidefortheirlonghaul/middlemileneedsaswellasto
provide the corridor itself with high levels of broadband availability to support the emerging
intelligenttransportsystems.
InthepastitwasenvisagedthattheregionalfibrebackbonenetworkinSADCwouldbelinkedtothe
proposedCOMESAComtelNetwork.Howeverthisnetworkhasnotbeenestablishedandinsteadthe
countries in SADC's neighbouring regional economic communities (ECCAS, EAC and COMTEL) are
currentlyinterconnectedwithSADCMemberStatesonanadhocbasis.
ThereisalsotheissuethatmostSADCMemberStatesarealsomembersofotherRECs.Asidefrom
themajoritybeingmembersofCOMESA,AngolaisalsoamemberofECCASandTanzaniaisalsoa
50
member of EAC. As a result Angola and Tanzania form 'bridges' to ECCAS and EAC as both SADC
Member States are also in the process of linking up with their other REC regional fibreoptic
backboneinitiatives(CABinECCASandEACBINinEAC).
Inconclusion,theSADCregion'srangeofinstitutionalframeworksandinitiativesprovidemostofthe
instrumentsrequiredforeffectiveimplementationoftheICTSectorPlan(SeeAnnexure4forfurther
detailsoftheongoingprogrammes).HoweverfurtherharmonisationofICTpoliciesandregulations
betweenMemberStatesstillneedstooccur,alongwithspeedingupofsectorreformtoreducethe
costofentryfornew,oftensmallerplayers,andintroducingmoreeffectiveregulatoryenforcement.
Abindingmechanism,suchasaregionallaw,thathelpstoensurethenationaladoptionofpolicies
and regulations promulgated at the regional level would help in this respect. The Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region in West Africa (and the European Union), has
benefited from this type of mechanism to encourage rapid regional harmonisation and policy
development, in which penalties can be instituted on Member States which fail to comply with
ECOWAS directives. Thus the decisions of the regional telecommunication regulatory association,
West African Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA), that are endorsed by ECOWAS,
becomemandatoryfortranspositiontonationallevel.
2.2.3
DynamicsattheMemberStateLevel
Atthenationallevel,thereisusuallyasetofnationalICTstrategies,policiesandregulationswithin
each country, supported by a Ministry of Telecommunication or ICTs, and a national regulatory
authority (NRA) which is sometimes constituted as a general utilities regulator and occasionally
supportedbyacompetitionlaw,andanassociatedcompetitioncommissionortribunal.
Asshownintable10below,mostMemberStateshavedevelopedanationalICTstrategy.Manyof
these were built using the National Information and Communication Infrastructure (NICI) planning
processestablishedbytheAISIinthelate1990swithsupportfromUNECA.Thecountrieswithlong
established national plans may need updating to reflect recent developments and learning from
similarinitiativeselsewhereintheregionandinotherdevelopingcountries.
Table10:NationalICTStrategies
Country
Existenceofanationalstrategy
Implementationstatus
Angola
Aplanknownas"Strategyforthe
TheGovernmentofAngolacreatedaNational
DevelopmentofInformationTechnology2000 CommissionforInformationTechnologybydecreeno.
2010"hasbeenelaborated
6/2002of4April2002
Botswana
TheMaitlamoNationalPolicyforICT
Thepolicyisbeingimplementedundervariousinitiatives
Development,2007hasbeenestablished
suchas"ConnectingCommunities","ThutoNet(School
Connectivity)"and"Governmentonline"
DRC
Lesotho
Madagascar
Malawi
Mauritius
Mozambique
51
NationalICTPolicyexists
Needstodevelopstrategy
NationalICTPolicy2008isinplace
Needsstrategydevelopment
HasaplandevelopedbyMinistryofTelecoms, Hasanactionplan20072012
PostsandCommunicationsincollaboration
withUNDP
Theprocessofdevelopinganationalstrategy TheICTpolicyframeworkwasfinalisedinMay2002.The
startedin2002
NICIplanisbeingfinalised
TheNationalITstrategicplanof2007/2011
124projectscuttingacrossvarioussectorssuchas
education,tourism,health,industry,agricultureand
governmentarebeingimplementedwithaviewtomaking
ICTthefifthpillaroftheeconomyandtransforming
MauritiusintoaregionalICThub
Hasa2002strategy
NeedsupdatingaspertheOpenSocietyInitiativefor
SouthernAfrica(OSISA)report
Country
Namibia
Seychelles
Existenceofanationalstrategy
Namibiahasa20092013strategyinplace
ANationalstrategyonICThasbeenputin
place
Implementationstatus
Governmentadoptedandlaunchedstrategyin2010
Theimplementationstartedonmanysectorslinkedto
tradeandcapacitybuilding
SouthAfrica
Swaziland
Strategyisinplace
Animplementationplanisunderdevelopment
Tanzania
Zambia
ISAD20102013
SwazilandhasaNICIpolicyadoptedby
Governmentin2006
ThenationalICTpolicy(2003)isinplace
Thenationalpolicywascompletedin2006
Zimbabwe
AneStrategy20102014
NeedstodevelopstrategyasperOSISAreport
ItisbeingimplementedasevidencedbythenewICTAct
of2009,thePostalActof2009andtheElectronic
CommunicationandTransactionsAct
Strategyisinplace
Asreferredtointheprevioussection,andalsoidentifiedintheeSADCstrategy,thelevelofnational
implementation of SADC ICT infrastructure policies has been relatively low. As a result, the
development of crossborder, backbone infrastructure and retail service provision has suffered in
many Member States in the region. Aside from holding back the development of affordable e
servicesandcontentacrosstheregion,landlockedMemberStatesareespeciallyvulnerabletothis
lack of implementation and harmonisation their need for lowcost international access is
dependent on their neighbouring country policy environments and if these are not open, the
landlocked country will be unable to achieve its connectivity goals affordably, even if it has, itself,
implementedaprogressivepolicyandregulatoryenvironment.
OneoftheotherreasonsforthevariationinpoliciesandregulationsbetweenSADCMemberStates
isthat theharmonisationprocessisstillanongoingprocessin manyof the MemberStates,which
have only recently begun to implement the necessary policy changes. The legal and political
processesforimplementingthesechangesisoftenslowerthanmightbeexpectedgiventhepriority
thatmostoftheMemberStateshavegiventopromotingtheuseofICTs.
Itshouldbenotedherethatmuchrelianceisplacedonthenationalregulatorformakingprogressin
the infrastructure related elements of the above, and this can pose problems for many Member
States.As HIPSSA'sconsolidatedreportnotes,regulatoryauthoritiesoftenhaveinsufficienthuman
resourcestoeffectivelyimplementthecomplexregulationregimesadopted,andtheyoftenlackthe
financialresourcesandcapacitytoeffectivelymonitorandenforceregulations.
2.3
ProjectionsandTrendsfor2027InfrastructureRequirements
2.3.1
BackboneInfrastructure
There is probably no faster growing commodity in the world than bandwidth. Exploding capacity
utilisation is even more apparent in regions such as Southern Africa, where demand has been
suppressed, but is now being liberated by the arrival of lower cost and more plentiful supplies of
national and international capacity. As mentioned above, international bandwidthuse is currently
growingatgreaterthanexponentialratesacrosstheregion.
Itistooearlyintheprocessofimprovingthesupply,orfulfillingnewdemand,toknowhowsteep
thiscurvecouldbecome,especiallyasaccessdevicesandapplicationscontinuetocomedownincost
whileincreasinginfunctionality,andpenetratingmorewidelyamongstthe population.In addition
thereistheincreasingintensityofbandwidthusepersubscriberastheybecomemorefamiliarwith
thetechnologyandlearnhowtoexploitmoreoftherangeofbandwidthconsumingfeatures.Evenin
morematuremarketssuchasinEurope,thetrafficgeneratedpersubscriberhasincreasedbyseven
timesoverthelastfiveyears,andnowreaches17Gbpermonthperfixedlinebroadbandsubscriber
52
intheUK.Itshouldbenotedherethatresidentialuserequiresthemostcapacity,ofwhichabouthalf
isvideo.
Fortunatelydatatransmissiontechnologydevelopmentsarecontinuingtokeeppacewithexploding
demandandthelatestlowlatency100Gbpsperwavelengthtechnologiesarenowbeginningtobe
commerciallydeployed.ExistingDWDMcapablefibrecanbeused,sothismeansthatmostrecent
fibre infrastructure deployments are future proof, and capacity can be upgraded many times as
needsgrow15.
Giventhatcivilworksisbyfarthelargestcostitemforopticalfibretrunking(upto90%),thebulkof
the investment will be preserved if duct planning is done correctly16. Future financing required to
upgrade links to meet additional demand will be much smaller than the initial capex, which
fortunately means that accurate forecasts of demand in 15 years time are unnecessary once the
ductingandfibreisinplace,onlymarginalinvestmentswillberequiredtoupgradecapacityasitis
needed.Thusvirtuallyallofthefinancingrequiredforbackboneinfrastructureprojectswouldbefor
shortterm (12 year) time horizons to deploy the fibre links for the first time, and any further
upgradecostslateronshouldeasilybecoveredbytherevenuegeneratedbythelink.
Inrelationtointernationaldatacapacityrequirements,bylaterthisyear(2012)wheneverycoastal
countryintheSADCregionwillhaveatleastonesubmarinelandingstation,andmanywillhavetwo,
there will be sufficient international capacity available in the region to service current and future
demand.Byconservativeestimates,atleast20Terabitspersecondofsubmarinecablecapacitywill
beavailabletosubSaharanAfrica,withthepossibilityof50500%moreintheshorttermifSAex,the
BRICSCableorWASACEgoahead.Evenifbroadbandpenetrationwastojumpfromlessthan5%to
over20%ofthepopulation,thetotalinternationalcapacityrequiredforallofSubSaharawouldstill
belikelytobelessthan15Tbps.
TakingintoaccounttherelativepopulationsizeoftheSADCRegionvssubSaharanAfrica(about270
million vs 850 million), SADC Member States should have access to about 30% of the total
international capacity available, or over 6 Tbps. At an average population growth rate of 2.5% per
year, the region's population would reach about 404 million by 2027. Even if no new submarine
cables were laid in the next 15 years, based on current benchmarks for international capacity
utilisationpercapita,6Tbpswouldstillbeabout20%morecapacitythanisactuallyrequiredbythe
region.Ofcoursesomeofthecapacitywillbeusedforredundancy/restoration,butconsideringthat
even more cables are planned, and there will also be crosscontinental routes to reach the many
Mediterraneansubmarinecablebackbones,thisisacomfortablemarginforthelongterm.
Nowthattherequiredsubmarinecableinfrastructureisvirtuallyinplace,andashighlightedbythe
earlierdiscussiononICTuptake,themaindriversforinternationalcapacitydemandwillbe:
National ICT market dynamics network access costs and coverage (mainly influenced by
policiesoncompetition,accesstoalternativeinfrastructure,availability/costofrequiredradio
spectrum,wholesale&3/4Glicencecosts);
Penetration/cost of access devices (computers, handhelds affected by technology trends,

taxesandaffordablelinesofconsumercredit,includingbundlingoflaptops/3Gsettopboxesas
partofthebroadbandservices);and
Availability of reliable lowcost energy to power networks and access devices, especially in
rural areas (affected by national energy policies, including Independent Power Producer
15 Latesttechnologydevelopmentsindicatethat8Tbpsperindividualfibrewillbeachievableshortly.
16 Conduit or ducts of sufficient size and buried sufficientlydeeply (or protected overhead) to minimise the
chancesforaccidentalbreakageorvandalism.
53
policies(IPPs17)).
Levels of wealth and literacy are also variables that can affect broadband uptake, but in most of
SouthernAfricathese factorswillhave verylittle impactonbroadbandpenetrationin the shortto
medium term because of the other constraints outlined above that have created high levels of
suppressed demand. In addition bandwidth requirements are largely independent of voice traffic,
which is insignificant compared to broadband requirements and usually not even taken into
considerationbyEuropeanoperatorsintheirtrafficmodels.
Based on current trends and a 2.5% population growth rate, the most likely scenario for the 2027
bandwidthrequirementsinSouthernAfricaisestimatedtobeanaveragepenetrationof20%ofthe
populationwithhighspeedbroadbandand60Kbpspersubscriberofrequiredinternationalcapacity,
and120Kbpspersubscriberofdomesticcapacity.Basedonthisthetotalcapacityrequiredbythe
SADC Member States as a group is estimated to be about 9.7 Tbps nationally and 4.8 Tbps
internationally,asshowninthetablebelow.
Table11:ForecastNationalandInternationalCapacityRequirementsby2027
Country
Angola
NationalMbps
STM1
Equivalents
InternationalMpbs
STM1Equivalents
475,227
3,066
237,614
1,533
73,586
475
36,793
238
2,554,996
16,484
1,277,498
8,242
68,580
443
34,290
222
Madagascar
781,190
5,040
390,595
2,520
Malawi
565,748
3,650
282,874
1,825
46,449
300
23,225
150
817,625
5,276
408,813
2,638
76,514
494
38,257
247
3,178
21
1,589
11
1,745,922
11,265
872,961
5,633
48,826
316
24,413
158
1,522,982
9,826
761,491
4,913
Zambia
494,566
3,191
247,283
1,596
Zimbabwe
430,541
2,778
215,271
1,389
9,705,932
62,619
4,852,966
31,310
Botswana
DRC
Lesotho
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Seychelles
SouthAfrica
Swaziland
Tanzania
Total
Itcouldbesaidthata20%penetrationrateforbroadbandmayseemlowgiventheexpecteduptake
in wireless smartphones over the coming years, but as observed by operators in North Africa and
Europe,smartphonebandwidthuseisvirtuallyinsignificantcomparedtothehighspeedbroadband
usageofdesktops,laptopsandtriple/doubleplaydevicesconnectedtoeitherthefixednetworks,or
mobilenetworksusingwirelessmodems.Thusthe20%populationpenetrationfiguremaybemore
closelyequatedtoa6080%householdpenetrationlevel.
17 Gridfeedintariffswhichallowsmallscalerenewableenergyusers/providerstorecoversomeofthecosts
of the power production facilities or even generate an income, thereby making the investment more
viable.
54
Similarlythe60Kbps/userofinternationalcapacityrequirementmayappearsmall,butisverifiedby
operatorfielddatainmoreadvancedeconomies,andisexplainedbya)asmarketsmatureamore
significantamountoftrafficislocalratherthaninternational,b)highbandwidthinternationaltraffic
iscachedlocally(suchasYouTube),andc)60Kbpsisthemultiplexedcapacitypermanentlyallocated
per subscriber, and since the user is not online 24hrs a day, this is the user's actual utilisation
averagedoveranentireday.
It should be noted here that aside from voice requirements being so much smaller than for
broadband, voice traffic puts even less pressure on transborder or regional infrastructure
requirementswhencomparedtointernetneeds.Inadevelopingcountrywitharelativelysmalllocal
web contentbase, 8090% of internet traffic is to sites outside the country, while voice traffic is
predominantlydomestic.InSADCthisiscorroboratedattheinternationallevelwithprojectionsfor
internationalvoicetrafficbeinglessthan10%oftotalinternationalcapacityrequired.
Fortunately the speed of fibre optic cables is still increasing rapidly 30 Tbps is now possible per
fibreparesocableswillhavefarmorecapacitythantherequirementscurrentlyforecast.
International links are among the most costly elements of the ICT ecosystem, and a major
determinant of enduser tariffs. Although the arrival of cheaper international capacity on the
Southern African coast may not have seen immediate reductions in broadband subscription fees,
capacity delivered to the enduser has increased substantially and is expected to continue as the
level of competition in the markets intensifies. This will depend a great deal on the extent of
coverage and competition in the national backbone markets. For landlocked SADC Member States
thisiscrucialastheydependontheenablingenvironmentbeingpresentintheirowncountryaswell
asthatoftheirneighbours.
2.3.2
PostalSector
In the case of the postal sector, where it is concerned with the movement of tangible items and
people passing through branch offices, ramping up supply or meeting increased demand is an
inherently resourceintensive process. This means that more careful planning and steady organic
growthwouldlikelyneedtotakeplacetosustainablymeettheneedsofthepublic.Howeverinthe
areaofelectronicandfinancialservices,thesecouldshowrapidgrowthtrendsifthebarrierstotheir
useareaddressedand thesectormovesquickly to takeadvantageoftherevolutioninmobile/cell
phonebasedpaymentsystems.
The experience internationally is that markets for traditional mail services are declining, and letter
post volumes are already dropping in the region as more people come online. Even in 2007, the
regionrecordedanaveragedeclineof5%inmailvolumes(approximately50%ofthetotalrevenueof
thepostaloperatorsintheregionwasderivedfromnormalletterpost).Whileletterpostislikelyto
continue this trend, if efficient payment systems and financial services are combined with the
emergenceofvibrantecommerceandaffordableinternetservices,therecouldbemajorgrowthin
demandforpostalservices.Globallythegrowthinparcelbusinessisattributedtothedevelopment
of ecommerce and the associated transactional mail and advertising mail. Another observation
duringtherecentfinancialcrisiswasthatthepostalfinancialservicesshowedgrowthinthenumber
of new accounts being opened and an increase in deposits. These trends are likely to become
noticeableintheSADCregionaswell.
Affordable and pervasive national connectivity and cross border connectivity will also be crucial to
supporttheneedforexpansionofthepostalsystemintoruralareas,andtodiversifyintoelectronic
andfinancialservices.Consideringthatpostalbranchesmaybeinremoteareaswithoutdirectaccess
toterrestriallinks,thepostalsysteminmanyMemberStateswillrequireaccesstosatellitelinksto
55
ensurecomprehensivecoverage,atleastintheshorttomediumterm.
Whileprogressneedstobemadeininstitutionalstrengtheningbeforeincreasedvolumesofphysical
postbecomeapparent,increasesinpostalmailtobemovedcouldalsobeconstrainedbythequality
of the transport infrastructure, but will be unlikely to require the transport sector to increase
infrastructureonthestrengthofmailvolumes.Formailtobecarriedbyair,thiscouldhaveaneffect
on the number of flights, as seen with multinational courier operators who have their own
aeroplanes.Thiswould,however,beacommercialconsiderationandwouldbeveryunlikelytoaffect
theairportinfrastructurerequirementsatregionallevel.
To reach the UPU recommended postal branch density of 1 per 10 000 people, the number of
branchesin theregionwouldneed to expandvery substantially fromthecurrentlevels ofabout
5500toover40000.TheMemberStatebreakdownofbranchrequirementspercountryisshownin
thetablebelow(basedonaveragepopulationgrowthratesintheregionof2.5%until2027).
Table12:PostalBranchesrequiredtoreachUPUrecommendationsof1:10000peoplein2027
Country
PostalBranches
CurrentNumberofPostal
Required
Branches
Angola
1,980
57
307
214
10,646
120
286
159
Madagascar
3,255
617
Malawi
2,357
333
194
115
3,407
126
319
159
13
7,275
2484
203
91
Tanzania
6,346
569
Zambia
2,061
159
Zimbabwe
1,794
335
40,441
5543
Botswana
DRC
Lesotho
Mauritius
Mozambique
Namibia
Seychelles
SouthAfrica
Swaziland
Total
2.3.3
AdditionalICTInfrastructureRequirements
Aside from affordable, reliable and pervasive backbone and postal networks, a variety of other
infrastructureelementswillbeneeded inorder toseetheDigitalSADC2027visionfulfilled.These
are:
56
Aprogressmonitoringsystembeingusedtomeasureachievementofgoals;
UptodateNationalICTStrategiesdefiningtheroleofICTsinthedevelopmentprioritiesofthe
individualMemberStates;
National and regional satellite links connecting remote areas too far from terrestrial
infrastructure;
Internet traffic exchange points in every major city keeping traffic local, supported by data
centresinstrategiclocationsprovidingcloudservices;
2.4
Regional exchange points keeping traffic within the region and attracting international
operatorstobuildouttheirinfrastructuretothesepoints;
EffectivenationalComputerEmergencyResponseTeams(CERTs)ineachcountryandaSADC
RegionCERTquicklyrespondingtonetworkthreats;
Awareness of applications for ICTs in solving social and economic problems at a personal
levelandinstitutionally,supportedbysmallbusinessincubationandR&Dfacilities;
A sufficiently large pool of technical skills in the region developing, implementing and
maintaining ICT infrastructure without requiring human resources from outside the region,
supportedbyCentresofExcellence(CoEs);
LocalICTmanufacturingcapacityproducinglowcostaccessdevicesandotherICTequipment;
Regionalandnationalgovernmentadministrationswithonlinesystemsacrossalldepartments
forinteractingwiththepublicandbusiness,creatingtransparency,publicdataavailabilityand
efficientgovernmentservicedelivery;and
Regional repositories and content generation hubs for digital media, recording cultural and
naturalheritage,indigenousknowledgeandotherlearningmaterialsthatcanbeaccessedvia
broadcastingoronline.
AssessmentofGapbetweenCurrentSituationand2027Requirements
Groupingtheissuesaroundthekey elementsof theDigitalSADC2027framework,the keygapsin

thedifferentareasareoutlinedbelow.
2.4.1
Infrastructure
SubmarineFibreCable
Thecapacityavailableonthesubmarinecablesthatwillbeoperationalintheregionbynextyearis
more than sufficient for SADC's mediumterm international capacity requirements, and thus the
main issue will be one of cost how quickly prices for capacity will come down where there is
competitionbetweencables.Iftheincumbentormobileoperatorsaretheonlyshareholdersinthe
cable,intheabsenceoftariffregulation,oralternativeroutesthroughneighbouringcountries,they
willbeunlikelytosharetheirlowpriceswithothercompetinglocaloperatorsandpricescanremain
high for all but the incumbent's clients, especially if it competes in both the wholesale and retail
markets. This is most likely with SAT3, EASSy, WACS and ACE which are operated as consortia of
mainlyincumbentandmobileoperators,althoughwithEASSyastheWIOCCopenaccessvehicleand
WACS(andprobablytheBRICScable)havingtheSouthAfricanstateownedBroadbandInfracoasan
investor,thesecouldprovidepricingthatismorecostbased.
Inthisrespectthegapsaremainlyinthepolicyandregulatoryenvironmenttoensureacostbased
pricingenvironmentisinplacetoaccesscapacityprovidedbythesubmarinelandingstations.This
can be achieved either by ensuring there is sufficient competition in the sector, through tariff
regulation,orbyinstitutingopenaccessownershipofthelandingstationviagovernmentorPublic
Private Partnership (PPP) vehicles, such as already instituted in Angola with ACE, and South Africa
withBBInfracosshareinWACS.
In addition Seychelles requires a second submarine cable link to ensure reliability of service in the
eventofacablecutonitsexistingSEAScable.Thiscouldalsoprovidelowerinternationalcapacity
pricesonsomeroutesiflandingatawellconnectedhub.
TerrestrialFibreCableInfrastructure
Virtually all the required terrestrial infrastructure in the region is in place, and only a few cross
borderlinksaremissing,asshownintable13below.Howeverthemainproblemisthatmostofthe
57
infrastructure that is available is not equally available to all operators. This is because efforts to
address required fibre infrastructure in Southern Africa (and elsewhere on the continent) have
approached the need for "missing links" by facilitating the interconnection of the national
infrastructure of incumbent operators. This approach has helped to minimise external funding
requirements (as the costs are usually met by the operators themselves), but has led to network
development that discriminates against new market entrants because it is not based on "open
access"orstronginterconnectionregulation,leadingtohighpricesforaccess.Asaresult,landlocked
SADCMemberStatesstillpaymoretogettothecoastortotherestofAfricathanthey dotoget
from the coast to Europe, the US or Asia, and national backbones need considerable extension to
covermorepopulation,aswellasmoreaffordablepricing.
Thelackofcompetitivelypricedlinksisalsopartlybecausecomplementaryinfrastructureisnotyet
exploitedtothefullestextentpossible.Becausecivilworksisthemaincostofdeployingnewgreen
fieldfibre,upto90%costsavingscanbeachievedbyusingtheexistingcabling,ductsandrightsof
wayofutilitynetworks(energy,transport,waterandsanitary).Currentlytheawarenessoftheextent
ofthesecostbenefitsislow,andthelicensingregimemaynotyetauthorisethirdpartyusage,orthe
infrastructure may already be locked up in longterm lease arrangements with the incumbent
operators.Andwheresuchinfrastructureisavailable,priceschargedbythealternativeinfrastructure
operatorsareusuallyunrealisticallyhigh,becausethereislittletariffregulationcurrentlytakingplace
intheregion.
Infrastructuresharingandlanduseplanningruleshavealsonotyetbeenwidelyadoptedtoenforce
thedeploymentoffibres,ductsorconduitonnewtelecom,transportorenergyinfrastructure.Thisis
beingseenascriticallyimportantbecausegovernmentalreadyownstherightsofwayonthemost
important routes (national roads and border posts, regional long distance hightension pylon
networks,crossborderrailandfuelpipelinesetc)andcaneasilyfacilitateaccesstothese,especially
therightsofway,forthelayingofnewfibre.
Oftenthesegovernmentassetsaretheonlycosteffectiveroutes,towhichstateownedincumbent
operators naturally have better access than other operators. A number of competing private
initiatives have found this to their detriment when trying to deploy their own fibre over tracts of
privateland.Thetimeinvolvedandhighcostofpurchasingindividualrightsofwayfromhundredsof
differentprivatelandownerscanmakesomerouteseconomicallyunjustifiableandhaveheldback
someoftheseprojectsintheregion.
In addition limited levels of government and private civil works coordination mean that fibre
infrastructure may be unreliable because of frequent accidental cuts by utilities providers or other
telecomoperatorsdeployingormaintainingtheirowncable.Lowpenaltiesfortheftorvandalismof
this strategic asset also contribute to reduced reliability and increased cost of the available
infrastructure.
Fibre optic cables have a 20 to 25 year lifespan, but as most of the high capacity submarine and
terrestrial cables have been laid in the last five years, the bulk of the infrastructure will still be
operationalin2027.Furthermore,forterrestrialinfrastructure(andlandingstations)mostofthecost
isinthecivilworksforsecuringtherightsofwayandinstallingtheducts,whichwilllikelylastmuch
longer than 20 years, so replacing old fibre cables is much cheaper than laying new routes.
Neverthelesssomeoftheearlydeploymentsoffibreopticcablesintheregion,mainlylinksbetween
SouthAfricaanditsneighbours,mayneedtobereplacedbefore2027.However,itisalsolikelythat
additional fibre will be laid along most of these routes by competing regional providers, making
replacement unnecessary in many cases, and with the much lower costs of simply replacing the
fibres,thiscostshouldbemetoutoftheongoingrevenuesgeneratedfromtheroute.
58
Table13:CrossBorderInterconnectionStatusandNeeds
59
Insummary,whileit can bemisleadingtogeneralisefromthe widerangeofconditions acrossthe

SADCregion,theterrestrialinfrastructuregapsandconstraintswhichhavebeenidentifiedare:
Existing fibre optic infrastructure that is not equally accessible to all operators. Constraints
include:thelimitedextentofcompetitivecrossborderandnationalroutes(marketdominance
fromincumbentoperatorsinmanycountries,andevenformalmonopoliesstillpersistinsome
SADC Member States), limited number of fibre pairs for use by different operators, old fibre
whichmaybeunsuitableformodernprotocolslikeDenseWaveDivisionMultiplexing(DWDM)
orwithmanyrepairedcutsleadingtosignalattenuation;
SomemissinglinksbetweenSADCMemberStates(especiallybackuplinks),andalsobetween
theSADCregionanditsneighbours;
Many crossborder routes with only one link, with resulting lack of redundancy and
competitivepricing;
Highchargesforuseoftheexistingfibreonutilitynetworks(transport/energy);
LimitedbroadcastTVandradiosignalcoverage;
Lack of national and regional traffic exchange points (IXPs) resulting in domestic traffic
between local operators that travels outside the country, and intraregional traffic that is
exchangedinEurope,NorthAmericaorAsia,increasingthecostofcapacity,limitingoptions
forcompetitivelocalserviceprovisionandreducingnetworkperformance;
Lack of an integrated approach to planning, implementation and delivery of infrastructure,

leading to waste of resources through lack of low cost access to ducts on roads, rail lines,
electricity grids etc. These need to be a planning requirement on all public infrastructure,
includingcommercialbuildings;
Noplanforsharingasatelliteservicetolowerthecostofprovisioninggovernmentservicesin
isolatedareasacrosstheregion;and
Lack of uptodate and publicly available regional ICT infrastructure coverage, usage and
pricinginformation.
2.4.2
ConfidenceandSecurityinNetworksandServices
AsICTinfrastructurebecomesmorepervasiveandaffordable,government,businessandthepublic
becomeincreasinglydependentonthesmoothfunctioningofthenetworksandservicesprovided.In
addition, as more enduser devices become connected to highspeed networks and more
applications are used, more vulnerabilities may be exposed for exploitation. As a result special
measuresareneededtoensurenetworksandservicesareassecureandreliableaspossible,anddo
notposeunduethreatstotheirusersorlimitusethroughlackofconfidence,presenceofpotential
threatsorserviceinterruptions.
One of the chief gaps in this respect is that currently there are no national or regional standards,
guidelines or regulations for cable laying (mandatory trench depth, cable ring topologies etc) that
helptoensurethatnetworksarenotvulnerabletoaccidentalorintentionalcuts.Inadditionthere
are no special measures to address theft, vandalism and accidental damage of these vital national
resources.Withoutthesestandardsorlegalpenaltiesforvandalism,theftorlackofduecare,service
interruptionsarelikely to regularlyleavelargesectionsofthepopulation cut offforindeterminate
amountsoftime(repairingfibrecablesmaytakedaysifnotweeks).
As an additional safeguard for cables, regulations can be used to make it mandatory to provide
reciprocal access to each other's infrastructure so that the impact of any cable downtime is
minimised.
Asthenumberofdevicesconnectedtotheinternetintheregiongrows,cybersecuritythreatsare
likely to increase, both nationally and from across borders. While the development of cybercrime
60
legislationisnowrelativelywelladvancedinmostoftheregion,sofaronlyaminorityofMember
States have established Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) to be able to respond to
networksecuritythreats.
AvitalconsiderationisthenumberexhaustioninthecurrentversionoftheInternetProtocol(IPv4).
The number of devices connected to the internet cannot continue to grow without moving to the
next version of the protocol IPv6 which has virtually unlimited address space (every device
connected to the internet needs its own unique IP number). Awareness of this problem, the
resourcestoupgradeoutdatedequipmentandthetechnicalskillsintheregiontoeffectthechanges
arelow,andasaresulttheleveloftransitiontoIPv6thathasalreadytakenplaceissmall,andthe
regioniscurrentlyrunningtheriskoffallingfurtherbehindinthetransitionprocess.
2.4.3
EServices&ApplicationsandCapacityBuilding&Content
ThekeyICTgapsthatneedtobeaddressedunderthetwinpillarsofa)Capacitybuilding&Content,
andb)eServicesandApplications,are:
LackofavailabilityoflocalorregionalICTapplicationsandcontent,includinggovernmentdata
andinlocallanguages;
LimitedcollaborationandcostsharingbetweenMemberStategovernmentsineapplications
andcontentdevelopment;
Limitedpublicresourcesforswitchingfrommanualtoautomatedsystems;
Limitedawarenessofthepublicinuseofeservicesingovernment;
FewfiscalincentivesforbusinessestoinvestinautomationandinICTtraining;
Low levels of public and private investment in digital content aggregation on local and
indigenousknowledgelackofcapacityinregionalcontentdevelopmenthubs;
Lack of access to public data held by governments and lack institutional systems for storing,
managingandmakingpublicdataavailable;
LackofgovernmentinvestmentinICTegovernanceapplicationsdevelopment;
NonationalandregionallystandardisedICTtrainingcertification;
LimitedpoolofICTskillsandtrainingfacilities;
LackoftechnicalcapacityinnationalregulatorsandCERTs;
LimitedamountsofearlystartupfundingfornewICTbusinesses;and
Fewandcostlylocalwebhostinganddatacentrefacilities.
2.4.4
Research,InnovationandIndustryDevelopment
The ICT gaps that need to be addressed in order to improve support for the pillar of Research,
InnovationandIndustryDevelopmentare:
Limitedcollaborationatnationalandregionallevelsbetweenresearchinstitutions;
Few specialised ICT research institutions and generally low levels of ICT research
capabilities/researchoutputsandhigherdegreesinICTs;
Limitedhighspeedconnectivitywithinandbetweenresearchinstitutionsandothercentresof
excellence;
Low levels of ICT manufacturing capacity and few fiscal incentives for developing
manufacturingcapabilities;
Highcostofaccessdevicesandsoftwarelimitedsoftfundingsourcesandloweconomiesof
scaleinpurchasing;
Lack of ICT incubator facilities, funds for their development and incentives for supporting
them;
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2.4.5
Lackofnationalandregionalstandardsandplansfordealingwithewaste,and/orregulations
that have put ewaste in the same group as other hazardous non electronics waste, or the
mandate provided to the Local Authorities to manage the ewaste without proper technical
expertiseorguidance;and
LackofawarenessofICT'sroleinreducingcarbonfootprints.
EnablingPolicyandRegulatoryEnvironment
Themostimportantchallengefornationalpolicyandregulatorydevelopmentistoensureitkeeps
uptodatewiththefastchangingmarketandtechnologyenvironmentintheICTsector.TheGlobal
SymposiumofRegulators(GSR)meetinginDakarinNovember2010providedasuccinctsummaryof
themainissueshere:"theGSR2010notedthegrowingcomplexityoftheICTmarketenvironment
andneedtorethinkthedifferentdegreesofregulationtoanchornationalbroadbandstrategiesand
regulatory frameworks around the multifacetted concept of open access to and over networks,
whichprovidesforachievingeffectivecompetitionwhileensuringaccessible,affordableandreliable
servicesforconsumers."
Partoftheproblemisthattheextentofmarketliberalisationrequiredisoftennotfullyappreciated.
The degree of competition in the mobile sector can easily lead policy makers to believe that the
overall ICT market is more competitive/open than it really is. In addition, expectations of pricing
levelsfornationalandinternationalwholesalecapacityare muchhigherthanthey need be,which
further reinforces the perception that existing policies are sufficient, or that they are effectively
enforced.
Also, regulators often have low levels of institutional capacity to evaluate market developments,
deviseappropriatepoliciesandenforceregulations.Wellfinancedoperatorshavefarmoreresources
andcaneasilytieupunderresourcedregulatorsincourt.Regulatorsalsooftendonothavesupport
fromCompetitionLaworantiCompetitioninstitutions,asmanySADCMemberStateshavenotyet
establishedtheselegislativeinstruments.
The consolidated HIPSSA report identified a variety of implementation challenges which militate
againsttheMemberStatesachievingoptimalpolicyandregulatorygoals.Thesechallengesrelateto
the:
Reluctancebygovernmentstorelinquishtheirshareholdingsintheincumbentfixednetwork
operatorsandallowprivateparticipation;
Slowpaceofimplementingpoliciesandregulationstosupportthedeploymentofservices;
Lack of human resources, due to movement of human capital from government institutions
and Regulatory Authorities to the private sector where there are more attractive incentives
andremuneration;
Absence of welldefined timetable and conditions for the transition from a monopoly in the
fixed line market to a fully liberalised market including information about conditions for
awardingoflicences;and
Conflictofinterestfromgovernmentswithsharesinincumbentoperators.
Asfarbackasthe2001SADCHOSSummitinBlantyreitwasnotedthat"thecapacitylimitationsin
theregion,inparticulartheshortageofskilledICTpersonnel,andthehighcostofdevelopmentof
ICT infrastructure, creates slow progress in the deregulation of the telecommunications sectors
leadingto monopolies,unaffordabilityofuniversalaccessdue tohigh tariffsandinternetcharges,
lack of economic commerce readiness, and reluctance of acceptance for ICT culture and
innovations."
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TheHIPSSAreportobservesthataconsiderablenumberoftheMemberStatesarenotsignatoriesto
the WTO Agreement on Basic Telecommunications commonly known as the Reference Paper, and
says:"ItwouldbeidealfortheSADCasaregionalbodytoensurethatitsMemberStatesbecome
signatoriestothereferencepaperasthiswouldgiveinvestorsmoreconfidenceandtheregulatory
regimemorecredibilityinthatitisanindicatorthatMemberStatesagreetoabidebyinternational
commitments."
Inadditionthereisstillalowlevelofawarenessoftheimportanceofnondiscriminatoryaccessto
transportandenergynetworksinspeedingupandmassivelyreducingthecostofdeployment.Also,
constraintstomarketentryhavecombinedwiththelackofenablingpoliciesfortheuseoftransport
andenergyinfrastructurefortelecommunicationfibretofurtherslownetworkextension.
Rapid wireless technology developments have made it difficult for regulators to keep up to date
spectrummanagementplans.Changehereisalsoresistedbythevestedinterestsofoperatorswho
havealreadyspentlargeamountstosecurerightstospectrum,whilesomeoperatorshavefoundthe
feesrequiredforthemtoobtainthe3Gspectrumprohibitivelyexpensive.
At the same time, there is lack of clarity among the policy makers and regulators regarding
procedures for awarding 3G/4G licences. The regulators also sometimes have to wait for a long
periodoftimefortheministriesofinformationandcommunicationtechnologytoapprovespectrum
for3G/4Gnetworks.Fortunatelythecurrentprioritytoupdateradiospectrummanagementplansfor
4G and digital broadcasting migration is helping to drive efforts toward improved radio frequency
managementandhasalsohighlightedtheneedforpassiveinfrastructuresharingofmastsandof
basestations.Thiswillencouragefurtherpolicydevelopmentforaccesstopassiveinfrastructureand
helptoensurerapiddevelopmentofcostbasedinfrastructure.
Manynationalpolicymakersandregulatoryauthoritiesalsorequiresupportformoreeffectivepolicy
andregulationinsomeotherkeyareas:
Supportforintroductionofopenaccessbackbonesandcompetitivemarketsatalllevelsinthe
valuechain;
Control of dominant operators through Significant Market Power (SMP) determinations,

wholesale tariff controls, separation of wholesale from retail operations, and support from
generalcompetitionlegislation;
Requiringallnewalternativeinfrastructureandlargebuildingstoincludeappropriatefibreor
ductsfortelecommunicationpurposes;
Ensuringreasonableaccesstoexistingalternative/complementaryinfrastructure(transport&
energy),andassociatedRightsofWay;
Adopting detailed planning guidelines for identifying and implementing new regional and
crossborderlinks;and
Gathering and publishing of uptodate ICT market and infrastructure data, especially to
addressthelackofpostalinformationatthenationalandregionallevels.
2.4.6
PostalSpecificGaps
Aside from the need to the address the challenges of market liberalisation and expand the branch
officenetworksofthepostaloperators,themajorgapcurrentlyobservedintheregionisthelackof
addressingsystems.InsomeSADCMemberStatestherearealsoseriousshortcomingsintheservices
offered by the operators as regards the main quality indicators, for example, on time delivery,
reliabilityandsecurity.Inaddition,separationofpostsfromtelecommunicationsstillneedstotake
placeinSwazilandandtheDRC.
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ThefollowingissueshavebeennotedasbeingcriticalforthedevelopmentoftheSADCPostalSector:
Legislativeandregulatoryreformstopromotepostaldevelopment;
Harmonisationofpostalpolicyandregulatoryframework;
Redefinitionofpostalmarketstructures;and
Resourcing of regulatory authorities both with human and financial resources to deal with
Sectorspecificregulatoryissues.
Otherimportantgapsthatneedtobeaddressedinsomepostaloperatorsare:
Lackofconnectivityatallbranchoffices,includingremotelocationsviasatellite;
LimiteduseofICTsandautomationwithinthenationalpostalsystems;
Lackofharmonisationinsecuritystandardsbetweenthenationalpostalsystems;
Lackofexpertiseandskilledhumanresourcesforpostaloperators;and
LackofaQoSmeasurementsystem.
2.4.7
CrosscuttingGaps
While most of the required policies and regulations have already been developed at the regional
level,ithasalreadybeenobservedabovethatoneoftheoverarchingreasonsfortheslowpaceof
policy adoption in some areas is that the protocol and treaty establishing SADC does not include
mechanisms for the legal enforcement of the decisions of the Committee of Ministers. This is in
contrast,forexample,tothebindingnatureofECOWASdecisionsontheirMemberStates.Similarly,
most of the guidelines published by CRASA simply provide national regulators with a suggested
courseofactiontobefollowed.
OthergeneralconstraintsonICTsectordevelopmentthathavebeennotedinclude:
Lack of committed longterm support from the top executive level contributing to delays in
implementingandenforcingtherequireddirectives;
Giventhevitalimportanceofadequatepowersupplyforusingtheinternet,inthecountries
thatdonothavethis,thereisalackofIndependentPowerProducer(IPP)policieswhichallow
thosewhohaveestablishedtheirownenergyproducingfacilitiestosellexcesscapacitybackto
thegrid(gridfeedintariffs);
LackofconsensusonthegatheringofICTmarketdataonwhichtobasestrategicdecisions
lackofclarityonwhattomeasureandlimitedcoordinationatthenationallevelofthevarious
ICT statistics gathering activities of the different institutions regulators, National Statistics
Offices(NSOs),DepartmentsofTradeetc.;and
TheoverlappingmembershipofSADCMemberStateswithotherregionalorganisationswith
theirownsetofpolicyandregulatoryguidelineshascreatedsomedifficultiesanddelaysfor
policyharmonisation.
Intheareaofprojectfinancing,themaingapsthathavebeennotedare:
Lack of development funding for ICT project preparation and investment in contrast to the
extentofdevelopmentfundsavailablefortransport,waterandenergyprojects;
Cumbersomeandbureaucraticprocessesforinvestmentapprovals;
Lack of financial resources due to competing social obligations on the part of Member State
governments;
Lackoffundingforprojectpreparationandinvestment;
Pooralignmentbetweenregionalandnationalprojects;
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65
Lackofpipelineofbankableprojectstobeseriouslyconsideredbyinvestors;
SlowpaceofdevelopmentofMoUsforCrossborderProjects;
VaryingenablingenvironmentsforinvestmentbetweenMemberStates;and
Shiftingofpublicsectorfinancingtootherpressingsocioeconomicpriorities.
3.
StrategicFramework
3.1
StrategyforAddressingGapsandExpectedResultsby2027
3.1.1
SignificanceofSectorandPriorityGoals
Informationandcommunicationtechnologieshavebecomethelifebloodoftheknowledgeeconomy,
andaffordableaccesstoICTsisahumanrightaswellasasignificantcontributortoeconomicgrowth
andsocialwellbeing.ThepotentialimpactofICTscutsacrossvirtuallyallothersocialandeconomic
sectors,andisakeyenablerformeetingtheregion'sstrategicgoals.Supportingimprovedavailability
anduseofICTswillhaveanumberofkeybenefitsfortheregion,inparticular:
Wellinformedrapiddecisionmakingefficient,transparentgovernance,globallycompetitive
industriesandknowledgeablepublic;
Lifelonglearninginstantaccesstoknowledgeandbetterjobs;
Socialandculturalinclusiontheendofisolationanddiscrimination;
Morewealthandlivelihoodcreationoptionsandemploymentopportunities;
Efficientcrossbordertravelandseamlessmarketsforgoodsandservices;
Increasedagriculturalproductionandmoreefficientproducemarkets;
Accessiblegovernment,commercialandfinancialservices,culturalheritageandindigenous
knowledge;and
Ahealthier,happierpopulation.
3.1.2
PolicyandRegulatoryFramework
Basedontheidentificationofpolicyandregulatorygapsoutlinedinsection2.4above,astableand
uniformnationalandregionalPolicyandRegulatoryFrameworktosupportthepillarsoftheDigital
SADC2027frameworkwouldentail:
1.
Regulations which reduce the dominance or significant market power (SMP) of incumbents,
such as provisions for mandatory access to essential facilities, infrastructure sharing & co
locationrules,andtariffsetting;
2.
Increased numbers of communication service licences issued to encourage competitive
pressureonpricesforaccesstoICTinfrastructure;
3.
Lowlicencefeesandrapidlicensingprocedures;
4.
ConvergedtechnologyneutrallicensingregimesthatpromoteuseofVoIPandIPTV;
5.
NationalVoIPnumberingplansandavailabilityDirectInwardDialling(DIDs);
6.
Passiveandalternativeinfrastructureprovisionandsharingducts,masts,energygridandrail
linksetc;
7.
Reducedsalesandimporttaxationoncommunicationsservicesandequipment,especiallythe
highlevelsofsalesorvalueaddedtaxesinsomeMemberStatesoncommunicationservicesfor
theenduser;
8.
Improved enforcementcapacityofnationalregulatorsandcompetitionboardsandimproved
disputeresolutionprocessesfortelecommunicationsandpostalcompetitiondisputes;
9.
Smoothprocessesforobtainingcablelayingpermits,includingcrossborderrightsofway;
10. Uptodate national and regional ICT market statistics gathering and publication, including
publiclyavailableICTserviceperformanceandtariffinformation;
11. Efficient management of radio spectrum (cost based pricing and rapid processing of
applications);
12. ClearUniversalAccess&ServiceObjectives,andefficientlymanagedUniversalAccess/Service
Funds(USFs)withclearlydelineatedscopeofactivities(includingsupportforpostalandrural
energyforICTs);
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13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
LinkswithbetweenUSFsintheDigitalTerrestrialTelevision(DTT)migrationstrategyforthose
unabletoaffordsettopboxes;
RequirementsforICTreticulationplans(ductingandhousings)inbuildingsaspartofmunicipal
planningregulations;
NationalandregionalCERTstoidentifythreatsandassistwithcybersecurityoperations;
MaximisedICTinfrastructureopportunitiesinTransboundaryRegionalCorridorprojects,such
as deployment of large ducts capable of holding multiple cables for future use by ICT
infrastructureproviders;
Regional standards for burying cable at sufficient depth, or erecting at sufficient height on
pylons, and ensuring sufficient security protection on cableways, buildings and transport
vehicles(forpostal);
FiscalincentivesforestablishinglocalandregionalICTindustries;
Appropriate cybersecurity, etransaction and consumer privacy legislation to support the
maximaluseofeservicesaswellaspostalservicesandproducts;and
Prioritisationofexpenditureonthedevelopmentofegovernment,ehealth,eeducationand
postalservicesinnationalbudgets,alongwithroadmapsandtargetsfortheintroductionofe
services.
3.1.3
InstitutionalArrangements
With regard to ensuring the implementation of the ICT Sector Plan, the key roles of the SADC
Secretariatareto:
1.
Develop the regional ICT frameworks and policies, and support and encourage their national
transposition. As indicated above there is no legal mechanism at the regional level to help
enforcenationaltranspositionofpoliciesandthismayneedtobeaddressed;
2.
EstablishthelegalandregulatoryconditionsforregionalICTinfrastructure;
3.
Identify,developandinvolvealltheactorsinregionalinfrastructureprojects;
4.
Promote optimisation of investments in regional infrastructure by sharing costs between
sectors(ICT,transport,energy)andoperators;
5.
Carry out studies and establish guidelines for each of the different ICT infrastructure
environmentsandinfrastructurecorridors;and
6.
Regularly(usuallyquarterly)publishregionallyconsolidatedICTmarketandinfrastructuredata
andannualregionalICTprogressreportsandICTstrategyreviews.
Inthiscontext,theroleofMemberStategovernmentsisto:
1.
Support the etransformation of their countries and implement appropriate policies for this
migration facilitated by National ICT strategies to define priorities in alignment with national
development objectives, and using appropriate agencies to implement the solutions that are
bestsuitedtotheparticularlocalcontext;
2.
Providebudgetarysupportforeapplicationsdevelopmentandsystemsintegrationwithinline
ministries,andforpostalservicestrengthening;
3.
Beresponsiblefortheincorporationofregionalinstitutionaldirectivesintonationallegaland
regulatoryframeworks;
4.
SupportthereformoftheICTmarketsectortoencouragecompetitiveandopenaccessservice
provisionatalllevelsinternational,nationalandlocal;
5.
Provide coordinated support for land use planning involving ICT aspects i.e. also the
ministriesinchargeofotherinfrastructure(transportandenergy),aswellasmetropolitanand
ruraldistrictauthorities;
6.
Facilitatetransboundaryinfrastructuredeploymentandcostbasedaccesstorightsofway;and
7.
Facilitateaccesstoalternative/complementaryinfrastructure(transport/energy).
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The key role of CRASA and the national regulatory authorities (NRAs) is to ensure the enabling
environment is in place and ensure that all actors abide by it through appropriate enforcement
mechanisms. This requires that NRAs have sufficient financial resources and legal tools to enforce
adherencetotheregulations.ThecapacityoftheNRAstocollectmarketandinfrastructuredataalso
needs to be reinforced by the legal environment to compel operators to submit their data on a
quarterlybasis.
NRAsupportforoptimisingtheuseofradiofrequenciesisessentialfordeploymentofcostefficient
wireless broadband access. Of particular importance is to ensure that the spectrum freed up from
analogue to digital TV migration is made available for broadband, and that interim measures are
madetouseTVwhitespacespectrumforbroadband.
OperatorRoles
Network operators are the main actors in broadband development, offering connectivity services
andinvestmentininfrastructure.Althoughnotdirectlypartoftheregionalinstitutionalframework,
nationalandregionaloperatorsareabletoidentifythebottlenecksthathinderthedeploymentof
infrastructureandcanbeinvolvedatboththenationalandregionallevelsinterrestrialinfrastructure
projects, sharing the costs with the public sector where needed. As a result policy makers and
regulatorswillneedtoensurethereareadequatemechanismstoestablishformalmultistakeholder
consultation procedures with the industry, which would include the alternative infrastructure
providerswhichhavepotentialfacilitiesforoperators.
OpenAccessInstitutional/OwnershipModels
Because of the infrastructural and operational problems currently faced in Southern Africa, it will
likely be necessary to implement open access models for the deployment of some key fibreoptic
networks.Theopenaccessmodelisaframeworkenablingfibreopticcablecarrierstosharetheuse
of the infrastructure. The model separates the roles of the service provider and the network
operator, and provides services to operators on a fair and nondiscriminatory basis. The aim is to
ensureeffectivedeploymentandacompetitive,levelplayingfield.Thisstrategyisexpectedtomore
quickly achieve the required broadband infrastructure than by simply letting the market take its
course. However this approach requires that nondiscrimination in access is upheld and that the
investmentreinforcescompetitionattheservicelevel.
Where alternative infrastructure is used, the core task of the structure for operation and
maintenance will be to maintain the infrastructure, and to facilitate fibreoptic connections to
operators and other services such as collocation facilities and interconnection points between the
differentusers.
InordertomaketheOpenAccessmodelfinanciallyattractivetooperatorsandserviceproviders,as
wellastodonorsandpublicinvestors,pricingneedstobecostbased.Thisisexpectedtobeachieved
byoperators/userspayingthecostpricefortheprovisionoftheservice,plusmaintenancecosts.The
strategyshouldbeoperatorneutral,providinganetworkthatisopentoallplayersonequalterms.
Theinstitutionsowningandmaintainingopenaccesslinkscouldbe:
An independent company created for the purpose, often called a Special Purpose Vehicle
(SPV);
Aprivatecompanydedicatedtoofferingsuchservices(suchasthetowercompaniesmodel);
A specific department or service offer by operators (for example the Openreach model of
BritishTelecom);
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Road/railcorridorauthoritiesorMinistryofTransport;or
EnergyPoolsornationalenergyministries.
Themostviableownershipandfinancingoptionwilldependonthespecificsofeachprojectandthe
particularlocalenvironmentregionalandnationallevels.
Theinfrastructurewilllikelybedevelopedinstages,beginningwithavarietyofconsultations:
With stakeholders and governments to ensure that the presence of the required enabling
environmentandconformitywithanydigitalinfrastructuremasterplansifpresent;
With operators and service providers to align the programmes with their strategic
developmentplansandreinforcethepotentialofsharedfacilities;and
Withthepotentialinvestorstoidentifytheirinterestandformofinvestmentascapital,IRU,
rights of way etc. These consultations should provide an indication of the potential of the
infrastructurefordownstreamusageatnational,districtandrurallevel,andallowdefinitionof
aforecastpriceforusagebydraftingapriceandservicescatalogue(equivalenttoaReference
InterconnectionOffer(RIO)andaServiceLevelAgreement(SLA).
In addition, the initiating institutions will likely need to establish dispute resolution procedures for
thevariousstakeholdersduringtheimplementation.
3.1.4
ProjectsandInterventions
Asidefromthepolicyandregulatoryinterventionslistedaboveinsection3.1.2,theICTSectorPlan
aimstohelpensurethatpolicy&regulatorycapacityisbuiltupatanationallevelandthatthereis
sufficientawarenessoftheneedofregulatorsforsupportbygeneralCompetitionLawanditsrelated
institutions(Commissions,Tribunalsetc),aswellasmultistakeholderconsultationprocesses.
Similarly, the most recent trends in the communications sector need to be taken into account,
particularly in relation to convergence of voice and data services (VoIP/ Next Generation Networks
(NGNs), interconnection, transit and peering arrangements, separation of wholesale versus retail
services,andconvergencebetweentelecommunications,broadcasting,financialandpostalservices.
For example, these trends have an impact on capacity requirements, needs for the deployment of
InternetExchangePoints(IXPs),licensingregimesandstrategiesforpublicpostalservices.
IntermsoftheindividualpillarsoftheDigitalSADC2027framework,thefollowingsectionsoutline
therequirementsforprojectsandinterventions.
Infrastructure
TheInfrastructurepillarisstillthearearequiringthemostinitialfocus,withoutwhichtheremaining
pillarswillnothaveasolidbaseofwidespreadandaffordableconnectivityonwhichtothrive.Inthis
respect,theICTSectorPlanaimstohelpensurethat:
1.
There is broadband interconnectivity between all SADC Member States and major cities to
ensure that intraregional traffic is reliably and quickly routed between major cities in the
region at the most cost efficient rates. This would include availability of fibre infrastructure
basedonopenaccessprinciplesandthepresenceofatleastoneInternetExchangePoint(IXP)
ineachcountryandonefortheregion;
2.
Thepublichaveaffordablehighspeedbroadbandandbroadcastingaccessbyadoptingmodels
ofbestpractice,suchasintheuseofterrestrialwirelessandsatellitetechnologiesforreaching
thelastmile;
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3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Connectivity for postal services, including physical transport and financial networks, is
improved;
Regional connectivity with the rest of the Africa via terrestrial and submarine links with the
continentisavailabletoeachMemberState.Thiswouldincludeensuringcosteffectiveaccess
to submarine cables by landlocked SADC Member States and redundant routes to ensure
reliability;
Connectivitywiththerestoftheworldviasubmarinecableconnectionsisavailable,(including
satellitewherenecessary,andphysicaltransportsystemsformailandpackages),tomeetthe
demand for international capacity, and in order to make the region an integral part of the
globalICTvillage;
Private sector participation in the ICT infrastructure sector is present to complement public
sectorefforts,eitherthroughindependentinvestmentorthroughPPPs.Itisnoteworthyhere
that in contrast to the other infrastructure sectors, the immediate return on most ICT
infrastructureinvestmentismuchhigher,andonceanenablingenvironmentisfullyinplace,
theprivatesectorshouldmeetmuchoftheneedfortransboundaryinfrastructurefinancing;
Capacity costs are minimised and reliability maximised (presence of alternative routes) by
exploitinginfrastructuresharingsynergies,forexampleinlocalloopunbundling,duct&mast
sharing, active equipment sharing, deployment & maintenance cost sharing, and ensuring
open access to alternative/complementary infrastructure such as the networks operated by
thetransportandenergyutilities.Thislastelementappliesespeciallytoelectricitygridsand
railorroadlinks,particularlywheretheyformregionalinfrastructure,orcorridors,suchasthe
SAPPortheBeiraLobitotransAfricahighway;
Humancapacityandskillsaredevelopedatthepolicymaker,regulatorandoperatorlevels,so
astogainthemaximumpotentialoftheinvestmentinICTinfrastructure;
Theneedsforredundancyandsufficientbandwidtharetakenintoaccounttoreliablysupport
communicationsforpersonal,commercialandgovernmentservices;
Voice over IP (VoIP) services are universally available, including nongeographic numbering
plansandrentalofDIDnumbers;and
ThespecialneedsoftherelativelylargenumberoflandlockedcountriesintheSADCregionare
taken into account. These need special attention to ensure they have access to affordable
internationalsubmarinecablecapacityfromthecoastalcountries.Similarobjectivesneedto
beappliedforspecialcasecountriesandsmallislandstates.Thesethreegroupsmayrequire
ICTinfrastructureprojectsfocussingatanationalleveltoensurethatallSADCMemberStates
areabletoachieveamoreequallevelofdevelopmentwithregardtotheuseofICTs.
TheICTSectorPlanalsorequirestheuseofmechanismsforprioritisingproposalsforupgradingof
existing infrastructure, versus needs for deployment of new infrastructure. This would likely take
advantageoftheopportunitiesforusingthelatestmostefficienttechnologiesandbusinessmodels
fortheprovisionoftransboundarycapacity,suchasDWDM,darkfibreortheappropriateductsor
conduit. Upgrading of existing terrestrial infrastructure may be particularly necessary in locations
with older or lowerquality fibre cables which cannot transmit data at the maximal rates available
today,orwheretherearelimitednumbersoffibresinthecable(sharingfibreismuchlessattractive
tothemajorproviders,whichneedtoleasedarkfibreratherthanjustcapacityorwavelengths).
SecurityandConfidenceinNetworksandServices
To build the Security and Confidence in Networks and Services pillar of the Digital SADC 2027
framework it is necessary to ensure that Member State and regional communication networks are
secureandreliable,anddonotposeunduethreatstotheirusersanddonotlimitusethroughlackof
confidence,presenceofthreatsorpotentialserviceinterruptions.Thisrequires:
1.
Buildinginstitutionalcapacityatanationalandregionalleveltorespondtonetworkthreats;
70
2.
3.
4.
5.
Implementing regionally harmonised regulations to ensure effective responses to cyber

securitythreats;
Adoptingcablelayingstandardstomaximisethereliabilityofanynewlydeployedopticfibre
infrastructure;
Ensuringthatpenaltiesareinplacetodetercabletheftorvandalism;and
ConductingcapacitybuildingtoensuringasmoothtransitiontoIPv6.
eServicesandApplications
TheeServicesandApplicationspillaroftheDigitalSADC2027frameworkaimstoensurethat:
1.
Regional applications are available to facilitate free trade and the free movement of people
betweenSADCMemberStatesintheregion;
2.
Regionalplatformsarepresentforencouragingknowledgesharing,costsharingandadoption
of appropriate standards in the development and implementation of public eServices
particularly home affairs and landuse administration, transport, health, agriculture and
education;
3.
Professionals working in the priority eservices sectors of health, education, agriculture,
commerceandciviladministrationareawareof,andhavesufficientskillstohelpdefineneeds
foreservices/applicationsandareabletomakethebestuseofthem;
4.
Regional funds transfer, ecommerce and emarketplace platforms are widely available, and
integratedwithinpostalsystems;
5.
GovernmentdataismadeaccessibletoallviaanOpenDataplatform18;
6.
eServices are available for use on devices ranging from desktop computers to handheld
smartphonesandbasicfeaturephones;and
7.
ThepublicissufficientlyICTliteratetoadopttheuseofwidelyavailableeservices.
CapacityBuildingandContent
To support the Capacity Building and Content pillar of the Digital SADC 2027 framework it will be
necessarytoensurethat:
1.
HumancapacityintheregionissufficienttobeabletotakeadvantageofICTs,throughtraining
andawarenessraisingactivitieswhichareconductedattheregionalleveltotakeadvantageof
increasedefficienciesandcostsharingbetweenMemberStates;
2.
Repositories and content development hubs are established for freely available online and
broadcasting content, focussing in particular on public data, educational resources, including
digitising the content of local museums and national archives, and gathering traditional
knowledgeinonlinedatabases;
3.
A sufficient skills pool is present to create relevant local content, develop appropriate
interfacestoitandmakeitavailableinlocallanguages;
4.
Thepublicisabletotakefulladvantageofeservicesthroughprovisionofnationalcallcentres
to provide support, and awarenessraising and training programmes to ensure the public,
especially the youth and the disadvantaged, are familiar with the use of available digital
services,aswellastheirwealthcreationandemploymentpotential;
5.
Information literacy is promoted through adoption of harmonised regional certification
18 With minimal cost government can make large amounts of data available so others can build innovative
applications and eServices. The EU's study of Open Datas economic impact indicates that it increases
directbusinessactivitybyupto40billionperyear,whichtranslatesintoadding0.3%ofGDP.Thesame
studyshowedoverallbenefitofOpenGovernmentDatapolicy,includingdirectandindirecteffects,could
beupto200billionperyear,or1.7%ofGDP.
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6.
7.
standardsforICTtrainingcourses;
CentresofExcellenceinICTsandPostalServiceshavearecognisedaccreditationsystem;and
National broadcasters, NRAs and CERTs are aware of the latest technology developments
throughregionaltrainingcourses.
A supportive Research, Innovation and Industry Development pillar for the Digital SADC 2027
frameworkrequires:
1.
StrongregionalICTresearchinstitutionalcapacityandcollaboration;
2.
Highspeedinterconnectivitywithinandbetweennationalandregionalresearchinstitutions;
3.
Widely used knowledge sharing mechanisms and networks between research institutions in
theregion,andvibrantcommunitiesofinterdisciplinaryresearch;
4.
National science and technology parks promoting collaboration with industry, incentives for
attractingworldclassexpertise,andefficientknowledgetransfermechanismswithinindustry;
5.
ICTsmallbusinessincubationfacilities;
6.
Regional ICT manufacturing, content and software development such as in Digital TV settop
boxes;and
7.
Supporting development of national and regional strategies for mitigating the negative
environmentalimpactsofICTs(ewasteandclimatechange),andusingICTsmoregenerallyin
othersectorstoreducetheircarbonfootprints.
CrosscuttingAspects
More generally, the Master Plan also takes into account strategies to help mitigate the impact of
indirectfactorsthataffecttheentireICTsector,suchaslowlevelsofbasicliteracy,andinbroadening
electricitysupply,aswellasinmaximisingthebenefitsofthecrosscuttingsynergiesoftheICTacross
economicsectors,governmentservices,andculturalgroupings.Adoptionofappropriateinstitutional
modelstopromoteHeadofStatelevelleadership,multisectoralcoordinationandmultistakeholder
collaborationareclearlykeyaspectshere.Arelatedaspectwouldbestrategiestocoordinatewith
the other overlapping RECs ECCAS, COMESA and EAC principally through the Tripartite, for the
lattertwo.
Monitoring access to and supply of ICT infrastructure, is crucial in measuring progress in the
implementationoftheMasterPlan.HencetheICTSectorPlanalsoaimstoestablishanagreedsetof
regularly updated regional ereadiness indicators to help SADC Member States progress in a
harmoniousmanner,andforthemtobebetterabletobasetheirstrategicdecisionmakingonvalid
anduptodatedata.Capacitybuildingwouldtakeplacetoapplyappropriateanalyticaltechniquesin
ordertobestcapturetheseindicatorssothatpatterns,trends,andotherbenchmarkingexercisescan
easilybeperformedatnationalandregionallevels.
CurrentlythedevelopmentofstatisticaldatainSADCisguidedbytheStrategyDocumentapproved
byCouncilin1998,whichstipulatesthatSADCstatisticsarecriticalinthemonitoringandevaluation
oftheSADCProgrammeofActionandtheregionalintegrationprocess.Thestrategyhighlightsthe
followingchallenges:
Inadequate resources allocated to statistics in some of the Member States and consequent
disparitiesinthestatisticalcapacityamongthem;
InadequatestatisticalcapacityattheSecretariattocoordinatestatisticsintheregion;
Absenceofalegalinstrumentforregionalcooperationintheareaofstatistics;
Lackofdisseminationmechanisms(includingdatabasesandconnectivity);and
72
Longtimelagbetweencollectionofdataanddisseminationofstatistics.
Theimplementationofthestrategyfocusedonanumberofsectoralpriorities,butdoesnotmention
ICTsspecifically.TheRISDPnotedthatthereisneedforalegalinstrumentforregionalcooperation
in the area of statistics. The instrument would ensure that the institutional arrangements for
collecting, processing and dissemination of statistics are adequately resourced and would also
provideaframeworkforenforcingcomplianceonminimumstandardsforqualitystatistics.
3.2
InterrelationshipsandIntegrationwithotherInfrastructureSectors
Uptake of ICTs is particularly dependent on energy, without which ICTs cannot function. This
presentsspecialproblemsinruralandremoteareasintheregion,manyofwhicharewithoutgrid
power.Whileoffgridenergysolutionsarepossible,theseareofteneconomicallyunfeasibledueto
their high initial cost. Supplying remote base stations with fuel for generators is one of the chief
costs in maintaining wireless networks in some Member States. Worthy of note here is that in
Senegal,thegovernmenthasdeterminedthatthekeybottlenecktoICTuptakeinruralareasisthe
lackofpower,andhasdeterminedthatUniversalServiceFundsmaybeusedforenergyprojects.
In any event, project synchronisation between the two sectors needs to take place to ensure that
energyandICTinfrastructurecanbemadeavailablesimultaneouslyifpossible.
Deficient transport networks make deployment and maintenance of ICT infrastructure slower and
morecostly.Ontheotherhand,inclusionofductsforfibreonnewtransportnetworkscanradically
reducethecostandincreasethespeedoffibreopticnetworkdeployment.
ThefollowingtableoutlinesthemainlinkswiththeotherinfrastructuresectorsoftheMasterPlan,
highlightingtheopportunitiesandchallengesinimprovingICTaccess.Theseopportunitieshighlight
thepotentialandneedforIntegratedInfrastructureDevelopment,especiallyforruralareaswhere
thecostsofdeploymentrelativetothepopulationsservedaremuchhigher.
Intermsofcrossborderfibreopticinfrastructureopportunitiescreatedbytransboundarytransport
andenergyprojects,thesearedetailedintheCrossborderinterconnectiontable,table13.
Table14:LinkswithOtherInfrastructureSectors
Tourism
ICTisakeyfactoringlobalcompetitivenessintourismformanydifferentreasons:
ICTisthebasisofreservationsystems,whicharefundamentaltoairlineandhotel
bookings.Internetbasedmarketingandbookings,includingonlinepaymentsarenow
themainsourceoftourismtransactions.TheWebhasbecomethemainsourceof
informationfortourists,bothinplanning,bookingandpurchasingtheirtripsandalso
duringthetrip.ThisisbeingaugmentedbyDVDs/video,andrealtimewebcams.
Theemergenceofthemobileinternethasenabledtouriststoaccessholidayproducts
andinformationdirectlyfromtheirhandsetsastheyneedit,andtheyarealsoableto
obtainfundsormakepaymentsusingthesenewplatforms.
Postalsystemsarewellknownfortheirimportancetotouristssendinglettersand
parcelsbackhome,andforreceivingthesame,oftenwithsomeurgencyduetotheir
shortstayandpotentialneedsuchaslostcreditcardreplacementorforgotten
medicines.Similarlytouristsoftencontinuetosendpostbacktothecountriestheyhave
visited.
Theavailabilityoflowcosthighspeedconnectivityalsoencouragestouriststostay
longer,especiallyknowledgeworkerswhocanoftenworkanywheretheycanplugin
theirlaptops.Thesehighearningforeignersoftenchooseareasofoutstandingcultural
orenvironmentalattractiontosetupshoptemporarily,orevenmorepermanently.
Relationshipswithsmallbusinessesencounteredduringtouristtraveloftenpersistand
arenurturedifthelocalpopulationhasaffordableaccesstotheinternet,textmessaging
andpostalsystems.
73
Energy
Water
Transport
74
ThereisacomplexandrapidlyevolvingrelationshipbetweenICTsandenergy.Thecost
ofhighcapacitybandwidthandcentralisedprocessingpowerisplummeting,while
energycostsareincreasing,andconcernforclimatechangeiscreatingfurther
constraintsongrowthinenergyconsumption.Thishascreatedanewdynamicinwhich
bandwidthcostscanbecheaperthanenergycosts.Asaresult,insharedhosting
services(nowmorecommonlyreferredtoascloudcomputing),itmaymakemore
economicandenvironmentalsensetohostdataservicesoutsidethecountrywhere
energyischeapest.Thiscouldmeanthatdatacentresfortheregionmightbebest
locatednearthemajorhydrogeneratingstationsplannedintheDRC,Mozambiqueetc.
Inanyevent,thecarbonfootprintcreatedbytheuseofICTsisalreadylarge(10%inthe
US)andgrowingrapidlyminimisingtheenergyconsumptionofdatacentres,postal
branchesanddeliveryservices,andideallyalsooftheequipmentoftheenduseris
clearlyapriority.
Onthesupplyside,independentrenewablepowerproducerpolicies(IPPPs)withspecial
feedintariffsand/orsoftloansforpurchasingsolar,windorbioenergygenerators,are
vitalforensuringthecostofenergytopowerICTequipmentremainsaslowaspossible,
whilemakingitpossibleforoperatorsandenduserstojustifyinvestingintherenewable
powergenerationequipmentneededtoensurereliableconnectivity.
'Smartenergygrids'and'smartbuildings'withpowermetersandcontrollersonall
energyusingdevicesarealsoexpectedtobeamajorgrowthareatomeetdemandfor
moreefficientuseofelectricitytoreducecostsandminimisecarbonfootprints.The
initialdemandislikelytobeinthegridsthemselves,thenmovingontocommercialand
publicbuildings,followedbytheresidentialmarket,whichisalreadybeginningtotake
offinEuropeandNorthAmericafollowingtheadventofhigherenergyprices.
Energytransmissionsystemshightensionelectricitygridsandgas/oilpipelinesarea
keyresourceforminimisingthecostsoffibreopticinfrastructuredeployment.Similarly
totransportnetworks,thesecanbeusedtoprovidemuchlowercostroutesthan
greenfieldtrenchdigging.Hightensioncablelinesoftenalreadyhavesparefibrecables
asabyproductoftheenergytransmissioncontrolsystems,andthesealsoprovide
addedsecurity.TheSouthernAfricanPowerPool(SAPP)offersmanysuchopportunities.
TheWatersectorhasanunexpectednumberoflinkageswithICTs.Themainonesare:
Whereewastedisposalisanissue,causinggroundwaterpollution.
Waterresourcesandwastewaterreticulationnetworkscanbenefitfromremotesensing
andtelemetry(e.gSCADA)monitoring/managementsystems.
Internetandmobileapplicationscanbeusedforreportingwaterleaks,
requesting/terminatingservicesandpayingwaterbills.
Watersafetyandwatersavingawarenessraisingcanalsobeaugmentedwithonline
applications.
GISsystemscanassistinplanningwaterdistributionandidentifyingrisksfromflooding,
especiallywhencombinedwithtelemetry;andcrowdsourcedmappinginformationcan
alsobeappliedtothewatersector.
Wherewaterprojectsinvolveenergygeneration(hydropower),giventhesignificantsize
oftheseintheSADCregion,theyofferimportantprospectsforensuringthatICTsare
supportedwithsufficientandaffordableenergysupplies.
Somerarecaseswhererightsofwayoncanals,rivers,lakesorlongdistancedistribution
waterpipelinescouldbeusedforfibreopticcablelaying.Themostapparentoption
hereislayingcableintheCongoRiver.
Transportissimilartotheenergydistributioninfrastructure,withroads,raillinesand
waterwaysprovidingimportantopportunitiestodeployfibreopticinfrastructureat
muchlowercostthanthroughnewtrenchdigging,especiallyifductinghasalreadybeen
installed.Thisisaparticularlyimportantopportunityonthecrossborderroutesbeing
developedaspartofthecorridorprojectsintheregion,inparticulartheNorthSouth
Corridor(NSC).
Thesethoroughfaresalsorequireconnectivityalongtherouteforthetravellersand
transportsystems,includingforcargotracking.Thisprovidestheopportunitytoprovide
realtimemonitoringofnetworksoftrucks,passengerandrailvehiclestohelpmaximise
efficienciesandimprovesecurity.Withthegrowthinuseofsmartphonesandlaptops,
provisionofbroadbandconnectivityinpublictransportsystemsisincreasinglyin
demand.
InadequatetransportnetworksalsoincreasethecostsofdeployingandmaintainingICT
Meteorologyand
climate
networks,inparticularforopticfibremobilebasestationsinruralareas.
Thequalityofthetransportsystemandtransborderproceduresalsodirectlyaffectsthe
deliveryofinternationalmailandparcels.Asidefromthelogisticalaspects,securityon
transitroutescanbeaparticularconcern,especiallyassecuritysystems,suchasin
airports,arebeyondthedirectcontrolofthepostalsystem.Transportcompaniesmay
alsocompetewiththepostalservicefordeliveryofparcels.
ICTshaverevolutionisedthepotentialforremotesensing,whichisanimportant
componentofmeteorology.Newsocialnetworkingsystemsalsoprovidethe
opportunitytoaugmenttraditionallygathereddatawithcrowdsourcingtechniques
(e.g.WeatherUnderground).
Weatherandclimatemodellingrequiresubstantialcomputingpowerandhighcapacity
linkstomovelargedatasets.
TheSADCMeteorologysectorhasapriorityprojectspecificallyfocussedontheuseof
ICTtheproposedinterconnectionofmeteorologicalcentres.Thereispotentialhereto
minimisethecostsbyusingaregionalsatelliteserviceprovidersharedwithother
branchofficesofpublicservices(e.g.borderposts,clinicsandemergencyservices,
conservationofficesandpostalbranches).
Asmentionedabove,ICTenergyconsumption(already10%ofallenergyconsumptionin
theUS,andgrowing)isalsobeinglinkedtoclimatechangeconcerns.Andsimilarly,
climatechangemonitoringwillbothuseICTs,andhelpinformtheICTsectoronits
potentialclimatechangeimpacts.
Solareruptionscanadverselyaffectsatellitecommunications
3.3
AssumptionsandRisks
3.3.1
Assumptions
The necessary human capacity and financial resources are available to promote the projects
identified,finalisetheirdetailedformulationandimplementthem;
Member States will cooperate to give priority to the projects identified and the ICT/Postal
sectorsgenerally;
Financingwillbeavailablefromthedevelopmentcommunity,MemberStatesandtheprivate
sector;
ThepoliticalclimateandeconomicconditionsinMemberStateswillcontinuetoimprove,orat
leastnotdeteriorate;
That related eapplication development projects, especially egovernment, continue rapid
development to take advantage of and drive demand for better connectivity, based on
availabilityofsufficientskills;
Thatutilityinfrastructureprojects(transport/energy),especiallytransbordercorridorprojects
are sufficiently aware and forward thinking to ensure that adequate provisions are made for
fibreinfrastructure;
Thecostoffibredeployment willvary tremendouslydepending onthe terrain,ownershipof
the land, permit procedures and opportunities to use alternative infrastructure and state
ownedrightsofway;and
Eachmajorproviderislikelytorequireitsownpairofdarkfibresonmostbackboneroutes.As
has been shown in the more advanced country markets in Europe, North America and Asia,
eachofthenationaloperatorslightstheirownfibrepairsasneeded,inordertomanagetheir
networkandcompeteeffectively.
3.3.2
RisksandPotentialMitigationActions
Differencesbetweencountries'nationalprioritiescancreatealackofregionalharmonisationofICT
policiesandregulations.Thiscantakeplaceatahigherlevel,suchasincivilstrifeandotherpolitical
or economic issues suspending normal processes of regional policy transposition. At a more direct
level, variation in government policy on opening the fixed line sector to competition with the
incumbent is evident. For example, despite SADC guidelines to the contrary, many Member States
75
have still maintained their public monopolies in the fixed line sector. As stated in the RISDP, and
thoughsignificantadvancesinmanycountrieshavetakenplace,itisstillvalidforsome:"Althoughat
policylevel,MemberStateshavedemonstratedthatthereisunanimousconsensustoadoptICTasa
tooltospeedupdevelopment(ICTdeclarationof2001),inpracticeatthestrategiclevel,noserious
implementationtookplace."
Otherpotentialrisksandmitigationactionsare:
Theprocessofreformcontinuestotakeplacebutnotatthepacedesired.Thiswilldependon
the country or group of countries, and may involve political constraints, lack of human or
budgetary capacity to enforce policy or regulations, or delays in reaching agreement among
MemberStatesimplementingtransboundaryprojects.FortunatelytherearefewregionalICT
infrastructureprojectsthatarelikelytofallintothiscategory,exceptperhapsinthecaseofthe
introduction of competition in some sectors, keeping prices high for landlocked countries
wishingtoreachthelowestcostsubmarinelandingstations;
Slowprojectformulationleadingtolostopportunitiestoensureductingisincludedonallnew
transportandenergydistributionprojects.Opportunitiesarelosteverydaywithprojectsthat
arebeingfinalisedwithouttheincorporationofductsorconduittocutthecostoflayingfibre
byupto90%.Asamatterofurgency,ashortlistofcrossborderroads,railandenergyprojects
in the final stages of planning could be created and the possibilities for ensuring that they
includethenecessaryICTinfrastructurebeexamined;
Limited Member State public financing available. This is can be a question of cabinetlevel
lobbyingonhowthepieiscut,andsufficientawarenessraisingofthecrosscuttingimportance
oftheICTsectorcanhelptoaddressthis,alongwithensuringleadershipforprojectsathead
ofstatelevel;
Outlookfortheglobalinvestment climate deterioratesfurther.Thismaybeapossibility,and

project prioritisation should help prepare for this, but ultimately the economic cycle should
pickupagain;
Limited cooperation from transport and energy providers in giving access to their
infrastructure for fibre networks. If regional guidelines in this area are developed this would
helpaddressthisproblem;
Capacityforprojectdevelopmentandmanagingimplementationofprojectsislimited,atthe
SADC Secretariat, and in Member State governments. Ensuring sufficient ICT skills are
maintainedwithinthepublicsectorisanongoingproblemwhentheseskillsarescarceandthe
privatesectorisabletoofferhigherrewards.EstablishmentofparastatalICTentitiesthatare
notsubject tocivilservice payscalesisthe usual meanstoaddressthis,but moregenerally,
investmentinICTliteracytrainingatalleducationlevelswillbenecessarytohelpmaximisethe
availablepoolofICTskills.Morespecifically,ensuringthehiringofsufficientlyexperiencedICT
staffattheprojectlevelisvitaltoensuringprojectsuccess.Also,fortunately,manyoftheICT
projectscanbeoutsourcedtotheprivatesector,ifnotdirectlyinitiatedandimplementedby
them;
Infrastructure deployed may be unreliable due to poor maintenance, theft and vandalism.
Standards and guidelines for burying cable at sufficient depth, or at height on pylons, and
ensuring sufficient security protection on cableways, buildings and transport vehicles (for
postal) are necessary. Special penalties for vandalism and theft of strategic national assets
couldalsobeapplied;and
Regulators,policyofficialsandlocalplanningauthoritieslackcapacitytoenforceadherenceto
the enabling environment policiesduetocorruption.Thisisanongoingproblemthataffects
thepublicserviceatmanylevelsand,giventherevenuesfromthelicensingprocessandthe
valueofcontracts,needsongoingvigilanceanduseoftransparentdecisionmakingaswellas
budgetarysystemsavailableforpublicscrutiny.
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3.4
PreparingforFutureSectorTrends(beyond2027)
TheextremelyrapidpaceoftechnologicalevolutionintheICTsectormakesitvirtuallyimpossibleto
prepare for sector trends beyond 2027 at this point. At best, it can be hoped that sufficient
investmentinhumanresourcesandcapacitybuildingwillallowthenextgenerationtoadapttothe
dynamicsthatemergeoverthecomingyears.Thiscouldbeaugmentedwitharegular(every5years)
reevaluationandupdatingoftheSectorPlan.
Fortunately fibre optic cable investments made today are likely to last well beyond 2027, but it is
likelythatalltheelectronicequipmentinusecurrentlyanddeployedoverthenextdecadewillneed
to be replaced well before then. In addition some of the early deployments of fibre optic
infrastructure,mainlylinksbetweenSouthAfricaanditsneighbours,mayneedtobereplacedbefore
2027,butitisalsolikelythatadditionalfibrewillbelaidalongmostoftheseroutesbycompeting
regionalproviders,makingreplacementunnecessary.
77
4.
ImplementationStrategy
4.1
ImplementationPlan
4.1.1
PriorityListofProjectsandResourceRequirements
PolicyandRegulatoryHarmonisation
ThekeyactionsrequiredforaddressinggapsinPolicyandRegulatoryHarmonisationoftheICTsector
wouldbe:
1.
RapidassessmentofkeyICTpolicyconstraintsinMemberStatesIdentificationofimmediate
policychangesrequiredfor:
AccesstobroadbandradiospectrumanduseofTVwhitespaceforbroadband
Access to national fibre backbones and the fibre infrastructure of utility operators at
marketbasedrates
Openmarketandtechnologyneutrallicenceavailabilityfornewinfrastructureoperators;
2.
IntegratedNationalICTpolicyreviewsandnationalbroadbandstrategydevelopment.Member
Stateswouldconvenemultistakeholderforumstoaddressthepolicyandregulatoryissuesby
an independent regional assessment of the status of ICT sector reform and market
liberalisation, and to develop national broadband strategies. The assessment study would
consider:a)regulatorinstitutionalcapacity,particularlytoenforceregulationsandtoinstitute
operator tariff controls, pricing transparency, interconnection and infrastructure sharing
(includingsupportfromAntiCompetitionLaws),b)OpennessofICTmarketstonewentrants
and presence of technology/service neutral converged licensing regimes, c) Structural
separationofwholesalefromretailoperationsamongincumbents,d)Spectrummanagement
(costbasedspectrumfees,sublicensingofspectrum,uptodateallocationplans),e)Presence
of taxation constraints to ICT uptake and fiscal system opportunities to promote ICT uptake,
andf)AlignmentofICTpoliciestothegovernment'soveralldevelopmentgoals;
3.
Define national broadband strategies, supported at regional level through a) identification of
ICT uptake targets for Member States, b) development of guidelines on best practices for
supporting extension of national fibre backbones, especially to more remote areas (e.g. case
studiesofgovernmentbackboneowners,useofPPPsandUniversalServiceFunds),c)support
for implementation of regulations which update landuse planning approval procedures to
ensure that all new public infrastructure includes fibre and ducts (including public and
commercial buildings (e.g. Botswana)), d) promoting the establishment of National and
RegionalIXPstomaximiseperformanceandreducecostsbyensuringthatSADCtrafficiskept
within the region, local traffic is kept local (by supporting regional forums of ISPs), e)
promoting wholesale pricing information exchange across the region, by implementing a
capacity trading platform, f) reviewing and updating spectrum allocation plans to take into
accountneedsforbroadbandandlatesttechnologydevelopments(e.g.assessthefeasibilityof
usingnewradiotechnologiessuchasTVwhitespace(802.22)asaninterimmeasureuntilDTT
migration has taken place, plus development of proposals for broadcasting spectrum fee
regulations), and g) Support for public sector operators to transition to new market
environments (national studies for SADC Member States where needed). Three regional
workshopstoreviewtheoutputsoftheaboveactivities;
4.
UpdatetheframeworkforSADCregionalhomeandawayroamingregulation;and
5.
National Postal Policy Development and Regional Harmonisation, including updating of the
Guidelines&ToolkitonUniversalServiceFunds(USFs)toincludePostalServices.
78
ConfidenceandSecurityinNetworksandServices
Toensurethatnetworksintheregionaresecureandreliable,thefollowingwillberequired:
1.
Developmodelstrategiesandbestpracticesforensuringinfrastructuresecurityagainstthreats
suchastheft,vandalismandaccidentaldamage;
2.
SupportforestablishmentofmultistakeholderComputerEmergencyResponseTeams(CERTs)
ineachMemberStateandattheregionallevel;
3.
SupportforcapacitybuildingfortimelyswitchovertoIPv6incivilservicenetworks;and
4.
Implementcommonsecuritystandardsforpostalsystems.
Infrastructure
Asidefromthemissingbackboneandaccessinfrastructurepurelyatthenationallevel,thekeyshort
terminfrastructureprojectsintheregionthathavebeenidentifiedconsistof:
1.
Relativelyshortcrossborderlinkstoconnectwiththenationalinfrastructuresofneighbouring
SADC Member States and regions, in particular TanzaniaMozambique, and AngolaZambia
(theseareincludedundertheSRII);
2.
A few key unimplemented national backbone links that play an important role in connecting
thecountrytoitsneighboursortoconnectregionsorneighbourstoeachother,suchasDRC
BurundiandAngolaROC(CongoBrazzaville);
3.
Install,whereneeded,multiplecrossborderlinkstoensurethatallSADCMemberStateshave
twophysicallyindependentlinkstotwodifferentsubmarinelandingstationsandthatallland
locked SADC Member States competitively reach multiple submarine landing stations (i.e. in
Lesotho,SeychellesandSwaziland);
4.
ImplementnationalorregionaltrafficexchangepointstoreducecostsbyensuringthatSADC
traffic is kept within the region, local traffic is kept local, and to maximise performance (all
SADCMemberStatesandregionally);
5.
Deploygovernmentbuiltbackbonesor,viapublicprivatepartnerships,ensureinfrastructureis
builttomoreremoteandruralareaswhereitmightotherwisebeunprofitabletodoso.This
includes a study to determine best practices and to produce guidelines on deployment of
governmentbuilt/ownedandotherformsofopenaccessbackbones.Angola,SouthAfricaand
Tanzaniahaveoptedtoestablishstateownednationalfibreopticbackbones,basedonknitting
togethervariouselementsoftheparastatalrailandpowergridswithnewfibredeployments.
Evaluatehoweffectivethismodelisversuslettingtheprivatesectorcompetetoprovidethe
required infrastructure. Best practices from other regions and continents could also be
examined;
6.
Extendpostalbranchestomorelocations;
7.
EstablishpostalcodeaddressingsystemsinMemberStatesthatdonothavethem;
8.
SupportDTTMigrationforSADCMemberStateswhereneeded;and
9.
Establish a SADC shared satellite network for connecting remote government offices in the
Region.Withuseofanexistingsatellite,thecostsofagroundstationhub,wellconnectedby
fibre,couldbesharedbyMemberStateswishingtoparticipateinthenetwork.
eServices&Applications,CapacityBuilding&Content
The following activities will be required to support the development of needed eServices and
Applications,CapacityBuildingandContentgeneration:
1.
Establish regional online systems at SADC Member State border posts to facilitate free trade
79
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
and the free movement of people between all SADC Member States, leading to regional e
servicesandcontentdevelopmentplatformsandcostsharingmechanisms;
Establishregionalrepositoriesandcontentgenerationhubsforonlineandbroadcastlearning
materialsintherelevantdifferentlanguages(English,FrenchandPortuguese);
Improve use of ICTs in postal systems and use of Global Monitoring System (GMS) for
measuringqualityofpostalservices;
EstablishanaccreditationsystemforregionalcentresofexcellenceinICTandPostaltraining;
AdoptregionalICTtrainingcertificationstandardsandprocedures;
BuildICTknowledgecapacityofNRAs,NationalbroadcastersandnationalandregionalCERTs;
Developmodelnationalecommerceandemarketplacestrategies,includingimplementation
ofepaymentsystemsandintegrationwithpostalsystems;
Develop government Open Data policies and management systems for providing access to
publicdataandrelatedspatialdatamappingfacilities;
Establishnationalcallcentrestohelpcitizenswithuseofeservicesandaccesstogovernment
informationonline;
DevelopareferencemodelforuseofICTsinpublicintelligenttransportsystemstomonitor
movement of vehicles for traffic management planning and providing connectivity for
passengers;and
Carry out awarenessraising and training programmes to ensure the public, especially the
youth, women and other disadvantaged individuals, are familiar with the use of available
digitalservices,aswellastheirwealthcreationandemploymentpotential.
ToaddresstheInnovation,ResearchandIndustryDevelopmentpillar,thefollowingactivitieswillbe
required:
1.
RegionalICTresearchinstitutioncapacitybuildingandpromotionofknowledgetransferwith
industry, in particular, supporting interconnectivity and knowledge sharing between national
andregionalresearchinstitutions;
2.
Develop guidelines and strategies for the establishment of ICT small business incubation
facilities,supportfortheirestablishmentinMemberStates;
3.
Promote regional ICT manufacturing, content and software development. This could be
initiated by supporting the DTT migration process now taking place, by exploiting the use of
the coordinatedtransitionusinga commonstandardacrossmanycountriestoestablishset
top box manufacturing or assembly facilities for the region. This would also be an export
opportunity because many other countries around the world are also adopting the same
standard.Amarketandtechnicalfeasibilitystudywouldprovideinitialsupportforthiseffort,
and be combined with a scoping exercise to identify other technologies amenable to local
manufacturing,softwareandapplicationsdevelopment;
4.
Hold a regional colloquium with industry to verify the above study conclusions, identify and
alignbusinessownerswiththeadditionalopportunities,andraiseawarenessoftheinitiative
moregenerallyintheprivatesector;and
5.
Identify national and regional strategies and standards for mitigating the negative
environmentalimpactsofICTs(ewasteandclimatechange)andusingICTstoreducecarbon
footprintsinothersectors.
Forcoherenceandefficiencyinprojectmanagement,alloftheaboveactivitieshavebeengrouped
into the project programme outlined in the table below, and further details are included in
Annexures14.
80
Table15:SummaryofICTMasterPlanRegionalProjectsandResourceRequirements
ProjectTitle
Platforms
Enablingpolicyandregulatoryenvironment
EnsuringConfidenceandSecurityinNetworksandServices
Pillars
InfrastructureCommunications
InfrastructurePostalSector
ICTCapacityBuilding&Content
General
MonitoringandevaluationofprogresstowardDigitalSADC
2027
Total
Resource
requirements
Timeline
US$2,006k
US$871k
618months
1218months
US$21,139,007k
US$286,170k
US$5,289k
US$7,686k
US$6,061k
1836months
1236months
1218months
1224months
1236months
US$330k
1224months
US$21,447,423k
Insummary,themainactivitiesundereachoftheaboveprogrammeareasareasfollows:
EnablingPolicy&RegulatoryEnvironmentforMaximisingICTInfrastructureDeployment:
RapidregionalassessmentofkeyNationalICTpolicyconstraintsinMemberStates;
NationalICTpolicyreviews;
Nationalbroadbandstrategydevelopment;
Modelnationalpostalpolicydevelopmentandregionalharmonisation;and
UpdatingtheframeworkforSADCregionalhomeandawayroamingregulation.
Help to establish multistakeholder Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) in each

MemberStateandregionally;
CapacitybuildingfortimelyswitchovertoIPv6incivilservicenetworks;
Developmentofstandardsandmodelnationalguidelinesandregulationsforcablelayingand
cableprotection;
Implementationandharmonisationofsecuritystandardsinpostalsystemssoastorespondto
cybercrime,terrorism,drugtrafficking,andmoneylaundering;and
Harmonisationofcybersecurityframeworks(ongoingSADCprogramme).
Infrastructure
a)
81
ConsolidationofRegionalCommunicationsInfrastructure
Address needs for additional crossborder links between SADC Member States where
thereisonlyonesuchlink,includingsubmarinelinkforSeychelles;
Supportforimplementationofadditionalcrossborderorinternationallinkstoimprove
competitionandreliability;
RegionalIXPdevelopment;
SupportDTTnationalmigration;
Set up a shared satellitebased service platform for remote/rural areas (use of existing
satellite);and
ImplementationofaRegionalandNationalIntegratedBroadbandInfrastructure.
b)
PostalSectorStrengthening
Implementation of postal code addressing systems in Member States that do not have
them;
Extensionofnationalpostalbranchnetworkstomorelocations,especiallyinruralareas;
ImprovinguseofICTsinpostalsystems;and
RegionalGMSformailQoSmeasurement.
CapacityBuildingandContent
Awarenessraising for policy makers and development practitioners of strategies for ICT
supporteddevelopment;
Establishment of national call centres to help citizens with use of eservices and access to
governmentinformation;
Promotion of information literacy through adoption of harmonised regional ICT training
standardsandcertification;
CapacitybuildingofNRAs,NationalBroadcastersandCERTsinICTtechnologicaldevelopments;
Developregionalrepositoriesandcontentgenerationhubsinmultimedialearningandcultural
heritagematerialsforaccessviathewebandbroadcasting;and
EstablishregionalCentresofExcellence(COEs)inICTsandinpostalsystems.
DevelopregionalplatformsforeGovernmentservicesandapplications;
Develop model national ecommerce, emarketplace, elogistics and national/regional e
paymentapplications,andintegrationwithinpostalsystems;
DevelopOpenDatapolicies,managementsystems andrelatedspatialdatamappingfacilities
forprovidingaccesstopublicdata;
ReferencemodelforGlobalPositioningSystem(GPS)and3GWifigatewaysonpublicvehicles
foruseinintelligenttransportsystems;and
Establish a common crossborder traffic administration platform for all border posts in the
region.
Research,InnovationandICTIndustryDevelopment
Promote improved collaboration, information and knowledge sharing between research

centres;
Establish incubators for small ICT businesses, develop guidelines for their governance and
strategiesforfinancing;
DevelopICTequipmentmanufacturingfacilities,softwareandapplications;and
MitigatenegativeenvironmentalimpactsofICTs(ewasteandclimatechange).
MonitoringandEvaluationofProgresstowardDigitalSADC2027
Decideontheindicatorstobemeasured;
Ensuredataisprovidedquarterlytoregulators;and
Datagatheringandpublicationbyregulators,toprovidesupportforICTobservatory.
InadditiontomeasuringgeneralprogresstowardDigitalSADC2027,eachpillarwouldalsohaveits
ownmonitoringandevaluationprocedureswithmeasurementofappropriateprogressindicators.
82
Asidefromthelinkagestoothersectorsasoutlinedinsection3.2,particularattentionneedstobe
paidtothelinkagesbetweenrelatedactivities.Inparticulartheseare:
Postaladdressingsystemsandbranchofficesarerequiredforemarketplacestobeoptimally
effectiveandawidevarietyofstakeholdershaveastronginterestinensuringthataddressing
systemsareinplace(emergencyservices,police,etc);
ThemodalitiesandcostassessmentforaSADCsharedsatellitebasedconnectivityserviceare
requiredfortheotherpillars,sothatitispossibletodevelopstrategiesandbudgetsfor
extensionofepostalandotherpubliceservicesandciviladministrationinremoteareas;
JointpurchasingwillrequireagreementbetweenMemberStatestoeitheruseonecountry's
institutionasthepurchaser,ortoestablishanewentitytomakethepurchases;
Theindustrycolloquiumwouldinitiatefurtherdialoguewithindustryregardingstrategiesand
PPPstobedeveloped;
Planningregulationsandsmartcorridorfeasibilitystudiesshouldsynchronisewithother
regionalinfrastructurepriorityprojects,corridorsetc;and
Connectivityprovisiontoborderpostareasneedstobeinplaceforcorridorprojects,bothto
assistintheirdevelopmentandtoprovideongoingserviceswhenthecorridorsarefully
operational.
4.1.2
ImplementationModalities
Annexure1summarisestheimplementationstrategyandtimelinesfortheprojects.Ascanbeseen
most of the activities are expected to begin as soon as funding is committed, and most projects
wouldbecomplete(atleastintermsofrequirementforexternalfunding)within23years,i.e.itis
assumedthatfundingwillbecomeavailablein2013andsovirtuallyallprojectscommencein2013.
Themosturgentoneswouldbecompleteby2014,whileotherscontinueforthreetofiveyears.This
is expected to provide a number of quick wins19, as well as laying the groundwork for further
developments,andduetothefastmovingnatureofthesector,anevaluationandreassessmentof
strategywillthenberequiredin2018.Inaddition,theoutputsofthestudiesenvisagedinthe2013
2014periodarelikelytoidentifyotherprojectareasandfinancingneedsbefore2018,andadditional
projectformulationisexpectedtotakeplacepriortothisdate.
A more detailed cash flow analysis would also need to be carried out to finetune the funding
requirementsoverthecourseoftheprojects.
4.1.2.1
InitialAgreementandMaintainingCommitmentofMemberStates
SADCRegionalICTinfrastructurewouldrangefromsimpleprojectsthatinvolvetwoMemberStates
to complex ones that involve several or all Member States, in keeping with overall regional
objectives.
Mostprojectsincludeaninitialstudyandthenaverificationworkshoptoagreeonthedetailsofthe
implementationplan.Crosssectoralandcorridorsynergiesarealsonotedwherepresent.
MostcrossborderormulticountryICTinfrastructureprojectsareimplementedatthenationallevel,
butcoordinationandsupportattheregionallevelcanbecriticalfortheirsuccess.Inthisrespectthe
role of the SADC Secretariat is to be the incubator or facilitator of regional projects but it is not
expectedtoimplementtheprojects,rathertoensuretheirinitiation,managetheagreementprocess
andapprovethedeliverables.
19Inparticularinreducingaccesscostsandincreasingcoveragethroughimprovedbroadbandprovision
83
Inaddition,thekeyresponsibilityofSADC(andCRASA)istohelpensuretheenablingenvironmentis
presentineachMemberState,andactasaforumforinformationsharinganddiscussionbetweenall
thestakeholderswhichhaveaninterestintheprojects.
4.1.2.2
FinancingMechanismsintheSector
MostMemberStateshavesignificantresourceconstraintsanditunlikelytobepossibleforthemto
allocate meaningful resources for all the projects. As a result donor funding and public private
partnerships(PPPs)willbevitaltoensuringadequatefundsareavailable.
TheICTsectorisfortunateinthatitrequirestheleastamountoffinancingofalltheinfrastructure
sectors and a significant portion of the funds required for hard infrastructure deployment are
expected to come from the private sector (except for the public postal sector). This places the
emphasisandburdenoffinancingon'soft'projectstoensuretheenablingenvironmentisinplaceto
maximiseprivatesectorinvestment.Fortunatelymuchofthecostofthesesoftcapacitybuildingand
policy development projects can be shared by Member States participating in regional projects,
althoughthesubstantiveinfrastructureprojectcostswillstillbeforimplementationatthenational
level.
For fibre infrastructure financing and ownership, three different models for deployment can be
envisaged:
Initiatedbyprivatesectorwheretheenvironmentencouragesinvestmentandtherearehigh
demandsforcapacity;
Initiated by state or other public investors to build openaccess infrastructure for all actors,
managedindependentlymoreusefulwherecapacitydemandsarelower;and
A shared PPP model required by the operator, especially where there are many small
operators.
Theamountoffinancingrequiredfortheterrestrialfibreinfrastructureprogrammeislinkedtosome
ongoingplannedinitiativesbysomeSADCMemberStates.Inparticularthereisasignificantamount
ofproposednationalinfrastructurethatcouldformpartofregionalinfrastructure,inparticularthe
nationalbackbonesintheDRC.
Inadditionitshouldbenotedthatamajorpartoftherequiredbackboneinfrastructureislikelytobe
financed by private operators or investors and public funding may only be required for civil works
andductingtosecureopenaccessorreinforcethesustainabilityofinvestment.SomeSADCMember
States have special circumstances and their national projects are also proposed in the ICT Sector
Plan,despitenotbeingregional.Inthisrespect,andindevelopingthecriteriaforprojectselection,it
isnecessarytotakeintoaccountthegroupingofSADCMemberStateswithcommonpriorityneeds
a)countrieswithspecialneeds,suchasthosewiththelowestlevelsofeconomicdevelopmentand
thoseemergingfromstrifesuchastheDRC,b)thesmallislandstatesMauritiusandSeychelles,and
c)landlockedcountries.
ThesourcesoffinanceforprojectsintheSADCICTSectorcanbesummarisedasfollows:
Localandinternationaloperatorsinvestingintheirownnetworkandservicesdevelopment.
This is probably the primary source of ICT infrastructure finance organic growth built on
revenueflowsfromthecustomerbase.TelecommunicationoperatorsintheSADCregionalone
haveinvestedUS$1520billionoverthelast10yearsintheirnetworks.Focusingonthemobile
operators, with about 130 million subscribers across the region this year, at an average
84
85
revenue per user (ARPU) of about US$10/month, this translates into a total revenue of over
US$15billiongeneratedacrosstheregionthisyearroughlythesameamountthathasbeen
investedinalloperatornetworkinfrastructureoverthelast10years.
Local operators investing together in shared infrastructure. This often takes the form of
bilateralormultilateralarrangementssuchasconsortiatocobuildsubmarinecablesoramast
foraremotelocation.Adifferentversionofthemodeliswhere wholesalecarriersandmast
operators provide services to local retail operators. Similarly, the virtual network operator
MVNO model is a form of shared network financing. In South Africa the deployment of a
shared4Gnetworkisbeingconsidered,especiallyforruralareas.
LargeusergroupsthesearethesmallerISPs,governmentadministrations,nationalresearch
andeducationnetworks(NRENs)andlargenationalcorporateuserswhichmayprepurchase
capacityonaplannednetworkasIndefeasibleRightsofUse(IRUs),oftenatspecialdiscounts.
Thisisalsooftenoneofthesourcesofoperatorfinanceabove,andhasbeenusedtofinance
thedeploymentofsomeoftheprivatesubmarinecablesinAfrica.
National governments who may finance or cofinance measures to improve the enabling
environment, or contribute state assets as inkind investment, such as the fibre on the
transport and energy agencies' infrastructure, or their ducts and the rights of way.
Governments may also use public funds to invest in new openaccess national backbones,
crossborderlinksormetropolitannetworks,oftensupportedbygrantsorsoftloansfromthe
DFIsorEXIMbanks(seebelow).
Multilateral development finance institutions, particularly the World Bank, African
Development Bank, Development Bank of Southern Africa, JICA, Islamic Development Bank
(onlyMozambique),InternationalFinanceCorporation,andtheirconsortia,suchasICA.
European Union has a special relationship with SADC, and has long supported its regional
integration and infrastructure development goals although there has been relatively little
activityintheICTsectorspecificallyfocussedonSADCMemberStates,exceptfortheEuropean
InvestmentBank(EIB)linkedfundingfortheSeychellessubmarinecable,SEAS.Asidefromthe
EUAfricaInfrastructureTrustFund,theEUalsohaslargeamountsofunspentfundsallocated
to ICT development in Africa and (through the EUAfrica Infrastructure Fund) has also
committedtosupportinginfrastructuredevelopmentintheCOMESAEACSADCregion,buthas
not been specific as to levels of commitments. However, as an outcome of the AUCEC Port
Moresby Agreement, a total of US$950 million has been allocated for ICTs on the continent.
RECs such as SADC are being invited to apply for the funds in support of the Priority Project
identified for the ICT Sector, which is: "Support for development of African ICT broadband
backboneandrelatedpolicyobjectivesandasystemofinterconnectedregionaldatabasesfor
infrastructure".Therearefoursubprojectsunderthis:1)Feasibilitystudyofselectedmissing
links on the African ICT broadband backbone and preparation of priority sections,
2)DevelopmentofharmonisedguidelinesonOpenAccessandrelatedservicesandstrategies,
3) Study on the implementation of harmonised continental public resource and services
(numbering, IP, Domain Name System (DNS) and emergency numbers), and 4) Support for
developmentofasystemprovidinginterconnectedregionaldatabasesforinfrastructure.
Specialisedemergingmarketinfrastructureinvestmentfunds,inparticulartheAfricaFinance
Corporation, Africa Infrastructure Investment Fund, the JP Morgan Emerging Markets
Infrastructure Fund, the Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF), Aureos Capital, Forward
GlobalInfrastructureFund,MacquarieEmergingMarketsInfrastructureIncomeFund,andEMP
GlobalAfricaFund.
Bilateral government funding, usually for capacity building and enhancement, studies and
institutional startup, but also concessional loans, e.g. China EXIM Bank for national fibre
backbonesandSwedishexportcreditagencyEKNforEconetZimbabwe.Thisisalsoacommon
formofvendorfinance,withtheloanlinkedtoequipmentsupplyforexample,HuaweiorZTE
forChina,andEricssonforSweden.
Other local and international nonICT private players (commercial banks, pension funds,
entrepreneurs)whomaybringdebtorequityfinancetospecificprojects,oftenbasedontheir
relationshipwiththerecipientofthefunds.
TripartiteFinancing.CooperationonfinancingbetweenthethreeRECsCOMESAEACSADC
intheTripartiteFrameworkwillbeimportantandwillneeddecisionsonstrategyforrouting
projectfundsdirectlytoSADCorviatheTripartite.ThethreeRECshaveinitiatedcooperationin
thefundingofinfrastructureprojectsthroughtheholdingofjointcorridorinvestorconferences
and in 2008, the Tripartite developed an Aid for Trade Pilot Programme on the North South
Corridor(NSC)toaddressinfrastructureandfacilitationissuestogether,andthecorridorasa
single network. This has enabled the three RECs together with their Member States to gain
additional support from the DFIs to implement the programme. The High Level North South
Corridor Investment Conference, and the High Level Tripartite & theIntergovernmental
AuthorityonDevelopment(IGAD)ConferenceonInfrastructureInvestmentheldinNairobiin
September 2011 directed the three RECs to develop joint financing and implementation
mechanismsforinfrastructuredevelopmentwithinoneyear.TheTripartiteTrustAccount(TTA)
hasnowbeenestablishedattheDevelopmentBankofSouthernAfrica(DBSA)withDBSAasa
Fund Manager. In addition, an Investment Committee has been established and is now
operational. The fund has a total of GBP67 million (from the Department of International
Development(DFID))andUS$1million(fromDBSA).OtherdonorstotheTTAarebeingsought.
Both SADC and the Tripartite have agreed to ensure that concrete PPP policies are enacted
acrosstheregionby2013,inordertoenableprivatefinancingtoemergeasamajorsourceof
fundingforinfrastructureinvestment.
As with most development projects, the problem is not usually a lack of finance but lack of
appropriatelystructuredprojectsthatmakethecasefortheinvestment.Thiscanpresentdifficulties
forsocialICTprojects,which,aswithothercrosscuttingareas,thefulleconomicandsocialreturns
oftheinvestmentmaynotbedirectlyevidentwithintheICTsector,butwillshowupintheindirect
impactonothersectors.Thecasefortheselinkagesisusuallyquiteeasytomakeingeneralterms,
butquantifyingthebroaderbenefitsisusuallyleftintherealmofspeculation,duetothecomplexity
oftherelationships.Forexample,thecontroversialanalysisthatappearstoshowthatGDPincreases
byabout1%forevery10%increaseinbroadbandpenetration.
Nevertheless the extensive analysis that has been done since the 1990s, culminating in the World
Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), indicates that there is a clear cut case for aiming to
ensurethateverycitizenhasaccesstobroadbandinternetconnectivityandlocalonlineservices.This
leads to a fairly clear set of requirements in terms of international, national, municipal and local
connectivity. Since the bulk of the cost is in the civil works and masts, and the extent of this
requirement can be objectively established, there need be little argument about the extent of
finance required. The main issue will be identifying the time frame for reaching the most
remote/underserved areas and the extent of public finance required to fill the gap left by private
investment.Thetwoareinterrelated,astheprivatesectormaywellgettotheremoteareas,butonly
atalaterdatethanisdesiredbypublicpolicy.Thisisprobablywherethestrongestcasecanbemade
forobtainingdevelopment/publicfinance,especiallyforthepostalsector.
4.1.2.3
MilestonesandKeySteps
Annexure2containsthedetailedMilestonesandPerformanceObjectivesoftheICTSectorPlan.
SADC's effectiveness in ensuring regional harmonisation of regulatory policies will determine the
level of investment in projects by the private sector and also help ensure the ICT infrastructure's
optimal use. This will require project implementation structures and procedures are in place to
86
ensure that harmonisation takes place which meets the criteria set for a project to progress to
implementationstage.
Ingeneral,ICTinfrastructureprojectswilllikelybedevelopedinstages,beginningwithavarietyof
consultations:
With stakeholders and governments to ensure the presence of the required enabling
environment and conformity with any digital infrastructure master plans if present, and to
agreeonsharinganydevelopmentcostswhereappropriate;
With operators and service providers to align the programmes with their strategic
developmentplansandreinforcethepotentialofsharedfacilities;and
With the potential investors to identify their interest and form of investment as capital,
debt,supportinkind,IRU,rightsofwayetc.
In addition, the initiating institutions will need to establish dispute resolution procedures for the
variousstakeholdersduringtheimplementation.
AttheTripartitelevel,theTripartiteTaskforceprogressreportonimplementationofdecisionsofthe
firstCOMESAEACSADCTripartiteSummithasmappedouttheirinitialstepsininfrastructureproject
development.TheTripartiteProjectPreparationandImplementationUnit(PPIU)willberesponsible
for Draft Project Information Memorandums (PIMs), working with subregional core Tripartite
partners, for facilitating, coordinating and monitoring progress of implementing projects and
programmes. The Tripartite Infrastructure Project Steering Committee established for the North
South Corridor pilot programme will be extended to oversee the overall implementation of the
Tripartite and IGAD Corridor Programme. The already defined functions of the Tripartite
Infrastructure Project Steering Committee will apply and detailed work plans will lay out
implementationeachyearfrom20112016astheinitialphase.
4.1.2.4
MonitoringMechanismforStatusofImplementation
Giventheimportanceplacedonregularmonitoringandevaluation,especiallyinsuchafastmoving
and complex field as ICTs, a separate line item has been devoted to developing the appropriate
progress monitoring indicators and procedures. The strategy is to take a pragmatic approach,
avoidingproliferationofindicatorsandonlyconsideringtheelementsthatarecriticaltomeasureand
areregularlyavailable.
FortheICTSectorPlan,theoveralllevelofprogressofeachoftheMemberStatesinadoptingthe
keyICTstrategies,policiesandregulationswouldbethemostimportantmeasure,assessedagainst
achievementsinthefollowingareas:
1.
Up to date National ICT strategy and adoption of ICTs as a national policy priority for
development;
2.
ICT policy environment openness to new operators, costbased licence fees, tariff and
infrastructuresharingregulation,numberportability,infrastructuresharing;
3.
Communicationsinfrastructuredensityextentofnationalbackbones,crossborderlinks,IXPs,
satellite access, postal branch density, digital broadcast coverage, traffic volumes, users
(mobile, fixed), education, research and health institution connectivity number of schools
andhospitals/clinicsconnectedwithhighcapacitylowcostbandwidth;
4.
Progressivespectrumallocationpolicyandlowcost,efficientlicensing;
5.
Cybersecurityandecommerce/etransactionlegislationandpresenceofCERTs;
87
6.
Consumerprotectionlegislation;
7.
eServices/applicationsavailable,especiallyegovernment;
8.
Presence of Universal Service Objectives and Funds, and other support for public access
facilitiesincludingpostalbranches;
9.
ExemptionfromdutiesandtaxesonICTequipmentandservices,andfiscalorotherfinancial
incentivestopromoteICTadoption;
10.
Humanresourceinvestmenteducation,training,capacitybuildingandnetworking;
11.
Publicinvestmentinresearchanddevelopment;and
12. Uptodatedatacollectionandstatisticspublication.
FurtherdetailsaregivenintheAnnexure.
4.2
CriticalFactorsforSuccessfulImplementation
AsindicatedthroughouttheICTSectorPlan,themostimportantfactorinsuccessislikelytobethe
commitmentofMemberStatestoensuringtheenablingenvironmentisinplace,i.e.openingupICT
markets to new players, ensuring there is openaccess or competitive wholesale backbone
infrastructure provision, ensuring there is access to radio spectrum for broadband, providing
sufficientresourcesforregulatorstoenforceregulationsandputtingICTsontopofthedevelopment
agenda.
88
ANNEXURE1PROJECTIMPLEMENTATIONSTRATEGYSUMMARY&TIMELINE
1. EnablingPolicy&RegulatoryEnvironmentforMaximisingICTInfrastructureDeployment
StrategicInterventions
ProjectActivities
1.1Rapidregionalassessmentofkeynational
ICTpolicyconstraintsinMemberStates
1.2.NationalICTpolicyreviews
Shorttermevaluationof:1)Accesstobroadbandradio
spectrum,2)Accesstonationalfibrebackbones,3)
Openmarketandtechnologyneutrallicence
availabilityfornewinfrastructureoperators.Regional
Workshop.
IntegratedassessmentofstatusofnationalICTsector
reform.Nationalstudiesandnationalworkshops.
1.3.Regionalandnationalbroadbandstrategy Regionaldevelopmentofbroadbandaccesstargets
development
andidentificationofbestpracticestrategiestomeet
these.
Developmentofregionalguidelinesandregulations
ontariffsforuseofpublicinfrastructureassets(in
particulartransportandenergygrids).
Identificationofbestpracticesandguidelinesfor
extensionofnationalandinternationalterrestrial
fibrebackbones.
Guidelinesandupdatedplanningapprovalprocedures
toensurethatallnewpublicinfrastructureincludes
fibreandducts,includingpublicandcommercial
buildings.
HostingofthreeregionalforaforISPsonIXP
development.
Reviewandupdatingofspectrumallocationplansto
takeintoaccountlatesttechnologies.
Promotingtelecomcapacitypricinginformation
exchangeacrosstheregionfeasibilitystudyfor
regionalcapacitytradingplatform,implementation
supportiffeasible.
SupportforpublicsectoroperatorsinMemberStates
totransitiontonewmarketenvironmentswhere
needed.
ThreeRegionalPolicyandRegulatory3dayworkshops
toreviewtheresultsoftheaboveactivities.
89
Budget
US$('000)
88.5
Funding/
ActionParty
SADC,CRASA,Member
States,
DevelopmentPartners
440.0
SADC,MemberStates&
NRAs,DevelopmentPartners
20132014
50.0
SADC,CRASA
MemberStates&NRAs,
DevelopmentPartners
20132015
40.0
80.0
15.0
115.5
50.0
290.0
490.0
115.5
Timeline
20132014
1.4Modelnationalpostalpolicydevelopment Identificationofstrategiesforcreatingregulated
andregionalharmonisation
postalmarketsandautonomousoperators,addressing
institutional/culturalandproductivityissues,raising
theprofileofthepostalsysteminnationalbudget
allocations,innationalICTstrategies,andinaccessto
theUniversalServiceFunds.
1.5UpdatingtheframeworkforSADCregional Updatingnationalregulations/implementation
homeandawayroamingregulation
(ongoing).
PROJECT1SUBTOTALinc10%ProjectManagement
90
50.0
SADC,MemberState
MinistriesofICTs,SAPOA,
DevelopmentPartners
20132017
Ongoing
SADC,CRASA
MemberStates,
DevelopmentPartners
20122014
2,007.0
2 MonitoringandevaluationofprogresstowardDigitalSADC2027
ProjectActivities
2.1Identifytheindicatorstobemeasured
StudyfordevelopmentofproposedsetofICTprogress
markersforverificationatregionalmeeting,twomore
regionalmeetingsforfollowupto2.1,2.2,2.3,
includingcapacitybuildingfordataanalysisand
presentation.
2.2Ensuringoperatorssubmitdata
Developmentofmodelregulatoryguidelinesfor
periodicallyquarterlyforsome,annuallyfornationaladoptiontocompeloperatorstosubmit
quarterlydata.
otherstoregulator
2.3Implementationofregulatordata
Pilotfor2yearsregulatordatagathering,ICT
gatheringandpublication,andICT
observatoryestablishment,GISmappingintegration,
observatory
(review&trainingworkshopscoveredin2.1costs)
91
BudgetUS$
('000)
155.5
20.0
125.0
330.5
Funding/
ActionParty
SADC,Policy,Planning,
ResourceMobilisationand
Statistics,CRASA,National
Regulators,NSOs
DevelopmentPartners
SADC
MemberStates
DevelopmentPartners
SADC,CRASA,
MemberStates
DevelopmentPartners
Timeline
20132014
20132013
20132015
3 EnsuringConfidenceandSecurityinNetworksandServices
ProjectActivities
3.1Helptoestablishmultistakeholder
DevelopmentofmodelguidelinesforCERTsand
ComputerEmergencyResponseTeams
NationalimplementationsupportinSADCMember
(CERTs)ineachMemberStateand
Stateswhereneeded.
regionally
3.2Capacitybuildingfortimelyswitchoverto Threeregionaltrainingworkshops.
IPv6incivilservicenetworks
3.3Developmentofstandardsandmodel
Studyandtworegionalmeetings.
nationalguidelinesandregulationsfor
cablelayingandcableprotection
3.4Harmonisationofsecuritystandardsin
Capacitybuildingofpostaloperatorstoapply
ordertorespondtocybercrime,terrorism, appropriatesecuritymeasures.Tworegionaltraining
drugtrafficking,andmoneylaundering.
workshops.
92
BudgetUS$
('000)
500.0
Funding/
ActionParty
SADC,CRASA
MemberStates
DevelopmentPartners
115.5
SADC
MemberStates,AfriNIC,
DevelopmentPartners
SADC,CRASA
MemberStates
DevelopmentPartners
20132014
SADC,CRASA,SAPOA,
MemberStates,
DevelopmentPartners
20132015
107.0
70.0
871.75
Timeline
20132015
20132014
4 Infrastructure(a)ConsolidationofRegional Communications Infrastructure
ProjectActivities
4.1Assessneedsforadditionalcrossborder Feasibilitystudyforlinks,anduseofpassivetrans
linksbetweenSADCMemberStateswhere boundarysmartcorridors.Studyplus.
thereisonlyonesuchlink
4.2Implementation ofcrossborderlinks
Corridorfacilitationmeetings.
BudgetUS$
('000)
80.0
75.0
Deploymentof5,000kmofopticfibre@15K/km.
75,000.0
Deploymentof3,000kmofsubmarineopticfibrefor
Seychellessecondlink/2ndAsiarouteforSADC.
50,000.0
4.3RegionalIXPdevelopment
FeasibilitystudyandfacilitationforRegionalIXP.
ConsultancyandtwoRegionalmeetings.
95.0
4.4Sharedsatellitenetworkdevelopment
Assessneedsandeconomicfeasibilityforashared
regionalVSATnetworkforconnectingremoteresearch
centres,schools,meteorologystations,wildlife
conservationposts,borderposts,clinics,emergency
servicesandpostalbranches.Wouldinclude
evaluationofbestlocationforinitialEarthstationhub,
migrationpathtonationalgroundstationsifneeded.
Satellitenetwork/hubimplementationsupportfor
constructionofsatellitehub(6Mantenna,redundant
RFequipment,NOC,installation).
NationalinitiativesforMemberStateswhereneeded.
40.0
93
4.5DTTMigrationsupport
Funding/
ActionParty
SADC,SATA,
MemberStates,Operators
DevelopmentPartners
Timeline
20122017
20122017
SADC,SATA,Operators,
MemberStates,
DevelopmentPartners,PIDA
20122017
20132017
SADC,MemberStates,ISPs,
Telecomoperators
DevelopmentPartners,PIDA
20122017
20132014
900.0
SADC,MemberStates
DevelopmentPartners
20142017
180.0
SADC,
MemberStates,National
Broadcasters,
DevelopmentPartners
20122015
4.6Regionalandnationalintegrated
Broadbandinfrastructure
SUBTOTALinc10%ProjectManagement
94
Deploymentofregionalandnationalintegratedcore
broadbandinfrastructuresprovidingafullyredundant
selfhealingresilient,ubiquitousandcosteffective
broadbandaccessnetworkcoveringtheharshterrain
ofSADCMemberStatesreachingeventheruralor
underservedareas.
21,000,000.0
21,139,007.0
SADC,SATA,
MemberStates,Operators
DevelopmentPartners
20132017
5 ICTCapacity Building andContent
ProjectActivities
5.1Awarenessraisingforpolicymakers&
Developmentofbriefingpapertoensureworkshop
developmentpractitionersofstrategiesfor participantsarefamiliarwiththeuseofavailable
ICTsupporteddevelopment
digitalservices,aswellastheirwealthcreationand
employmentpotential.3dayregionalconferencefor
100participants+facilitationbybriefingpaper
authors.
5.2Establishmentofnationalcallcentresto
helpcitizenswithuseofeservicesand
accesstogovernmentinformation
Studyforreferencedesignofworkshopsandcall
centres.
NationalsupportforcallcentresetupinSADC
MemberStateswhereneeded@300Keach.
5.3Promotionofinformationliteracythrough Developmentofregionalcertificationstandardsfor
adoptionofharmonisedregionalICT
informationliteracy.ModelnationalICTliteracy
trainingstandardsandcertification
trainingsyllabusdevelopmentandICTtraining
standards/certificationharmonisationneeds
assessment.
5.4CapacitybuildingofNRAsNational
3X4dayregionaltrainingworkshops,facilitation.
BroadcastersandCERTsinICTtechnological
developments
5.5Developmentofregionalrepositoriesand
contentdevelopmenthubsforaccessto
multimedialearningandculturalheritage
materialsforaccessviatheweborfor
broadcast
5.6Establishmentofregionalcentresof
excellence
SUBTOTALinc10%ProjectManagement
95
Identificationofcontentgatheringandhosting
entities,contentsourcesandproviders,identification
ofgapsinavailablecontent,intellectualproperty
issues,opportunitiesforsharingwithotherregions.2
dayreviewworkshop,plusimplementationsupport.
RegionalDTTtrainingfacilityinstitutionalsupport.
Developmentofregionalaccreditationproceduresfor
theCoEs,includingpostalCoE.
EstablishmentofregionalcentreofexcellenceinICT
andpostalsystems.
BudgetUS$
('000)
149.0
Funding/
ActionParty
SADC,MemberStateMin
ICTs,Dev.Partners
Timeline
40.0
SADC,MemberStateMin
ICTs,Dev.Partners
20132015
60.0
SADC,MemberStateMin
ICTs&Education,Dev.Partners
20132014
144.5
SADC,MemberStateMin
ICTs,NRAs,Nat.Broadcasters,
CERTs,Dev.Partners
20132014
575.0
SADC,MemberStateMin
ICTs&Education,Dev.Partners
20132017
500.0
40.0
SADC,SATA,MemberState
MinICTs&Education,Dev.
Partners
20132015
20132017
1,800.0
1,500.0
5,289.35
6 RegionaleServicesandApplications
6.1Developegovernmentservicesand
applications
ProjectActivities
Studytoidentifyrequiredegovernmentapplications
tobedeveloped,potentialbusinessmodelsand
sourcesofsoftware/developersandsystemsfor
sharedservices/backoffice/cloudcomputing
platformsforgovernment,andevaluationofpotential
forregionalcostsharingthroughcreationofasingle
libraryofregionalapplicationsthatcanbelocalised
fornationalimplementation.
2dayregionalworkshopforverificationofstudy
conclusions
Implementationsupportforgovernmentsofspecial
caseSADCMemberStates6states@US$500kea
96
6.2Developmodelnationalecommerce,e
Studyforidentificationofneeds/feasibility
marketplaceandepaymentstrategiesand assessmentfornationalandregionalpayment
integrationwithpostalsystems
gatewaysandemarketplacesforsmallbusinessweb
sitehostingandsharedonlineservicesprovision.
Strategiesforintegrationwithpostalsystems.
IdentificationofotherpartnersoutsideICTsectorthat
mayberequired.
ImplementationsupportforgovernmentsofSADC
MemberStateswhereneeded.
6.3DevelopaccessiblegovernmentOpenData Designofnationalandregionalreferencemodelsand
policies,managementsystemsandrelated policies,andtechnical/economicfeasibility
spatialdatamappingfacilitiesforpublic
assessmentsfornationalimplementationandregional
data
consolidation.Twodayregionalverification
workshop.
6.4ReferencemodelforGPSand3GWifi
gatewaysonpublictransportvehicles
(intelligenttransportsystems)
Developmentoftechnicalandbusiness
implementationstrategyforintelligenttransport
systemstomonitormovementofthepublictransport
fortrafficmanagementplanningandprovide
connectivityforpassengers.
6.5Establishacommoncrossbordertraffic
Assessmentofconnectivityrequirementsand
administrationplatformforallborderposts software/hardwareneeds,opportunitiesforsharing
intheregion(ICTsupportforOneStop
thesecostsacrosstheregion.Identificationof
BudgetUS$
('000)
100.0
Funding/
ActionParty
SADC,MemberState
MinistriesofHomeAffairs,
Health,Education,Transport,
TradeandAgriculture,
DevelopmentPartners
Timeline
20122017
35.5
3,000.0
110.5
SADCTradeIndustryFinance
&Investment,
SADCRegionalChamberof
Commerce(ASCCI),SADC
BusinessForum,SADCBankers
Forum,MemberStatesMin
Trade,
DevelopmentPartners
1,800.0
20122014
110.5 SADC,MemberStatesMinICT,
MinHousing,Transport,Land,
HomeAffairs,Agriculture
DevelopmentPartners
20132015
25.0 SADC,MemberStatesMinICT,
MinTransport,private
transportcompanies,
DevelopmentPartners
20132015
235.5
SADC,SADCTransportand
Tourismsector
DevelopmentPartners
20132014
BorderPostsandsmartcorridors)
SUBTOTALincluding10%projectmanagement
97
softwareandnetworkarchitecturerequirementsfor
sharinginformationbetweenborderpostsand
betweenborderagencies(customs,immigration,
Interpol,health,agricultureetc).Plus2dayregional
verificationworkshop.
Sharedregionalsoftwaredevelopment(estimatefor
allocation).Fundsusedessentiallytokickstartthe
establishmentofasharedsoftwaredevelopment
platformforgovernmentservicesamenableto
sharingdevelopmentcostsacrosstheregion.Includes
initialfeasibility/modalitiesstudyandtworegional
meetings
1,571.0
20132016
SADC,CorridorAuthorities,
MemberStateMinHome
Affairs/Customs/Immigration,
Transport,Agric,Health,
Police/Security
DevelopmentPartners
7,686.8
7 Research,InnovationandIndustryDevelopment
ProjectActivities
7.1Promoteimprovedcollaboration,
informationandknowledgesharing
betweenresearchcentres
7.2EstablishincubatorsforsmallICT
businesses
7.3DevelopICTequipmentmanufacturing
facilities,softwareandapplications
Nationalsupportforresearchinstitutionconnectivity
(campusandbackhaul)inSADCMemberStateswhere
needed@US$500,000each.
Studytoidentifymodelstrategiesandgovernance
structuresfortheestablishmentofICTsmallbusiness
incubationfacilities(offices,sharedfacilities,lowcost
highspeedinternet,webhosting,marketingsupport
etc).
SupportforestablishmentofincubatorsinSADC
MemberStates@US$350,000each.
MarketandtechnicalfeasibilitystudyonregionalICT
equipmentmanufacturingfacilities,possiblybuilding
ontheDTTsettopboxmanufacturingopportunities.
Includesscopingexercisetoidentifyother
technologiesamenabletolocalmanufacturing,
softwareandapplicationsdevelopmentandidentify
appropriaterolesandmodalitiesforgovernment
supporttoincubators(suchasguaranteesonworking
capitalorloanfunds,orotherincentivepackagesfor
settingupfacilities),andidentifygovernance
structures,potentialincubatorimplementers,trainers/
mentorsandfundmanagers.
Industrycolloquiumtoverifystudyconclusionsand
identifyadditionalopportunities,raiseawarenessof
initiative.
7.4Mitigatenegativeenvironmentalimpactsof Developmentofregionalandnationalstandardsand
ICTs(climatechangeandewaste)
bestpracticesforaddressingclimatechange,ewaste,
andEnvironmentalImpactAssessments(EIAs)for
infrastructureprojects.Includereferencedesignfor
smartrenewableenergybaseddatacentresand
evaluationofthecostoftheSATAproposalsfore
wastehandling.Twodayverificationworkshop.
Supportforregionalcentreformanagementofe
waste.
SUBTOTALincluding10%projectmanagement
98
BudgetUS$
('000)
3,000.0
Funding/
ActionParty
SADC,MemberStateMinistries
ofICTs,HigherEducation,
Science&Research,Tradeand
Industry,SARUA
35.0 SADCTradeIndustryFinance&
Investment,
BusinessForum,SADCBankers
Forum,MemberStatesMin
2,100.0
Trade,Science&Technology
DevelopmentPartners
60.0 SADC,TradeIndustryFinance&
Investment,
BusinessForum,MemberStates
MinTrade,MemberStatesMin
ICT,DevelopmentPartners
Timeline
20132015
20132016
20132017
69.5
95.5 SADC,SATA,MemberStatesMin
ICT,MinEnvironment,
DevelopmentPartners
150.0
6,061.0
20132015
20132020
8 Infrastructure(b)PostalSectorStrengthening
ProjectActivities
8.1Implementationofpostalcodeaddressing Alignmentofthenationaladdressingstandardwith
systemsinMemberStatesthatdonothave theUPUS42AddressingStandard,establishmentof
them
deliverypointsdatabases,establishmentofachange
ofaddresssystem,numberingofstreetsandhousesin
linewithcountryrequirements.
8.2Extensionofnationalpostalbranch
Studyforstrategydevelopmentforextensionof
networkstomorelocations,especiallyrural nationalpostalbranchnetworkstomorelocations,
areas
especiallyruralareas,includingconsiderationof
optionssuchasfranchisemodelsandaccessto
universalservicefunds.
RegionalMeetingtoconsiderresultsofstudies.
Strategydevelopmentandassessmentofeconomic
8.3ImprovinguseofICTsinpostalsystems
feasibilityforintroducingimproveduseofICTsin
postalsystems(networkconnectivity,capacity
building&training,publicaccesstointernetfacilities
andaugmentedservicedelivery),postalbranchoffice
processcounterautomation.Countrybycountry
analysistoestablishexactfundingneeds.
Allocationforimplementation(SAPOAinitialestimate
100m+40mforcounterautomation).
8.4RegionalGMSformailQoSmeasurement Implementation of a regional GMS for mail by postal
operators.
SUBTOTALincluding10%project
management
GrandTotalforallProjects
99
BudgetUS$
('000)
110,000.0
Funding/
ActionParty
ofICTs,SAPOA,
DevelopmentPartners
Timeline
50.0
ofICTs,SAPOA,
DevelopmentPartners
20132016
ofICTs,SAPOA,
DevelopmentPartners
20132016
ofICTs,SAPOA,
DevelopmentPartners
20132014
20132016
35.0
70.0
140,000.0
10,000.0
286,170.5
436,050.0
ANNEXURE2MilestonesandPerformanceObjectives
Milestone
StrategicObjective
Establishmentof
enablingpolicyand
regulatory
environment
Updateandharmonise Auniformpolicyandregulatory
Identificationofkeypolicy
Approval
nationalICTpoliciesand environmentacrosstheregionwhich bottlenecks:1)Accesstobroadband
legalframeworkto
encouragestheuptakeofICTs,acts radiospectrum,2)Accesstonational
improvethesupporting transparently,ensuresalevelplaying fibrebackbones,3)Openmarketand
ICTinfrastructurepolicy fieldwheredisadvantaged
technologyneutrallicenceavailability
andregulatory
communitiesarenotisolatedfrom fornewinfrastructureoperators.
environmenttoensure theICTrevolution.
thattheobjectivesfor
Integratedassessmentofstatusof
DigitalSADC2027canbeImprovedsustainability/returnon NationalICTsectorreform.
mostefficientlyand
investment(ROI)oninfrastructure
rapidlyachieved.
investmentsandsimplified
Regionaldevelopmentofbroadband
administrativeprocessesfor
accesstargetsandidentificationof
deployinginfrastructure.
bestpracticestrategiestomeet
these.
Increasedprivatesectorinvestment
inthesector.
Developmentofregionalguidelines
andregulationsontariffsforuseof
Lowercostofaccess/tariffs,roaming publicinfrastructureassets(in
charges.
particulartransport&energygrids).
Morebroadbaseduptakeamonglow Identificationofbestpracticesand
incomegroups.
guidelinesforextensionofnational
andinternationalterrestrialfibre
Moresustainablehighcapacity
backbones.
infrastructuredeployedinremote
areas.
Guidelinesandupdatedplanning
approvalprocedurestoensurethatall
Efficientnationalandregional
newpublicinfrastructureincludes
fibreandducts,includingpublicand
Internettrafficexchange.
commercialbuildings.
Hostingof3regionalforaforISPson
Internetprovidershaveaccesstothe IXPdevelopment.
100
KeyPerformanceIndicators
Actions
Status
Timeline
(months)
618
LeadAgency
Potential
Financing
Sources
SADCSecretariat EU,DfID,USAID,
AfDB/PIDA,IsDB,
DBSA,AFD,
CIDA,SIDA,GIZ
Milestone
StrategicObjective
Actions
mostcosteffectivetechnologiesfor
broadbandprovisioning.
Reviewandupdatingofspectrum
allocationplanstotakeintoaccount
Lowercostaccesstointernational latesttechnologies
broadbandcapacity.
Promotingcapacitypricing
Moreefficientnational
informationexchangeacrossthe
telecommunicationoperators.
regionfeasibilitystudyforregional
capacitytradingplatform.
Moreefficientandmoreaccessible Implementationsupportiffeasible.
postalnetworks.
Supportforpublicsectoroperatorsin
Lowercostsofroamingforthepublic MemberStatestotransitiontonew
marketenvironmentswhereneeded.
ModelNationalPostalPolicy
DevelopmentandRegional
Harmonisation.
UpdatingtheframeworkforSADC
regionalhomeandawayroaming
regulation.
101
Status
Timeline
(months)
LeadAgency
Potential
Financing
Sources
Milestone
StrategicObjective
Actions
Status
Progressmonitoring Monitorandevaluate SADCSecretariatandMemberstates Studyfordevelopmentofproposed Approval

mechanisminplace progresstowardDigital haveuptodateinformationon
setofICTprogressmarkersfor
inallMemberStates SADC2027
uptakeofICTs.
verificationatregionalmeeting.Two
moreregionalmeetingsforfollowup,
includingcapacitybuildingfordata
analysisandpresentation.
Strategicdecisionmakers,
DevelopmentofModelregulatory
government,publicsectoragencies, guidelinesfornationaladoptionto
privatesector,NGOsandconsumer compeloperatorstosubmitquarterly
groupshavebetterinformationon data.
whichtobasetheirdecisionsand
policies.
Pilotfor2years,regulatordata
gathering,ICTobservatory
establishment,GISmapping
integration,(review&training
workshop).
Secure,reliable
EnsureMemberState Business,government,civilsociety EstablishmultistakeholderComputer Approval
networksand
andtheconsumerbenefitfrombeing EmergencyResponseTeams(CERTs)
andregional
services
communication
abletoplaceincreasedrelianceon ineachMemberStateandRegionally.
networksaresecureandelectronicandpostal
reliable,anddonotposecommunications.
Capacitybuildingfortimelyswitch
unduethreatstotheir
overfromIPv4toIPv6incivilservice
usersanddonotlimit
networksinordertorespondtothe
usethroughlackof
exhaustionoftheIPv4addressspace.
confidence,presenceof
Developmentofstandardsandmodel
threatsorpotential
serviceinterruptions
nationalguidelinesandregulations
forcablelaying.
Ensureinstitutional
capacityatanational
Identificationofstrategiesfor
andregionallevelisin
ensuringinfrastructuresecurity
againstthreatssuchastheft,
placetorespondto
vandalismandaccidentaldamage.
networkthreats
102
Timeline
(months)
LeadAgency
Potential
Financing
Sources
EU,DfID,USAID,
AfDB/PIDA,IsDB,
DBSA,AFD,
CIDA,SIDA,IDRC
618
CRASA
1236
AfDB/PIDA,IsDB,
DBSA,AFD,
CIDA,SIDA,
IDRC,CISCO,
ISOC,internet
providers,
telecom
operators
Milestone
StrategicObjective
Actions
Status
LeadAgency
Potential
Financing
Sources
Implementregionally
harmonisedregulations
andsystemstorespond
tocyberandpostal
securitythreats
Complete
Intercontinental,
InterRegional,
Regional,and
National
Communications
Backbonesand
Networks
103
Developmentoflegalpenaltiesfor
vandalismandlackofduecare,and
mandatoryreciprocalaccesstoother
operatorinfrastructure.
Postalnetworksecurityoptimisation
harmonisationofsecuritystandards
inordertorespondtocybercrime,
terrorism,drugtrafficking,and
moneylaundering.
Ensurethattheregionis Improvednational,regionaland
Feasibilitystudyforlinks,anduseof Some links in
fullyinterconnected
globalintegration,accelerated
passivetransboundarysmart
progress,
nationally,regionally
economicandsocialdevelopment corridors.
remaining are
andgloballythrough
supportedbypervasiveaffordable
prefeasibility
reliableandaffordable highspeedconnectivity.
Studyplus15corridorfacilitation
highcapacityfibreoptic
meetings.
links
Presenceofcompetitiveroutesfor
directtrafficexchangebetweenSADCDeploymentof5,000kmofoptic
Completetheremaining MemberStatesandeliminationof fibre.
SADCcrossborder
theneedtorelyonexpensive
infrastructuregaps
submarinefibrecapacity.
Deploymentof2ndSeychelles
submarinelink.
FulfiltheConnectAfrica Presenceofbackuproutesto
andAUgoalsforeach neighbouringcountrysubmarine
RegionalIXPdevelopment.
countrytobeconnectedlandingstations.
toitsneighbour
Regionalandnationalneedsand
Provisionofbroadbandcapacityto economicfeasibilityassessmentfor
EnsureeachMember communitiesalongtheroutes.
satellitenetwork/hub.
Statecapitalcityis
Increasedinternational
linkedtoallofits
Implementationsupportforsatellite
MemberState
interconnectionbetweenoperators. network.
neighboursviaatleast
tworoutes,andtoat IncreasedinterandintraRegional DTTMigrationsupport.

leasttwocablelanding traffic.
stationsofdifferent
crosscontinental
Timeline
(months)
1236
SADCSecretariat EU,WorldBank,
AfDB/PIDA,IsDB,
DBSA,AFD,
ChinaEXIM
Bank,Private
Operators,
MemberStates
Milestone
StrategicObjective
submarinenetworks. Increasedtrafficonsubmarine
cables.
Ensuretheregionis
connectedtoits
Increasedinternationalbandwidth
neighbouringregions percountry(Mbps).
EAC/COMESA/ECCAS,
andtherebytotherest Increasedbroadbandcoverage,
ofAfrica(i.e.initiallyvia accessibilityandreliability.
AngolaandTanzaniato
thecountriestothe
Increasebroadbandsubscriber
north,andthenalsovia numberspercountry.
DRC).Theselinksalsoto
provideaccessto
IncreasedISPpeeringobservedat
additionalsubmarine IXPs.
cablesystems,suchas
TEAMSandLIONwhich IncreasedNumberofASNsper
landinMombasa,and country.
couldbereachedvia
linkstoTanzania
Reducedpriceofinternational
incomingandoutgoingcalls.
Ensureaffordable
satellitebased
Reducedpriceofbroadbandaccess
connectivitysolutions andusage.
areinplaceforremote Increasedaveragebroadband
areasoutsidethenear speeds.
termreachoffibre
infrastructure.
Reducedpriceoflocalhosting.
Ensurethatthewhole Increasednumberoflocalwebsites.
SADCRegionhasafully
integrated,redundant, IncreasednumberofterrestrialISP
selfhealing,resilient
licences.
corebroadband
infrastructurereaching Reducedpriceofinternationaland
eventheruralorunder domesticwholesalecapacity.
servedareas
104
Actions
Status
Timeline
(months)
LeadAgency
Potential
Financing
Sources
Milestone
StrategicObjective
Actions
Status
IncreasedICT
Maximisehuman
Policymakersandprofessionalsare Awarenessraisingforpolicymakers& Approval
capacityandliteracy capacityintheregionto betterabletoexploitthepotentialof developmentpractitionersof
intheRegion
beabletotake
ICTstosupportsocioeconomic
strategiesforICTsupported
advantageofICTs
development.
development.
throughtrainingand
awarenessraising
NationalNRAsbetterabletoidentify Establishmentofnationalcallcentres
activitieswhichare
issuesandenforceregulations,
tohelpcitizenswithuseofeservices
conductedatthe
broadcastersbetterabletorespond andaccesstogovernment
regionalleveltotake
tothechallengesoftechnology
information.
advantageofincreased convergenceandCERTsabletoreact
efficienciesandcost
quicklytoincidentsandminimise
Promotionofinformationliteracy
sharingbetween
theirimpact.
throughadoptionofharmonised
MemberStates
regionalICTtrainingstandardsand
Commoninformationliteracy
certification.
Buildacriticalmassof certificationofemployeesis
onlinecontentwhich uniformlyrecognisedacrossthe
CapacitybuildingofNRAs,National
canbedeliveredtoas region.
BroadcastersandCERTsinICT
wideanaudienceas
technologicaldevelopments.
possibleviathefull
rangeofaccessmethods
DevelopmentofRegional
television,radio,
Repositoriesandcontentgeneration
desktops/tabletPCs,and
hubsformultimedialearningand
mobilehandsets
culturalheritagematerialsaccessible
viathewebandforbroadcast.
Establishmentofnationaland
regionalcentresofexcellenceinICTs
andPostalServices.
Availabilityofe
Improveefficiencyof Governmenteservicesreducecosts Providesupportfordevelopmentof Approval
Servicesand
publicservicedelivery forbothgovernmentandthepublic, egovernmentservicesand
Applications
andecommerce
increasedtransparency,efficiency applicationsaimedatcreatingbetter
andqualityofservice.
servicedelivery,internalefficiencies
andsignificantcostsavings.
105
Timeline
(months)
LeadAgency
Potential
Financing
Sources
636
SADCSecretariat EU,WorldBank,
AfDB/PIDA,IsDB,
DBSA,AFD,IICD,
GIZ
636
AfDB/PIDA,IsDB,
DBSA,AFD,
CIDA,SIDA,
Milestone
StrategicObjective
Facilitateadministration Reducedgovernmentexpenditures
ofregionalflowsof
onservicedelivery,morerapid
people,goodsand
servicedelivery.
services
Dataavailabletothepublichelpsto
Provideopenaccessto findsolutionstochallengesin
publicdata
education,healthandothersectors,
alongwithmoretransparent
governance.Improvelanddelivery,
tenuresecurityandcurbcorruption.
IncreasedopportunitiesforSMEsto
developapplications,servicesand
marketgoodsandserviceslocally,
regionallyandglobally.
Improvedefficiencyofpublic
transportsystemsandabilitytotele
workwhiletravelling.
106
Actions
Identificationofopportunitiesfor
sharingcostsregionallyfor
applicationsdevelopment,bulk
purchasingofcapacityandICT
equipment.
Developmodelnationalecommerce
andemarketplacestrategies,
includingepaymentsystemsand
integrationwiththepostalsector.
DevelopgovernmentOpenData
policiesandmanagementsystemsfor
provisionofpublicdataandrelated
spatialdatamappingfacilities.
DevelopreferencemodelforGPSand
3GWifigatewaysonpublictransport
vehiclestomonitormovementof
publictransportforintelligent
transportsystemstraffic
managementplanningandproviding
connectivityforpassengers.
Establishacommoncrossborder
trafficadministrationplatform
(customs,immigration,agriculture
etc)forallborderpostsintheregion.
Formulateamodelsoftwareplatform
forgeneralsharingofsoftware
developmentcostsacrosstheregion.
Identifyshorttomediumterm
opportunitiestoportsimilar
governmentservicesonline.
Status
Timeline
(months)
LeadAgency
Potential
Financing
Sources
Milestone
StrategicObjective
Actions
Status
EffectiveR&D
StrengthenR&Dand
Researchers,teachersand
supportingvibrant researchinstitutionsandentrepreneurswithimprovedaccess
ICTindustry
SMEsworkingintheICT toknowledge,leadingtoincreased
sector
R&D,innovation,jobsandwealth
creationinthelocalICTsector.
Promotenationaland
regionalinstitutional
ICTequipmentcostsminimised
collaboration,
especiallyDTTsettopboxes.
innovationand
developmentoflocalICTMinimisednegativeenvironmental
industry
effectsofICTequipment
deployment,manufactureanduse.
Increasethenumberof
jobsintheICTsector.
Minimisethenegative
effectsofICTsonthe
environment
1248
Efficientaffordable Strengthennational
andwidelyavailable postalsystems
postalsystems
648
107
Promoteimprovedcollaboration,
Approval
informationandknowledgesharing
betweenresearchcentres.
EstablishincubatorsforsmallICT
businessesandICTresearchparks
andimprovelinksbetweenthe
academicsectorandICTindustry.
DevelopICTequipment
manufacturingfacilities,softwareand
applications.
Identifyandmitigatenegative
environmentalimpactsofICTs
(climatechangeandewaste).
EstablishregionalcentreforeWaste
management.
Increasedsocialandeconomic
Implementationofpostalcodes& Approval
inclusion,moreuseofecommerce, addressingsystemsinMemberStates
financialservicesandpublicaccessto thatdonothavethem
electronicinformationservices,
especiallyinremoteandruralareas. Extensionofnationalpostalbranch
networkstomorelocations,
Businessesoperatemoreefficiently, especiallyruralareas.
improvedemergencyservicesdueto
improvedaddressingsystems,and ImproveduseofICTsinpostal
increasedregionalintegrationande systemstosupport:automationof
commerceduetomoreefficientand postalsystems(frontoffice/counter
secureinternationalmailbetween automation,backofficeandmail
memberstates.
processing).
Capacitybuildingofpostaloperators
toapplyappropriatesecurity
measures.
Timeline
(months)
LeadAgency
Potential
Financing
Sources
SADCSecretariat EU,WB,DfID
USAID,
AfDB/PIDA,IsDB,
DBSA,AFD,
CIDA,SIDA,
IDRC,NorAID,
IFC
SADCSecretariat MemberStates,
UPU,AfDB,
DBSA,IsDB,AFD,
SIDA
Milestone
108
StrategicObjective
Actions
Addressingsystemsprovideproofof
existencetoindividualsand
organisationsandhelpsruralpeople
toparticipateintheeconomy.
Customersbenefitfromimproved
speedofdeliveryandtrackingof
internationalmail.
Implementationofaregionalendto
endmeasurementsystem(GMS)to
improvethequalityofserviceon
internationalmail.
Status
Timeline
(months)
LeadAgency
Potential
Financing
Sources
ANNEXURE3ICTProjectDetails
TitleofProject1
EnablingPolicy&RegulatoryEnvironmentforMaximisingICTInfrastructureDeployment
ProjectSponsors
SADC,CRASA,MinistriesofICTs,NationalRegulators,CompetitionCommissions
Corridor
All
ParticipatingCountries
AllMemberStates
Objectives
ImprovethesupportingICTinfrastructurepolicyandregulatoryenvironmenttoensurethat
theobjectivesforDigitalSADC2027canbemostefficientlyandrapidlyachieved.
ProjectDescription
1.RapidassessmentofkeyICTpolicyconstraintsinMemberStates.
Identificationofimmediatepolicychangesrequiredfor:
AccesstobroadbandradiospectrumanduseofTVwhitespaceforbroadband;
Accesstonationalfibrebackbonesandthefibreinfrastructureofutilityoperatorsat
marketbasedrates;and
Openmarketandtechnologyneutrallicenceavailabilityfornewinfrastructure
operators.
2.IntegratedNationalICTpolicyreviewsandnationalbroadbandstrategydevelopment.
MemberStateswouldconvenemultistakeholderforumstoaddressthepolicyand
regulatoryissuesbyanindependentregionalassessmentofthestatusofICTsectorreform
andmarketliberalisation,andtodevelopnationalbroadbandstrategies.
Theassessmentstudywouldconsider:a)Regulatorinstitutionalcapacity,particularlyto
enforceregulationsandtoinstituteoperatortariffcontrols,pricingtransparency,
interconnectionandinfrastructuresharing(includingsupportfromAntiCompetitionLaws).
b)OpennessofICTmarketstonewentrantsandpresenceoftechnology/serviceneutral
convergedlicensingregimes,c)Structuralseparationofwholesalefromretailoperations
amongincumbents,d)Spectrummanagement(costbasedspectrumfees,sublicensingof
spectrum,uptodateallocationplans),e)PresenceoftaxationconstraintstoICTuptakeand
fiscalsystemopportunitiestopromoteICTuptake,f)AlignmentofICTpolicieswiththe
government'soveralldevelopmentgoals.
3.Definitionofnationalbroadbandstrategieswouldbesupportedatregionallevelthrough
a)IdentificationofICTuptaketargetsforMemberStates,b)Developmentofguidelineson
bestpracticesforsupportingextensionofnationalfibrebackbones,especiallytomore
remoteareas(e.g.casestudiesofgovernmentbackboneowners,useofPPPsandUniversal
ServiceFunds),c)Supportforimplementationofregulationswhichupdatelanduse
planningapprovalprocedurestoensurethatallnewpublicinfrastructureincludesfibreand
ducts(includingpublicandcommercialbuildings(e.g.Botswana)),d)Promotingthe
establishmentofNationalandRegionalIXPstomaximiseperformanceandreducecostsby
ensuringthatSADCtrafficiskeptwithintheRegion,localtrafficiskeptlocal(bysupporting
regionalforaofISPs),e)Promotingwholesalepricinginformationexchangeacrossthe
region,byimplementingacapacitytradingplatform,f)Reviewingandupdatingspectrum
allocationplanstotakeintoaccountneedsforbroadbandandlatesttechnology
developments(e.g.assessthefeasibilityofusingnewradiotechnologiessuchasTV
whitespace(802.22)asaninterimmeasureuntilDTTmigrationhastakenplace,plus
developmentofproposalsforbroadcastingspectrumfeeregulations),g)Supportforpublic
sectoroperatorstotransitiontonewmarketenvironments(nationalstudiesforSADC
MemberStateswhereneeded).3Regionalworkshopstoreviewtheoutputsoftheabove
activities.
4.DevelopmentofModelNationalPostalPolicyDevelopmentandRegionalHarmonisation,
includingstrategiesforcreatingregulatedpostalmarketsandautonomousoperators,
addressinginstitutional/culturalandproductivityissues,raisingtheprofileofthepostal
systeminnationalbudgetallocations,innationalICTstrategies,andinaccesstothe
UniversalServiceFunds.
5.UpdatingtheframeworkforSADCregionalhomeandawayroamingregulation.
110
ExpectedResults
AuniformpolicyandregulatoryenvironmentacrosstheRegionwhichencouragesthe
uptakeofICTs,actstransparently,ensuresalevelplayingfieldwheredisadvantaged
communitiesarenotisolatedfromtheICTrevolution.
Improvedsustainability/ROIoninfrastructureinvestmentsandsimplifiedadministrative
processesfordeployinginfrastructureleadingtoincreasedprivatesectorinvestmentinthe
sector.Lowercostofaccess/tariffsleadingtomorebroadbaseduptakeamonglowincome
groups.
Moresustainablehighcapacityinfrastructuredeployedinremoteareas.
OngoingRelatedActivitiesin EnablingpolicyandregulatoryenvironmentsupportisoneofthethreePIDAICTpriorities
SADC/TripartiteRegion
US$25misproposedforcontinentwidesupportforpolicyandregulatorydevelopment.
ITU/EUHIPSSAprojecthasalreadybeenactiveinpromotingharmonisedpoliciesand
guidelinesfortheICTmarketaswellasbuildinghumanandinstitutionalcapacityinSub
Sahara.HIPSSAsupportedproposalsfortherevisionTCMprotocolandthe
TelecommunicationPolicyGuidelines.
ThefollowingcomponentsareexistingSADCprojects:
Nationalbroadbandstrategiesdevelopment;
MonitoringandevaluationoftheSADCActionPlanforDigitalBroadcastingMigration;
FrameworkforSADCregionalroamingregulation;and
SADCFrequencyBandPlanDevelopmentofaRadioSpectrumChannellingPlan.
OngoingrevisionoftheSADCModelTelecombillandsomenationallegislationalsoincludes
someofelementstheprogramme.
TheestablishmentofIXPsisexpectedtobeachievedwithoutfurtherinterventiondueto
existinginitiativesandsupportforregionalforaforinternetprovidersthePIDAbudget
includesUSD$130millionforIXPsandtheAfricanUnionalsohasanexistingIXPsupport
projectnowbeingtenderedfor.
Botswanahascarriedoutstakeholderconsultationstoensureminimumprovisioningofthe
ICTinternalreticulationnetworkingforGovernmentandCommercialbuildings.This
confirmedthattheexistingBotswanaStandards(BOS)shouldbemandatoryandbegivena
higherprofileearlierintheplanningprocess.
SouthAfricahasa)IntroducedanAdministrativeIncentivePricing(AIP)schemeforradio
spectrum to introduce greater efficiency in the use of spectrum and ensure that fees only
covertheadministrativecostincurredtoregulatespectrum,andb)Ascheduleforperiodic
reviewofmarkets;Regulationsformonitoringandinvestigatinganticompetitivebehaviour;
Significantmarketpowerdeterminations;Procompetitivelicenceconditions;Methodology
todetermineeffectivenessofcompetition;andMethodologytodefineandidentifymarkets
TheUSgovernmentisgivingtechnicalassistancetoKenyaindevelopingstrategiesfor
broadbanddeploymentanduniversalaccess,includingmanagementofUniversalService
Fund.
TheCOMESASecretariatisdevelopingaconceptpaperonaplannedstudyonthereadiness
ofMemberStatestomigrateanddeployNextGenerationNetworkandbroadband
connectivity,andtodeveloparoadmapandenablingpolicyoptionsforthesame.
COMESAandEAChaveestablishedregionalcompetitionauthorities.
TheEuropeanCommissionhaspublishedaguideforlocalandnationalgovernmentssetting
outgoodpracticeinplanningbroadbandinvestmentsthatcombinepublicandprivate
investment.
TheSouthAfricanGovernmentisconductinganICTpolicyreviewanddevelopingawhite
paperonanintegratedICTpolicy,andplanstoensure100%broadbandpenetrationby
2020,andhasbegunaTVwhitespaceforabroadbandpilotprojectintheWesternCape.
111
DescriptionofNationalPlan MemberStateMinistriesofICTs,NRAsandcompetitionboardsareresponsiblefor
totheproject
implementingrecommendationsandregulations,facilitatingconsultationsandhosting
workshops.Toplevelcommitmenttosectorreformandrapidpolicychangetoaddressthe
chiefbottlenecks.
Status
Projectelementstobeapproved.
Nextsteps
Approvalofproject,promotionforfinancing,esp.toPIDA.
BusinessModel
Mainprojectcostisinhumanresourcesforstudies,capacitybuildingandregional
workshops.Itisbasedongrantfundingwithnodirectrevenuegeneration,although
governmentexpenditurewillultimatelyresultinincreasedtaxreturnsalongwithmany
otherintangiblebenefitstosociety.
Mainpartiesinplace
SADC,CRASA,MinistriesofICTs,NRAs,competitionboardsinsomeSADCMemberStates,
ISPassociationsinsomeSADCMemberStates.
Mainpartiestobeprocured Studies/expertise,workshoporganising,facilitation.
Technical/OperationalNotes Therapidinitialassessmentisneededtoinstitutethewellknownurgentlyrequiredpolicy
changes,withlongertermassessmentofstatusofICTsectorreformsforidentificationofall
nationalpolicyconstraintsanddevelopmentofintegratednationalbroadbandstrategies,i.e.
removinglimitstothenumberofcommunicationlicencestoimprovecompetitivepressure
onprices,reducingthecostoflicensingandspeedingupthelicensingprocess.
ThenationalICTpolicyreviewswouldalsoincludeevaluationofprogresstoward
technology/serviceneutrallicensingregimes,experiencewithregulationswhichmitigate
thedominanceorsignificantmarketpower(SMP)ofoperators.Theconcludingelement
wouldbetoassessthedegreeofalignmentofICTpolicieswithgeneralnational
developmentpolicygoalsandcompetitivenessagendas.
Supportfordevelopmentofnationalbroadbandplans,goalsandregionalharmonisation
wouldalsocoverassessmentofopportunitiestousefiscalincentivestohelpaccelerate
broadbanddeployment.Fiscalsystemdecisionmakersneedinformationonthebenefitsof
reducingmultipletaxation,andspecialtaxationonICTservices(taxesatbothnationaland
locallevelswhichaddtothecostsfortheoperatororenduser,especiallythehighlevelsof
salesorvalueaddedtaxesoncommunicationservicesandequipment)andonopportunities
forusingtaxincentivestopromotetheuseordeploymentofICTs,especiallyforassistive
technologiesforpeoplewithspecialneeds.
Assummarisedabove,alsosupportedwouldbe:
a)Identificationofpriorityintersectoralsynergies,costsharingopportunitiesandpolicy
coherence(e.g.postal,schools,clinics,tourismandmeteorologicalnetworkconnectivity
needs,smartenergygrids)
b)Identificationofstrategiestoassiststateownedoperators(oftenchronicallyunder
resourcedcomparedtotheprivatemobileoperators)tomakethestrategicshiftsinorderto
adapttotheICTmarketinwhichvoiceisanincreasinglysmallpartofrevenues
c)Developmentofregionalguidelinesandregulationsrequiredtolimitthetariffsoften
requestedbytheownersforuseoftheirpublicinfrastructureassetssuchasthedarkfibreof
incumbentoperatorsandutilitynetworks(energy/transport),aswellaspassive
infrastructuresuchasducts,electricitypoles,pylons,raillinesetc.
d)Urgentupdatingoftheregionalspectrumallocationplanisrequiredtoaddressthecritical
needforefficientwirelessspectrummanagementtoensurewirelessbroadbandcanbefully
deployed.Currentlylackofaccesstothemostsuitablespectrumforwirelessinternetinthe
400MHz,800MHzand2600MHzbandsisamongstthemostseriousbottlenecksto
improvingaccess.StandardssuchasIEEE802.22enablethesharingofspectrumbetween
broadcasterswhohavealreadybeenallocatedthefrequencies,andnewcommercialuses,
especiallytoallowforpenetrationintoruralandremoteareas.Broadbandoperatorswould
notneedtofocussolelyonthe700800MHzbandbutcouldalsousetheotherwhitespace
frequenciestheunusedspectrumthatisbetweentheTVchannels.Thisspectrumisprime
forwirelessbroadbandservicesbecauseitcantravellongdistancesandpenetratewalls(8
10Mbps@upto10kms).Thestudytoassessthefeasibilityofthisapproachintheregion
couldbecombinedwithdevelopmentofproposalsforbroadcastingspectrumfee
regulations.
112
Projectdocumentation
available
Interventionforwhich
Financingisrequired
e)Aregionalcapacitytradingplatformisneededtoimprovetransparencyinthemarketto
makeitmoreefficientandhelptodrivedownprices.CouldbemodelledontheSAPPEnergy
internetbasedtradingmarket(http://www.sappmarket.com).Aregionalcapacitytrading
marketcouldfunctionwellinconjunctionwithlocalcarrierneutraldatacentresandIXPs.
PostalPolicyharmonisationneeds:1)Smooththedifferencesinthetreatmentofmail
originatingfromindustrialisedcountries,2)ReducethedisparitieswithintheRegioninmail
pricing,and3)AssessprogressinupdatingofNationalUniversalServiceFundstoinclude
PostalServices.UpdatingofNationalUniversalServiceFundstoincludePostalServicesis
vitaltoensurethatthecostlyoutlyingremoteandisolatedareashavefunctionalpostal
systems.
SADChasagreedon2013asthegoalforDTTmigrationandmostMemberStatesneed
furtherassistanceinbeingabletomeetthedeadline.Toexploitthebenefitsofdigital
televisionalsorequiresaddressingissuesrelatingtocontentdevelopment,especiallylocal
andindigenouscontent,andasanegovernmentplatform.DTTmigrationisalsolinkedto
assessmentofpotentialforUniversalService/AccessFundstosupportDTTsettopbox
acquisition.Interimmeasuresmayalsoberequiredtoensureunusedbroadcasting
frequenciesandwhitespaceforwirelessbroadbandismadeavailableuntilDTTmigration
takesplace(seeabove).
SADCregionalroamingregulationaimstoreducecostofroamingfortheconsumer.
Integrationofalloftheabovewouldbeexpectedtoleadtotheformulationoflongterm
NationalInformationandCommunicationInfrastructure(NICI)plans,asoutlinedinthee
SADCstrategy.
SADCRoadmapforDigitalBroadcastingMigration,PlanofAction.
RIAreportsonroaming.
EUAfricanUnionIXPsupportprojectplan.
Guidelinesandregulationsdevelopment,feasibilityassessments,supporttonational
regulators,regionalworkshops
RevenuesforRepaymentof Nodirectrevenues,grantfundingexpected,ongoingactivitieswouldmainlybepartofNRA
Financing
responsibilitiessupportedbyMemberStates.
EstimatedTotalCost
US$2,006,950
Financeunsecured
FinancierRemark
US$2,006,950
113
TitleofProject2
ProjectSponsors
MonitoringProgresstowardDigitalSADC2027
SADCI&SDirectorate,Policy,Planning,ResourceMobilisationandStatistics,CRASA,National
Regulators,NSOs
Corridor
N/A
Objectives
AllMemberStates
TosupporttheprogressofMemberStatesinachievingtheDigitalSADC2027goalsby
ensuringtheavailabilityofuptodateinformationonlevelsofICTuseineachcountryandas
aregion,inordertosupportstrategicdecisionmakingandmeasureprogresstowardthe
2027goals.
EnsurethequarterlypublicationofNationalandRegionalICTprogressindicators.Three
phasestotheproject:
a)Identifytheindicatorstobemeasuredinitialstudyandregionalworkshop
b)Ensureregulatorscanobtainthedatafromoperatorsandotherstakeholders,and
performtherequiredanalysisonthedataregionalworkshopondatagathering
procedures,capacitybuildingfordatapresentationandstatisticalanalysis.
c)Pilotgatheringandpublicationfor2years,supportforICTobservatory,reviewworkshop
SADCSecretariatandMemberstateshaveuptodateinformationonuptakeofICTs.
Strategicdecisionmakers,government,publicsectoragencies,privatesector,NGOsand
consumergroupshavebetterinformationonwhichtobasetheirdecisionsandcampaigns.
ProjectDescription
ExpectedResults
OngoingRelatedactivitiesin 1999SADCSummit:Ensuretimelyandresponsiveregionalinformationanddatagathering,
developamechanismtomonitortherelativeprogressofmemberstatesinachieving
informationsocietygoals.
eSADCaddressesharmonisationofindicatorsandaimstoestablishamethodologyfordata
collectionandanalysis.SADCSecretariathasbegundevelopmentofICTstatisticsdatabase.
SomeinitialworkhasbeendoneondatagatheringinsomeCOMESAcountriesunderthe
RegionalICTSupportProgramme(RICTSP),andaroadmapwasagreed:a)Addresskey
challengesinereadinessassessment,benchmarkingandinformationsocietymeasurement
rangingfromlackofadequateskillstolimitedcoordinationbetweenstakeholdersat
nationalandregionallevels;b)Strengthennationalinitiativestocollect,organize,shareand
manageICTdata;c)Buildthecapacitiesofthememberstatesindataanalysis,researchand
disseminationofresults;d)Promoteregionalcooperationandcoordinationinereadiness
assessmentandinformationsocietymeasurement;e)Harmonizeandcoordinatewith
similarregionalandinternationalinitiatives;andf)Sustainereadinessassessment,
benchmarkingandinformationsocietymeasurementtakingintoaccounttherapid
advancementinICTs.
DescriptionofNationalplan Memberstateregulatorsandnationalstatisticalofficestakeprimaryresponsibilityfor
totheproject
consolidatingandpublishingthedatasubmittedbyoperatorsandotherstakeholderswho
wouldbelegallyrequiredtosubmitdataquarterly,andtheregulatorsneedtohavethe
capacitytochallengetheoperatorsifthedataisnotsuppliedontime,incorrectlyetc,andto
analyseandpresentthedatainformatsthatarereadilyunderstandabletothepublic,and
comparablebetweenSADCMemberStates.
Status
Projecttobeapproved
Nextsteps
Approvalofproject,Promotionforfinancing.
BusinessModel
Costsaremainlyinmeetings,humanresourcedevelopmentandtrainingtoestablish
agreementonthesetofnationalindicators,andinimplementingthedatagatheringand
publicationproceduresatnationallevel.Parttimenationalregulatorstaffpersoneach
quarterneededforconsolidatingthestatistics,loadingthemonthenationalwebsite,
submittingtoSADCandwritingashort12pagebriefingonthenotablechangestothe
previousquarter.Anannualbriefingwouldalsobeprepared.
Ongoingcostswouldnormallybefinancedoutofnationalregulatorbudgetsand
consolidationatregionallevelbytheregionalregulator.
SADCI&S,CRASA,NRAs,NSOs,otherpublicutilityregulators
Mainpartiesinplace
Mainpartiestobeprocured Studies,workshoporganising,facilitation,translation
Technical/OperationalNotes AnationalICTereadinessscorecardwouldbedevelopedattheinitialregionalworkshopto
114
available
Financingisrequired
assesslevelsofprogressandidentifyneeds.Thefocuswouldbeidentifyingasmallsetof
easytomeasure,uptodateandobjectiveindicators.Examplesoffactorsmeasuredcould
include:a)Numberoftechnologyandserviceneutrallicensesb)presenceofNumber
Portability,c)numberoflocalDIDnumbers(VoIP/PSTNgateways),d)IXPtrafficand
membership,e)numberofBGPPeers,localDNSandIPaddresses(especiallyIPv6),f)length
ofandlocationsofphysicalfibreroutes,nationallyandtoneighbouringcountries,g)
networkcoverage,h)typesofaccessdevicesinuse,i)tariffs:Interconnection,Call
termination,Wholesale&retailbroadbandcapacityprice,letter/parcelpricej)postaltraffic
andbranchpenetration,j)availabilityanduseofcontentandeapplications,k)public
investmentsinICTeducation,research&development
Thisdatawouldbeanalysed,graphicallypresentedandthenconsolidatedatregionallevel
byCRASA/SADCandwouldincludeaGIS/onlinedatabaseofnationalandregionalfibre
infrastructureandutilityinfrastructurethatcouldbeusedforfibrelinksrail,electricity,
pipelines,roads.
SomecapacitybuildingofregulatorsmaybeneededforGISsystemsoperationanddata
presentationandstatisticalanalysis(suchasSTimeseries/distancegapanalysis).Selection
andanalysisoftariffdatawillrequireparticularattention,andwilllikelyneedtousea
basketofservices,andpresentthedatarelativetopurchasingpower.
EstablishmentofICTobservatorydetailsTBD
ESADCStrategy,COMESARICTSP
Studiesandworkshops/trainingsessions.
RevenuesforRepaymentof Noneplanned(grantfinancingexpected)
Financing
EstimatedTotalCost
US$330,500
Financeunsecured/
FinancierRemark
US$330,500
115
TitleofProject3
ProjectSponsors
SADCSecretariatI&SDirectorate,CRASA
Corridor
N/A
Objectives
AllMemberStates
TohelpensurethatMemberStateandregionalcommunicationnetworksaresecureand
reliable,anddonotposeunduethreatstotheirusersanddonotlimitusethroughlackof
confidence,presenceofthreatsorpotentialserviceinterruptions
Ensureinstitutionalcapacityatanationalandregionallevelisinplacetorespondto
networkthreats.
Adoptionofcablelayingstandardstomaximisethereliabilityofanynewlydeployedoptic
fibreinfrastructure.
HelptoestablishmultistakeholderComputerEmergencyResponseTeams(CERTs)ineach
MemberStateandRegionally.
CapacitybuildingfortimelyswitchoverfromIPv4toIPv6incivilservicenetworksinorder
torespondtotheexhaustionoftheIPv4addressspace.
Developmentofstandardsandmodelnationalguidelinesandregulationsforcablelaying
(mandatorytrenchdepth,cableringtopologiesetc).Alsotobeincludedwouldbe
identificationofstrategiesforensuringinfrastructuresecurityagainstthreatssuchastheft,
vandalismandaccidentaldamage,includingdevelopinglegalpenaltiesforvandalismand
lackofduecare,andmandatoryreciprocalaccesstootheroperatorinfrastructure.
Harmonizecybersecurityregulationsandframeworks(ongoing)
Implementationandharmonisationofpostalsecuritystandardsinordertorespondto
cybercrime,terrorism,drugtrafficking,andmoneylaundering.Capacitybuildingofpostal
operatorstoapplyappropriatesecuritymeasures
Business,government,civilsocietyandtheconsumerbenefitfrombeingabletoplace
increasedrelianceonelectronicandpostalcommunications.
ProjectDescription
ExpectedResults
OngoingRelatedactivitiesin Harmonisationofcybersecurityregulationsandframeworksandtrainingworkshopsfor
establishmentofCERTsisalreadyongoingthroughtheHIPSSAproject.
Botswana,Mauritius,SouthAfricaandZambiaalreadyhavecybersecuritylegislation.
SomeSADCMemberStateshavealreadyimplementedCERTs.AspartofanEACOinitiative,
TanzaniaisplanningtosetupaCERTwiththeassistanceofITU.
GlobalandregionalCybercrimeTreatybeingdiscussedtoensurecybercriminalscannotact
acrossborderscompliancewiththeEUCybercrimeTreaty(Budapest,2001)proposed,
SouthAfricahasalreadybecomeasignatory.
RwandaMinistryofICTandRwandaUtilitiesRegulatoryAgency(RURA),haveputinplace
measureswhereoperatorsarerequiredtotapavailablebandwidthofotheroperatorsata
prenegotiatedpricetoensurereliabilityofinfrastructure.
AfriNIChaslauncheditsAfricanIPv6TaskForcetosettheofficialroadmapofIPv6
deploymentonthecontinent.
Descriptionofnationalplan Memberstatesareresponsibleforimplementationofcablelayingstandards,security
totheproject
legislationandsupportforoperationofCERTsandpostalsecuritysystems,including24hr
responsecentres.
Status
Projecttobeapproved.
Nextsteps
Businessmodel
116
Nodirectrevenues,grantfundingtobesought.Mainimplementationcostisatnational
level,inhumanresourcedevelopmentforestablishingCERTs,traininginIPv6transition.
Mainpartiesinplace
SADCI&SDirectorate,nationalsecurityagencies,bureauofstandards,AfriNIC.
Mainpartiestobeprocured Studies,workshoporganising,facilitation,translation.
Technical/OperationalNotes 24hourcontactcentreforCERTsrequired.RegionalCERTfunctionscouldbehostedata
NationalCERT,especiallytosupportcountrieswithoutCERTsinitially.Developmentofmodel
regulationsfornationalCERTsandcreationofanAssociationofNationalCERTs.
CablelayingguidelinestoincludeclarificationofproceduresforEnvironmentalImpact
Assessment(EIA).
AimtobuildapoolofregionalexpertiseforIPv6migration.IPv6isnolongeroptionalandis
becomingcriticalforcontinuednetworksustainability.
HIPPSAreportsoncybersecurityandCERTs.
available
Studiesandworkshops.
Financingisrequired
RevenuesforRepaymentof None(grantfinancingexpected).
Financing
EstimatedTotalCost
US$871,750
Financeunsecured
FinancierRemark
US$871,750
117
TitleofProject4
ProjectSponsors
Corridor
Objectives
ConsolidationofRegionalCommunicationsInfrastructure
SATA,SADC,MemberStates,regional/crossborderoperators
All
AllMemberStates
Ensurethattheregionisfullyinterconnectednationally,regionallyandgloballythrough
reliableandaffordablehighcapacityfibreopticlinks.Thiswouldfirstcompletethe
remainingSADCcrossborderinfrastructuregaps,whichwouldfulfiltheConnectAfricaand
AUgoalsforeachcountrytobeconnectedtoitsneighbour.ThenensureeachMemberState
capitalcityislinkedtoallofitsMemberStateneighboursviaatleasttworoutes,andtoat
leasttwocablelandingstationsofdifferentcrosscontinentalsubmarinenetworks.
EnsuretheregionisconnectedtoitsneighbouringregionsEAC/COMESA/ECCAS,and
therebytotherestofAfrica(i.e.initiallyviaAngolaandTanzaniatothecountriestothe
north,andthenalsoviaDRC).Theselinksalsoprovideaccesstoadditionalsubmarinecable
systems,suchasTEAMSandLIONwhichlandinMombasa,andcouldbereachedvialinksto
Tanzania.
EnsureDTTMigrationforallSADCMemberStates.
Ensureaffordablesatellitebasedconnectivitysolutionsareinplaceforremoteareasoutside
theneartermreachoffibreinfrastructure.
EnsurethatthewholeSADCRegionhasafullyintegrated,redundant,selfhealing,resilient
corebroadbandinfrastructurereachingeventheruralorunderservedareas.
ProjectDescription
1.Completemissingcrossborderfibrebackbones:afewInternationallinksandtheSADC
Otherregioncrossborderfibrelinks,e.g.DRCBurundi,AngolaROC.
2.IdentifyneedsforadditionalcrossborderlinksbetweenSADCMemberStateswhere
thereisonlyonesuchlinkcurrently,andidentifyopportunitiesforusingCorridor
developmentstoestablishnewlowcostfibrelinks.
3.SupportDTTMigrationinSADCMemberStateswhereneeded.
4.SupportfordevelopmentofregionalIXP
5.AssessneedsandfeasibilityforbulkpurchaseofcapacityonasharedregionalVSAT
networkforconnectingremoteresearchcentres,schools,meteorologystations,wildlife
conservationposts,borderpostsandpostalbranches.
6.Buildpervasiveregionalandnationalintegratedbroadbandinfrastructuresthat
complementeachotherandalsocovertheruralpartsofMemberStates.Thiswould
supportrapidandreliableinterconnectionbetweennationaloperators/newentrantsand
deploymentofbroadbandservicestoevenisolatedareas.Itsupportsthedeploymentof
sectorspecificnetworkssuchasconnectivityforallfinancialinstitutions,egovernment:
backboneconnectivityforallGovernmentOffices(eGovernmentNetwork),andthe
establishmentofLocalGovernmentsites(pointofpresence)ineachadministrationregion
countrywideineachSADCMemberState.ItalsofacilitatesrapidcrossborderPointof
Interconnection(POI)withvirtuallandingstationsofthesubmarinecables.
ExpectedResults
Improvednational,regionalandglobalintegrationandacceleratedeconomicandsocial
developmentsupportedbypervasiveaffordablehighspeedconnectivity.Presenceof
competitiveroutesfordirecttrafficexchangebetweenSADCMemberStatesandelimination
oftheneedtorelyonexpensivesubmarinefibrecapacity.Presenceofbackuproutesto
neighbouringcountrysubmarinelandingstations.Provisionofreliableandpervasive
broadbandcapacitytothewholeSADCregion.Thisaddressessimultaneouslyregional
interconnectionswithmultipleroutesandaccessibilitytoallpartsofSADCinaholistic
manner.Migrationofanaloguetodigitalbroadcasting.
Ongoingrelatedactivitiesin SATAreportsthatsomeofthelinkslistedabovearealreadyinprogressaspartoftheSRII
project.
118
Anumberofindependentprivatesectoroperatorsarealsointerestedinestablishingsome
links.
TerrestrialinfrastructurelinksareoneofthethreePIDAICTprioritieshasbudgeted
US$320mforcontinentwidesupporttoensureeachcountryisinterconnectedbyatleast
twolinksandtoensureaccesstosubmarinecableforalllandlockedSADCMemberStates.
PIDAalsoproposes'SmartCorridor'projectstoincludefibreintransportinitiatives.
Inmid2011theTripartiteTaskForcehadplannedtoreleasethedraftTermsofReferencefor
ICTinitiativesaspartoftheNorthSouthCorridor(NSC)projectandaconsultancyservice
wouldbefundedfromtheNSCprojectfunds.
LinkstootherregionalnetworksprovidedbyAngola,DRCandTanzania(EACBIN,ECCAS
regionalbackboneprojects).
DTTmigrationtakingplaceinanumberofMemberStates
SomeSADCMemberStateshaveabroadbandstrategybutitislimitedtotheirrespective
nationalagenda.Thereisaneedtodefinewhatisrequiredasaregionandthenbuildit
fromthebottomupwardstogetherfromanationalstrategy,byeachMemberStateplaying
akeyrole.
DescriptionofNationalplan Neighbouringmemberstatesworkwithoperatorsoneachsideofthebordertoidentify
totheproject
financingrequirementsandmodalities.Holdmultistakeholderworkshopstoassessthe
needsandchallengesforcrossborderfibreprojects.
IdentifyneedsforDTTmigrationsupport.
Governmenttoconsolidatetheneedsofthedifferentsectors/projectsforremote
connectivitytobuildeconomiesofscaleforregionalsatellitenetwork.
Status
Projecttobeapproved.
Nextsteps
BusinessModel
Approvalofproject,promotionforfinancing,especiallytoPIDA
Mainprojectcoststobecoveredbyoperatorsrequiringuseoftheinfrastructure,marginal
routescouldbecoveredbyPPP.Canbesaleofopenaccessconduitorfibre.Onacapacityor
anIRUbasis.IRUisusuallyagoodmethodtoraisecapitalthroughoperatorcapexbudgets.
Fundsrequiredforneedsassessmentforadditionalroutes
Assumingnoplansandnoexistingfundingmadeavailablefortheabovelinks,costfor
greenfielddeploymentwouldbeapproximatelyUSD$75million@US$15k/km.Cost
components:Initialassessment,EIA,tendering,permitting,trenching,layingofductsalong
roadsandunder/alongbridges,betweenpylons,interconnectionequipment.
InitialcostassessmentforaSeychellesMaldiveslinkisaboutUS$50mlinkcanprovidean
alternateregionaltrafficroutetoAsia
Optionsforfinancingare;a)eachcountryappliesforfinancingtobuildtheirownlink,
leveragingcommercialbanksanddevelopmentagencies,b)vendorsproposefinancing
solutions,c)consolidategroupsoflinksandprocurecollectively.
Satelliteconnectivityfinancedbyusagewithsmallinitialcostforequipment/setup.
IntegratedBroadbandinfrastructurecostdeploymentmaybecoveredbyoperators
themselvesorpossiblybyaregionalornationalSpecialPurposeVehicleconsistingof
stakeholderssuchasSADCoperators,government,utilitiescompanies,andfinancial
institutionsetc.
Mainpartiesinplace
SATA,MinistriesofICTsandBroadcasting,SATA,CorridorAuthorities,existingandnew
operators.
Mainpartiestobeprocured Studies,neighbouringcountryworkshoporganising.Partialpublicfinancingforsomeroutes,
privateoperators.
119
Technical/OperationalNotes Phase1wouldbeimplementationofthefewremainingcrossborderlinkstoconnectwith
thenationalinfrastructuresofneighbouringSADCMemberStates,toaddressspecialneeds
oflandlockedSADCMemberStates,andforthekeyunimplementedinternationallinksthat
wouldplayanimportantroleinconnectingSADC'sregionalinfrastructuretoits
neighbouringregions(SADCEAC/COMESA,andSADCECCAS).Listofthesekey
unimplementedlinks,statustobeconfirmedbySATA:
1.AngolaDRC
(LuandaKinshasa)
2.AngolaZambia
(LuandaLusaka)
3.AngolaROC
(LuandaBrazzaville)
4.DRCBurundi/Rwanda
(KinshasaKigali/Bujumbura)
5.DRCCAR
(KinshasaBangui)CrossREClink
6.DRCROC
(KinshashaBrazzaville)CrossREClinkonly13kms
7.DRCTanzania
(KinshasaDaresSalaam)
8.MozambiqueTanzania (MaputoDaresSalaam)Tanzaniaalreadyatborder
9.MozambiqueZambia
(MaputoLusaka)
nd
10.Seychelles
2 submarinelink
SeeLinksTable&MatrixinAnnexureforfurtherdetails.Estimatedlinkscost5,000km@
US$15K/km,plusUS$50millionforsubmarinelink.
FeasibilitystudyrequiredforadditionalcrossborderlinksbetweenSADCMemberStates
wherethereisonlyonesuchlinkandlongtermplanningforfibrecablerenewal.Thiswould
include:a)IdentificationofneedsforupgradingexistinglinkstoDWDM(andidentification
oflinkswherethisisnotpossible),andb)Identificationofopportunitiesandmodalitiesfor
usingCorridordevelopmentprojectstoestablishnewlowcostfibrelinkstoreducecostsof
crossborderfibrelinksassessmentofthepotentialforpassivetransboundarysmart
corridors).Insynergywithothersectors,thesewouldbeestablishedincombinationwith
roadorpowertransmissionlinesonexistingcorridorprojects.Thesmartcorridorswould
consistofopticalcablesfortransboundaryandnationaltraffic,emptyductsforfuture
deploymentofcablesbyothersand"Sharedfacilities"forhostingintermediatepointsof
interconnectionalongtheroute.Withthenominalusefullifeofopticfibrecableof25
years,allthelinksthatareinoperationnowwillhavetobereplacedby2035.Theageofall
theregionallinksneedstobeascertained,althoughasignificantportionoftheexistingfibre
infrastructureisalreadyovertenyearsold,notablybetweenSouthAfricaanditsneighbours.
Twophasesoffibreopticcablereplacementsarelikelytobeneeded:atabout2025,and
around2035.Butitisalsolikelythatadditionalfibrewillbelaidalongmostoftheseroutes
bycompetingregionalproviders,makingreplacementunnecessary.
available
Financingisrequired
120
NewproposedlinkswillneedEnvironmentalImpactAssessments(EIAs),especiallyfor
crossinganywaterbodiesorareasofenvironmentalsensitivity.
Mediumlevelcapacityroutesmayonlyneed1224corecablebutshouldallowspacein
conduitformorecableslaterifneeded.
LowcostDTTsettopboxproductionstrategyneedstobeinplace.
Assessfeasibilityforimplementingasharedregionalsatellitenetworktoreduceconnectivity
costsandensureavailabilityoflinksforremotepublicadministrationofficesoutsidethe
shorttomediumtermreachoffibreopticandterrestrialmicrowaveinfrastructure.This
coulddrawonexperiencefromthePanAfricaneNetworkproject.WouldcompareO3B
optionvstraditionalgeostationarysatellitevsinclinedorbitsatellite,andidentifyoptimal
locationforsharedgroundstationhub.
SomeSADCMemberStatesarerelativelylargeandnewtechnologiesshouldbeusedor
developedtoensurethatallinhabitedareasarecovered.
SATAMissingLinksFeasibilityStudyFinalReport
SADCSATAICTInfrastructureReport2010
PIDAICTInfrastructureReports,NEPADeSchoolsreport
Studies,fibreoptic/satelliteinfrastructuredeployment,DTTmigration
RevenuesforRepaymentof TBDfromoperatorsinterestedinpurchasingcapacityonthelinks,thelinkshavediffering
Financing
levelsofprofitabilitybasedontheamountofbuildrequired,thetrafficdemandforeach
countryandtheroutingoftrafficacrosstheregion.
Choiceofcomplementarybroadbandtechnologiesmayalsobeanimportantfactorin
determiningfavourablefinancialreturns.
EstimatedTotalCost
US$21,139.007million
Financeunsecured
FinancierRemark
US$21,139.007million
Costforgreenfielddeployment,assumingnoplansandnoexistingfundingmadeavailable
fortheabovelinks.Mostofthefundstobeprovidedbyprivatesector.
121
TitleofProject5
ProjectSponsors
ICTCapacityBuilding&Content
Corridor
SADCSecretariat,I&SDirectorate,DirectorateofSocialandHumanDevelopmentand
SpecialProgrammes,NationalMinistriesofEducation,MinistriesofICTs,National
Broadcasters
N/A
AllMemberStates
Objectives
TomaximisehumancapacityintheregiontobeabletotakeadvantageofICTsthrough
trainingandawarenessraisingactivitieswhichareconductedattheregionalleveltotake
advantageofincreasedefficienciesandcostsharingbetweenMemberStates.Tobuilda
criticalmassofonlinecontentwhichcanbedeliveredtoaswideanaudienceaspossiblevia
thefullrangeofaccessmethodstelevision,radio,desktops/tabletPCs,andmobile
handsets.
ProjectDescription
Arangeofregionalhumanresourcedevelopmentinterventionstosupportimproveduseof
ICTs:
1.Regionalworkshopforgovernmentdevelopmentpractitioners,NGOsandconsumer
groupstoraiseawarenessofpotentialforICTsupporteddevelopmentandgovernance
innovations,forthepublicgenerally,andalsofordisadvantagedgroups(youth,women,
poor).
2.Establishmentofnationalcallcentrestohelpcitizenswithuseofeservicesandaccessto
governmentinformationonline,identifyingserviceofferingrefinementsandneweservices
needsrequiredtobedeveloped.Studyforreferencedesignofworkshopsandcallcentre
activities.NationalsupportinSADCMemberStateswhereneeded.
3.PromoteharmonisedinformationliteracythroughadoptionofregionalICTtraining
standardsandcertification.
4.BuildICTknowledgecapacityforNRAs,NationalbroadcastersandCERTs.
5.Establishregionalrepositoriesandcontentgenerationhubsformultimedialearningand
culturalheritagematerialsaccessibleviathewebandforbroadcast.
6.Developmentofregionalaccreditationsystemandsupportfornationalandregional
centresofexcellence(CoEs)inICTsandpostalsystems.
ExpectedResults
PolicymakersandprofessionalsarebetterabletoexploitthepotentialofICTstosupport
socioeconomicdevelopment.NRAsbetteridentifyissuesandenforceregulations,
broadcastersbetterabletorespondtothechallengesoftechnologyconvergenceandCERTs
abletoreactquicklytoincidentsandminimisetheirimpact.Commoninformationliteracy
certificationofemployeesisuniformlyrecognisedacrosstheregion.
OngoingRelatedActivitiesin SATAhasanexistingprojectfundedbyNorwaytoaccredit/certifyCoEsin
Telecommunications,andcentresinfourSADCMemberStatesarenowaccredited.
ARICEAhasproposedsupportforconsumerprotectionassociations.
ARICEAaimstobecomeaninformationhubonICTregulatoryandpolicyissuesandICT
sectordevelopmentintheCOMESAregion.
DescriptionofNationalPlan Memberstates'MinistriesofICTs,MinistriesofEducation,NRAs,nationalbroadcasters,
totheproject
othermassmedia,trainingandresearchorganisationsareallstakeholdersintheproject.
Status
Projecttobeapproved
Nextsteps
Approvalofproject,promotionforfinancing.
BusinessModel
Mainprojectcostisinhumanresourcesdevelopmentandawarenessraisingactivities.
Potentialtoleverageprivatesectorresourcesincombinationwithgrantfunding.
Mainpartiesinplace
SADC,MinistriesofICTs,MinistriesofEducation,NRAs,NationalBroadcasters,someCERTs,
someemergingCoEs
Mainpartiestobeprocured Capacitybuildingfacilities,consultancy,trainers/facilitatorsandmaterials,project
management
122
Technical/OperationalNotes Forsustainedimpact,training&awarenessraisingistargetedatregionallevel(proliferation
ofnationalprojectsputsstrainontightcountryresourcesandlosesopportunitiesfor
collaboration).Economiesofscaleattheregionallevelwillhelpleveragecofinancingfrom
theprivatesector.Regionalactivitieswillalsofacilitatejointimplementationofprojects,
ensurecontinuityandincreaseefficiencyinprojectimplementation.
Awarenessraisingandtrainingworkshopswouldaimtoensurethepublic,especiallythe
youth,womenandotherdisadvantaged,arefamiliarwiththeuseofavailabledigital
services,aswellastheirwealthcreationandemploymentpotential.Briefingpaperwould
includediscussionofroleofconsumerprotectionassociationstoincorporateICTsintheir
remit,inparticulartoinformthepublicaboutcompetitiveICTserviceofferingstobring
moretransparencytothemarket(e.g.publishpricecomparisonsandprovideconsumers
withknowledgeofonlinetoolstomeasurewhatlevelsofbroadbandservicetheyare
actuallyreceiving).
Promotionofinformationliteracy.CurrentlytherearenostatutoryframeworksforIT
professionalStandardsandCertificationandeffortshavetorelyonvoluntaryuptake.Model
nationalICTliteracytrainingsyllabusdevelopment&ICTtrainingstandards,certificationand
harmonisationstrategydevelopmentstudy.
CapacitybuildingofNRAs,nationalbroadcastersandCERTstoensuretheyareawareofthe
latestICTtechnologyandindustrytrends,andthatNRAshavesufficientcapacityto
implementandenforceregulations.Thiswouldincludeidentificationofrolesand
proceduresfora)DisputeresolutionroleofNRAs,nationalcompetition
boards/commissions,thecourts(ensurethatregulatorsaresufficientlysupportedbygeneral
CompetitionLawanditsrelatedinstitutions(Commissions,Tribunalsetc),aswellasmulti
stakeholderconsultationprocesses,b)Crossbordercybersecuritythreatresolution
procedures,andc)eNationalsecurity(e.g.InterceptionofCommunicationLaws).
Establishmentofregionalrepositoriesofonline/distancelearningrequiresgathering,online
publicationandbroadcastingofteachingandtrainingmaterialsintherelevantlanguages
(English,FrenchandPortuguese).Activitieswouldinclude:identificationofcontent
providers,potentialcontentgenerationhubs,contentgatheringandhostingentities
(includingopportunitiesforcollaborationwithhighereducationandresearchsectortouse
OpenContentDistributionNetworkstointegratecloudandcontentservicesintoaseamless
service);identificationofgapsinavailablecontent;opportunitiesforbulkpurchasingof
content;intellectualpropertyissues;potentialforsharingcostswithotherregions;and
requirementsforsupportingmoreformaldistancelearningandexistingnationalcurricula.
Establishmentofnationalandregionalcentresofexcellencewouldberelatedtothekey
priorities/goalsforachievingtheeSADCgoals,andcouldtakeaphasedapproach,e.g.DTT
trainingcentreforbasiccourses,andthenlaterdevelopinnovationhub.Studyand
workshopandregionalaccreditationprocedurefortheCoEs.Internationalpartnerssuchas
UNESCOcouldassistwiththeestablishmentofCoEs.CoEscouldhelpwithICTinfrastructure
projectpreparationandmanagement.
eSADCStrategy
available
Financingisrequired
Institutionalsupport,training&facilitationservices,consultancies
RevenuesforRepaymentof Nodirectrevenues,costsavingsthroughimprovedstrategicdecisionmaking,indirect
Financing
revenuesthroughimprovedjobmobilityandearningpowerofgraduatesfromtraining
programmes.Grantfundingexpected.
EstimatedTotalCost
US$5,289,350
Financeunsecured
US$5,289,350
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FinancierRemark
TitleofProject6
ProjectSponsors
RegionaleServicesandApplicationsDevelopment
SADCSecretariat,SADCI&S,SADCTradeIndustryFinance&Investment,MinistriesofHome
Affairs,Health,Education,Transport,TradeandAgriculture,SADCRegionalChamberof
Commerce(ASCCI)
Corridor
N/A
AllMemberStates
Objectives
Improveefficiencyofpublicservicedeliveryandecommerce.
Facilitateadministrationofregionalflowsofpeople,goodsandservices.
Provideopenaccesstopublicdata.
ProjectDescription
1.ProvidesupportfordevelopmentofeGovernmentservicesandapplicationsaimedat
creatingbetterservicedelivery,internalefficienciesandsignificantcostsavings,using
opportunitiesforlocaloutsourcingandidentifyingopportunitiesforsharingcostsregionally
forapplicationsdevelopment,bulkpurchasingofcapacityandICTequipment.
2.Developmodelnationalecommerceandemarketplacestrategies,including
implementationofepaymentsystems.
3.DevelopgovernmentOpenDatapoliciesandmanagementsystemsforprovisionofpublic
dataandrelatedspatialdatamappingfacilities.
4.DevelopreferencemodelforGPSand3GWifigatewaysonpublicvehiclestomonitor
movementofpublictransportforintelligenttransportsystemstrafficmanagement
planningandprovidingconnectivityforpassengers.
5.Establishacommoncrossbordertrafficadministrationplatformforallborderpostsinthe
region.
6.Formulateamodelsoftwareplatformforgeneralsharingofsoftwaredevelopmentcosts
acrosstheregion.Identifyshortmediumtermopportunitiestoportsimilargovernment
servicesonline.
ExpectedResults
Governmenteservicesreducecostsforgovernment,businessandthepublic,increased
transparency,efficiencyandqualityofservice.Reducedgovernmentexpendituresonservice
delivery,morerapidservicedelivery.Governmentdatamadeavailabletothepublichelpsto
findsolutionstochallengesineducation,healthandothersectors,alongwithmore
transparentgovernance.OpenDataresultsinneweconomicactivitiesandwealthcreation
spinoffs.Improvelanddelivery,tenuresecurityandcurbcorruption.Increasedopportunities
forSMEstomarketgoodsandserviceslocally,regionallyandglobally.Improvedefficiencyof
publictransportsystemsandabilitytoteleworkwhiletravelling.
OngoingRelatedActivitiesin SouthAfricanDepartmentofTradeandIndustrysRegionalSpatialDevelopmentInitiative
(RSDI)willsoonprovidefreeonlinemaps(ofareaswhereinvestmentisrequired)tohelp
attractinvestorstoSouthernAfrica.
SomeMemberStatesusingICTforlandmanagementandsomehavealreadyestablished
informationsystemsforbordercontrol.EcommerceReadinessStudyandStrategicAction
Plantakingplace.
ASCCIvalidationworkshopMarch2012tosetuporganisationinGaborone.
TheICTStrategicPlanningProjectinSADCParliamentsisbeingjointlyimplementedbythe
UnitedNationsDepartmentofEconomicandSocialAffairs(UNDESA),throughtheGlobal
CentreofICTinParliaments,andtheSADCParliamentaryForum.
SouthAfricahasjoinedtheglobalOpenGovernmentPartnership(OGP),whileTanzaniais
developingitscommitmentstotheOGP.
Atotalof22onestopborderposts(OSBPs)areplannedforSADCregion.
DescriptionofNationalPlan Governmentdepartmentstoagreeoncommonreferencemodelsandsoftwaredesignto
totheProject
sharecostsofdevelopmentregionally,implementegovernmentservices.OpenData
initiativesfortheirsectorbasedonreferencemodelsdevelopedatregionallevel.
Status
Projecttobeapproved
Nextsteps
124
BusinessModel
Mainpartiesinplace
Maincostistoforsoftwaredevelopment,andsystemsintegrationsupportatnational
implementationlevelinspecialcaseMemberStates.
Investmentineservicedevelopmentwillpayitselfbackthroughincreasedefficiencies.
SomeservicesamenabletoPPPmodeli.e.revenuesplitbetweenservice
provider/developerandgovernment.
Majorsavingsmadebycreatinginternalefficienciesandshared/bulkpurchasing.Leadingto
reducedadministrativeservicechargesandtherebycreatingmoredemandforservices.
Increasedgovernmentrevenuefromreducedcorruption,improvedtaxcollection,andmore
transparency.Increasedgovernmentrevenuefrombroadertaxbaseandhigherlevelsof
economicactivityintheICTsectorandthroughuseofICTsinothercommercialsectors,esp
financialservices,tradeandagriculture.
SADC,ASCCI,CivilServiceadmindepartments,networkofICTProfessionalsinSADC
Parliaments,SADCBusinessForum,SADCBankersAssociation,applicationdevelopers.
Mainpartiestobeprocured Applicationsdevelopment,GISanddatahostingandgatheringexpertise,project
management
Technical/OperationalNotes RegionalonlinesystemsatSADCMemberStateborderpoststofacilitatefreetradeandthe
freemovementofpeoplebetweenSADCMemberStatesintheregion.
Alsousedasameanstokickstartthedevelopmentofaregionalplatformforsharingthe
costsofsoftwaredevelopmentandsystemsintegrationforothergovernmentsectors,and
tosupportthecreationofacriticalmassoflocalsoftwaredevelopmentskills.Requires
assessmentofconnectivityrequirementsandsoftware/hardwareneeds.Designofsoftware
andnetworkarchitectureneededforsharinginformationbetweenborderpostsand
betweenborderagencies(customs,immigration,Interpol,health,agricultureetc).
Significanteconomiesyieldedbydevelopingthisonce,forthewholeregionandthenre
using,refiningtheprocessforothersectorpriorities.
Priorityareasforeservicedevelopmentwouldbegovernmentprocurement,landregistries,
andjudiciary,followedbyhealth,education,agriculture,intraregionaltrade,tourism,
meteorology,energy,publictransport(trafficmanagement).Thiswouldbefacilitatedby
creationofachecklistofrequiredegovernmentapplicationstobedevelopedatnational
andregionallevels,identificationofpotentialbusinessmodelsandsourcesof
software/developersandsystemsforsharedservices/backofficeplatformforgovernment,
andevaluationofpotentialforcreationofasinglelibraryofregionalapplicationsthatcanbe
localisedfornationalimplementation.Includesassessmentofpotentialsavingsfromsharing
costsofsoftwaredevelopmentbetweenMemberStatesandadoptingasharednationalor
regionalcloudcomputingarchitectureforgovernmentservices,andfeasibilityassessment
ofestablishingadedicatedgovernmentcloudcomputingplatformoroutsourcingusing
existingprivatecloudproviders.Onepotentialscenarioisasetof2or3regionaldata
centreslocatednearreliablehydropowergeneratingfacilities.
Forecommercestrategysupport,assessmentoffeasibilityfornationalandregional
paymentgatewaysandemarketplacesforsmallbusiness(websitehostingandsupport)are
required,alongwithintegrationinpostalsystems.Mayneedinvolvementofpartners
outsideICTsector.NoteeSADCEcommerceReadinessStudyandStrategicActionPlan.
PriorityareasforNationalOpenDataprovisioningandmappingwouldbe:landdata,census
data,andpublicservicedeliverypoints.ICTinfrastructureandpublicservicemappinglayers
wouldbeusedtoidentifygapsinrequiredcommunicationsinfrastructuretosupportother
infrastructuresectorssuchasenergy,transportandtourism,andformeteorological,postal,
andschoolnetworks.Datacollectedatnationallevelandregionallyconsolidated.
ImplementationsupportneededforgovernmentsofspecialcaseSADCMemberStates.
InstallationofGPSand3GWifigatewaysonpublicvehiclestomonitormovementofthe
publictransportfortrafficmanagementplanningandprovidingconnectivityforpassengers.
Developmentoftechnicalandbusinessimplementationreferencemodel.Thiswill
complementsmartcorridordevelopment.
ESADCstrategy,AUECAAfDBLandPolicyInitiative:AFrameworktoStrengthenLand
available
Rights,EnhanceProductivityandSecureLivelihoods
Trainingservices,referenceapplicationsdevelopmentassessment,economicfeasibility
Financingisrequired
assessment.Hardware,software,trainingandsupportforimplementationinMemberStates
125
whereneeded.
RevenuesforRepaymentof Revenueswilldependonnatureoftheeservice;manymanualserviceshaveexisting
Financing
revenuestreamsthatwillbemoreefficientlyused,therebyreducingoperationalcosts.
EstimatedTotalCost
US$7,686,800
Financeunsecured
FinancierRemark
US$7,686,800
126
TitleofProject7
Research,InnovationandICTIndustryDevelopment
ProjectSponsors
SADCSecretariatI&SDirectorate,MinistriesofICTs,HigherEducation,Science&Research,
TradeandIndustry,SARUA,ASCCI,SATA
Corridor
N/A
AllMemberStates
Objectives
TostrengthenR&DandresearchinstitutionsandSMEsworkingintheICTsector,promote
nationalandregionalinstitutionalcollaboration,innovationandthedevelopmentoflocal
ICTindustry.
IncreasethenumberofjobsintheICTsector.MinimisethenegativeeffectsofICTsonthe
environment.
ProjectDescription
1.Promoteimprovedcollaboration,informationandknowledgesharingbetweenresearch
centres.
2.EstablishincubatorsforsmallICTbusinessesandICTresearchparksandimprovelinks
betweentheacademicsectorandICTindustry.
3.DevelopICTequipmentmanufacturingfacilities,softwareandapplications.
4.IdentifyandmitigatenegativeenvironmentalimpactsofICTs(ewasteandclimate
change),includingsupportforaregionalewastemanagementcentre
ExpectedResults
Researchers,teachersandentrepreneurswithimprovedaccesstoknowledge,leadingto
increasedR&D,innovation,jobsandwealthcreationinthelocalICTsector.ICTequipment
costsminimisedespeciallyDTTsettopboxes.Minimisednegativeenvironmentaleffectsof
ICTequipmentdeployment,manufactureanduse.
OngoingRelatedActivitiesin AvarietyofrelatedactivitiesarebeingimplementedbySARUA,(whosemissionisto
promote,strengthenandincreasehighereducation,researchandinnovationintheSADC
region).SARUAhasproposedaSADCregionalresearchanddevelopmentfund.
UbuntuNetAllianceisimplementingtheUS$15mEUfundedAfricaConnectprojecttoassist
inhighereducationandresearchinstitutionalconnectivity.
SomeMemberStateshavealreadysetuporaresettingupICTincubatorsandresearch
parks,e.g.theinnovationhubsinBotswana,Mauritius,Mozambique,Namibia,SouthAfrica
andTanzania.
IFChassupportedstudyforanICTcentreandbusinessincubatorinMozambique.Research
parksinMauritius,Mozambique,andSouthAfrica.
SAGovernment:a)Announcedplanstocreate1millionjobsintheICTsectorby2020,b)
Developingstrategyonlocalanddigitalcontentdevelopment,c)Hasbegunasettopbox
manufacturingsectordevelopmentstrategy,andd)Awaitingoutcomeofstudyonthe
trendsofdigitallocalcontentanduptakerates.
COMESAECASADCProgrammeonClimateChangeAdaptationandMitigationlaunchApril
2012.
SomeMemberStateshaveestablishedsomeewasteguidelinesaspartofgeneralhazardous
wastemitigationstrategiesandtheSATASecretariathasbeendirectedtoproposeRegional
GuidelinesoneWasteDisposal.Intheinterimithasrecommended:(a)Developpolicies
andregulationsonewastemanagementtogovernewasteprocessesfromcollectionto
finaldisposal;(b)Licensekeyactorsofewaste;(c)Developanewastecollectionsystem;(d)
Launchaconsumerawarenesscampaign;(e)Launchcapacitydevelopmentprogrammesin
theewastesector,possiblyfundedbyfeesleviedonimportersofsecondhandequipment;
(f)Developanewastemanagementsystemcomprisingamultistakeholderprocesswhich
includestheparticipationofthecivilsociety;(g)Supportandpromotetheestablishmentof
eWasteRecyclingPlantintheRegion;and(h)Supportandpromotetheestablishmentof
NGNConformityandInteroperability.
ProposalsareunderdiscussiontodraftaCOMESAregionalmodeleWasteStrategyand
PolicybyMarch2012anddeveloparegionalewastemanagementsystem.
127
PanAfricanForumonEWastehasagreedonprioritymeasurestoreducetheenvironmental
andhealthimpactsofelectricalandelectronicwasteonthecontinent.
DescriptionofNationalPlan Nationaleducationandresearchsupportforimprovedconnectivitybetweenacademicand
totheProject
researchinstitutions.Governmenttoprovidefacilities/land/buildings/connectivityfor
hostingincubatorsandscienceparks.Regionalagreementneededtoincreasebudget
allocationstoR&D,tocombinepurchasinginitiativestobuildeconomiesofscalein
manufacturingandsoftwaredevelopment.Agreementneededtoshareresourcestoreduce
impactontheenvironment(e.g.cloudcomputingandregionaldatacentreslocatedatthe
mostenergyefficientlocations).Nationallevelagreementonstandardsandstrategiesfore
wastedisposal.
Status
Projecttobeapproved
Nextsteps
Approvalofproject,Promotionforfinancing
BusinessModel
Maincostisimplementationatnationallevel,ininstitutionbuilding,supporting
interconnectivitybetweenresearchinstitutionsandinestablishingincubators,research
parksandmanufacturingfacilities.Someoftheinvestmentcostsforsetupandforongoing
R&Dcouldbemetbytheprivatesector.
Mainpartiesinplace
SADC,MinistriesofHigherEducation,Science&Research,TradeandIndustry,SARUA,ASCCI
Mainpartiestobeprocured Workshoporganising,facilitation,networkingproviders,landandbuildingfacilities
Technical/OperationalNotes SharedR&Dattheregionallevelhasconsiderablepotentialtoreducecosts,buildon
economiesofscale.Needstobeaugmentedwithprovisionofhighspeedconnectivitywithin
andbetweenresearchinstitutionsintheregionandtotherestoftheworld(campus,
nationalandregional)researchandeducationnetworks(RENs).Potentialforcollaboration
ondevelopingOpenContentdistributionnetworkstointegratecloudandcontentservices
intooneseamlessserviceoffering.SupportfornetworkdeploymentinsomeSADCMember
Statesmaybenecessary.
Developmentofmodelstrategiesandgovernanceguidelinesforsupportingthe
establishmentofICTsmallbusinessincubationfacilities(offices,sharedfacilities,lowcost
highspeedinternet,webhosting,marketingsupportetc).Thiswouldfocusonidentifying
appropriaterolesandmodalitiesforgovernmentsupporttoincubators(suchasguarantees
onworkingcapitalorloanfunds),andidentifypotentialincubatorimplementers,trainers/
mentorsandfundmanagers.
ProvidesupportforestablishmentofincubatorsinSADCMemberStateswhereneeded.
PromotionofregionalICTmanufacturing,contentandsoftwaredevelopment.Thiscouldbe
initiallysupportedbytheDTTmigrationprocessnowtakingplace,exploitingtheco
ordinatedtransitionusingacommonstandardacrossmanySADCMemberStatesto
establishsettopboxmanufacturingorassemblyfacilitiesfortheregion.Thiscouldalsobe
anexportopportunitybecausemanyothercountriesaroundtheworldarealsoadoptingthe
samestandard.Amarketandtechnicalfeasibilitystudywouldprovideinitialsupportforthis
effort,includinganassessmentoftheeconomiesofscaleforbulkorders,andexport
opportunities.Thiswouldbecombinedwithascopingexercisetoidentifyother
technologiesamenabletolocalmanufacturing,softwareandcontentdevelopment.
Aregionalcolloquiumwithindustrywouldverifythestudyconclusions,identifyandalign
businessownerswiththeadditionalopportunities,andraiseawarenessoftheinitiative
moregenerallyintheprivatesector.
Developmentofregionalandnationalguidelinesandbestpracticesforaddressingclimate
change,ewaste,andEIAsforinfrastructureprojects.Thiswouldincludereferencedesign
forsmartrenewableenergybaseddatacentresandevaluationofthecostoftheSATA
proposalsonawayforwardforewastehandling.
eSADCStrategy;
available
TowardsaCommonFuture:HigherEducationintheSADCRegion.ResearchFindings
fromFourSARUAStudies.ICT:AStatusReviewofICTinUniversitiesintheSADCRegion;
HighgrowthICTenterprisebusinessincubation,infoDevworkinggroup,FinalReport
(April2010),Youthfocusedbusinessincubation,infoDevworkinggroup,FinalReport
(Dec2009);and
Scienceandtechnologyparks:AnoverviewoftheongoinginitiativesinAfrica.
128
Financingisrequired
Studiesandworkshops,networkinfrastructureprovidersandsystemsintegratorsfor
implementationinsomeMemberStates.
RevenuesforRepaymentof Mainlygrantwithsomeloansrequired.Longterminvestmentinhumanresource
Financing
developmentandintellectualcapacityinthehighereducationandresearchsector.Some
moreimmediaterevenueswillbegeneratedoncelocalmanufacturingfacilitiesare
establishedthereforeprivatesectorinvestmentwillhelptocoverstartupcosts.Joband
wealthcreationthroughSMEsupportwillresultinincreasedtaxreturns.Reducedfossilfuel
consumptionwillreduceoperatingcostsbutmayrequirehigherupfrontinvestment.
EstimatedTotalCost
US$6,061,000
Financeunsecured
FinancierRemark
US$6,061,000
129
TitleofProject8
ProjectSponsors
SADCSecretariatI&SDirectorate,SAPOA,CRASA,MinICTs
Corridor
N/A
AllMemberStates
Objectives
StrengtheningofthePostalSector
Tosupportthedevelopmentofsustainable,reliableandaffordablepostalsystemsthat
providethefullrangeofuptodateservicestoallSADCcitizens,interoperatingefficiently
acrosstheregion.
ProjectDescription
Postalservicesrevitalisation,newservicesdevelopment,geographiccoverageexpansion
andimprovedpostalnetworksecurity/reliability.Keyelementswouldinvolve:
1.ImplementingpostalcodesandaddressingsystemsinMemberStatesthatdonothave
them;
2.Extensionofnationalpostalbranchnetworkstomorelocations,especiallyruralareas;
3.ImproveduseofICTsinpostalsystemstosupport:automationofpostalsystems(front
office/counterautomation,backofficeandmailprocessing),networkconnectivity,video
basedcapacitybuilding&training,providingpublicaccesstointernetfacilities,e
governmentservices,andelectronicfundstransfers,printingandotherservices;and
4.Implementationofaregionalendtoendmeasurementsystem(GMS)toimprovethe
qualityofserviceoninternationalmail.
ExpectedResults
Increasedsocialandeconomicinclusion,moreuseofecommerce,financialservicesand
publicaccesstoelectronicinformationservices,especiallyinremoteandruralareas.
Businessesoperatemoreefficiently,improvedemergencyservicesduetoimproved
addressingsystems,andincreasedregionalintegrationandecommerceduetomore
efficientandsecureinternationalmailbetweenmemberstates.Addressingsystemsprovide
proofofexistencetoindividualsandorganisationsandhelpruralpeopletoparticipateinthe
economy.Improvedspeedofdeliveryandtrackingofinternationalmail.
OngoingRelatedActivitiesin SAPOAhaspreparedaRegionalStrategicPostalPlantosupportthepostaloperatorsto
handlethechallengesofmarketliberalisation.Theexistingpriorityprojectsare:a)Improve
qualityofservicewithinthepostalnetwork,b)Improveinterconnectionamongphysical,
electronicandfinancialpostalnetworkswithintheregion,c)Counteringactsofterrorism,
malpracticesandmoneylaunderingthroughthepostalnetwork,andd)Developmentofa
subregionalroadtransportnetworkwithintheSADCRegion.
Softwarehasbeendevelopedforpostalfinancialservicesintheregionandmostofthe
nationalpostalsystemsintheregionareintheprocessofimplementinginternational
electronicfundstransfersystems.SomeMemberStatepostalsystemshavejoinedthe
GlobalMonitoringSystem(GMS).
SomeSADCMemberStateshavestartedfeasibilitystudiesforaddressingsystems,Malawi
andZimbabweandsomeotherCOMESAcountrieshavebegunimplementation.
TheSouthAfricanPostbankBillistocreateastandaloneentityundertheSouthAfricanPost
Office,whichaimstobethebankoffirstchoiceforunderservicedcommunities.
COMESAandUPUareorganisingcapacitybuildingforpostalregulatorsandimplementinga
postalcodeaddressingproject:a)Sensitisinggovernmentsandotherstakeholderstothe
importanceofpostalcodeandaddressingsystemsasanationalinfrastructureprogramme,
b)FasttrackingimplementationofpostalcodeandaddressingsystemsinMemberStates,
andc)Trainingfocusedondesigningnationalprojectstodevelopandextendusageof
geographicalandpostaladdresses.
PAPU'sePostAfricaProjectaimstoprovideenterpriseswithanopportunitytoofferarange
ofICTbasedproductsandservicesusingtheRASCOMSatellite.Thepilotprojectsin15
countriesareselectedfromeachofthe5subregions.CurrentlynoSADCMemberStatesare
participating.
TheUPUisexploringhowtoextendaccesstofinancialservicestothepoorthroughpostal
networks,withsupportfromtheBillandMelindaGatesFoundation.AboutUS$700,000is
130
beingspenttodeterminehowPostscanenterintopartnershipswithfinancialinstitutions
andmobilemoneyoperatorstobetterservetheunderprivileged,theexchangeofknow
howamongstakeholdersandinitiatingpilotprojects.
Someoperatorshavesignificantlyautomatedwhileothershavenetworkedmaincentres
only.Someothershavenotcommencedalthoughfeasibilitystudieshavebeendone.
DescriptionofNationalplan Nationalpostaloperatorswouldberesponsibleforimplementingtheprojects.
totheproject
Status
Projecttobeapproved
Nextsteps
Approvalofproject,promotionforfinancing
BusinessModel
Mainimplementationcostisatnationallevelininvestmentinpostalbranches.Improved
useofICTswithinpostalsystemswillimprovetheirqualityofservice,andextendtherange
ofavailableservices,makingthemmoreprofitable/selfsustainingcostsofimplementation
tobepartiallyrecoupedfromincreasedcashflow.
Mainpartiesinplace
SADCI&SDirectorate,SAPOA,CRASA,nationalpostalsystems,SADCBankersAssociation,
ASCCI
Mainpartiestobeprocured Workshoporganising,facilitation,networkingproviders,systemsintegration,equipmentand
software
Technical/OperationalNotes Developmentofaddressingsystemsandpostalcodesisrequiredtopromotesocialinclusion,
supportemergencyservicesandecommerce.Sincethemajorityofpeopleintheregionlive
inruralareasandtheaffordabilityofpostboxesislimited,theaddresssystemadoptedwill
needinnovativeapproaches,suchasuseofGPScoordinatesorphonenumbers.
Technologiesalsoexistthatcouldfacilitatesharedandunstructuredaddressesfor
individualsorgroups.Theprojectwillalsorequire:a)Alignmentofthenationaladdressing
standardwiththeUPUS42AddressingStandard,b)Establishmentofdeliverypoints
databasesbyeachdesignatedoperator,c)Establishmentofachangeofaddresssystemby
eachoperator,andd)Numberingofstreetsandhousesinlinewithcountryrequirements.
Tomeetthepostalsystem'suniversalserviceobjectivesthereisastrongneedtoexpandthe
numberofpostalbranchesandpostofficeboxesandnewservices,especiallythosewhich
leveragethepostalnetwork'sphysicalinfrastructure,suchaspublicaccesstointernet,
printing,photoandvideoCDburning.Publicsupportforthepostalsystemwouldalsobe
providedthroughuseofUniversalServiceFunds,andregionalUSFguidelineswouldbe
updatedaccordingly.
Epostalservicesdevelopmentpublicaccessservices,integrationwithmobilenetworksfor
mobilebasedpostalservices,e.g.parceltracking,depositsetc.Alsorequiresidentification
ofpotentialcrosssectoralregionalinfrastructuredevelopmentsynergiestoimprovequality
ofpostalservices.ImprovedregionalICT,transportandenergyinfrastructureislikelytohave
apositiveimpactonpostalservicequalityandcosts.Howcanpostalsystemsbestrespond
totheseopportunities?Areastobeexaminedwouldincludeevaluationofpotentialof
publicaccesstelecentrefacilities,assessmentofresourcerequirementsforcapacity
buildingandlogisticalaugmentationtoeffectsurfacedeliveriesthroughnewcrossborder
roadsandaccesstopowerinremote/ruralpostalbranches.Alsoneededisguideline
developmentofcommoninteroperablesystemsintheregiontoprovideforinternational
augmentedservices,inparticular,trackandtrace,cashondelivery(COD),insuredparcels,
registeredletterandsignondeliverysystems.Includesensuringsecurityofphysicalpostal
networks.
Needsintegratedregionalpaymentsystemincludingcrossborderservicesandbanking
facilitiesforallpostofficebranches.Initiatewithregionaleconomicassessmentstudyand
includeevaluationofroleofmobilepaymentsystems.
Supportforgatheringofuptodatepostalstatisticstoaddressthecurrentlackofavailable
datainsomeSADCMemberStates.
Implementationofmonitoringsystem(GMS)willhelpensurethereisnosignificantlossof
revenuewhentheUniversalPostalUnion(UPU)implementsthepaymentofterminaldues
basedonacountrysqualityofservicelinksetfor2014.
131
available
Financingisrequired
RevenuesforRepaymentof
Financing
EstimatedTotalCost
Financeunsecured
US$286170500
132
PrioritytosupportdevelopmentofnationalpostalinfrastructureinsomeMemberStatesin
particularsuchastheDRC,MadagascarandMozambiquewhichhaveamongstthelowest
levelsofpostalservices.
Potentialfeasibilityofasharedregionalsatellitenetworkforconnectingremotepostal
branchestobeassessedundertheinfrastructureproject3.
SecuritystandardsforpostalsystemsshouldbebenchmarkedaccordingtoUPU
InternationalSecurityStandards.
SAPOAStrategicPlan:TheSignificanceofaddressingforthedevelopmentofNationsby
PierrreRossouw,SAPOAddressingExpert,July2009
PostalSolutions:TheImpactofAddressSystemsonMailVolumes(2003)Worldwide
BenchmarkingStudy
Studies,institutionalsupport,equipment,services,andexpertise
Potentialtogenerateimprovedrevenuesfrompostalsectorifitcanleverageitsbrandtrust
toprovideimprovedsecureservices,transactionsandtransport.SeeBusinessModelabove.
US$286170500
FinancierRemark
ANNEXURE4PROJECTBUDGETDETAILS
EnablingEnvironmentPolicyandRegulatory
Harmonisation
NationalICTPolicyReviews
RapidRegionalassessmentofkeyNationalICTpolicyconstraintsinMemberStates
Consultancyfees(US$)
RegionalWorkshop
38,500
IntegratedassessmentofstatusofICTsectorreform.Thestudywouldconsider:a)regulatorinstitutionalcapacity
toenforce,b)Opennessofmarketstonewentrants,c)implementationoftechnology/serviceneutralconverged
licensingregimes,d)Structuralseparationofwholesalefromretailoperations),e)Spectrummanagement(cost
basedspectrumfees,sublicensingofspectrum,uptodateallocationplans).f)IdentifytaxationconstraintstoICT
uptakeandfiscalsystemopportunitiestopromoteICTuptake.
1leadconsultancytodesignthestudyquestionsatregionallevel@US$20k,andtomanage14national
consultancies@US$15k/countrytogatherthedata,andcofacilitatetheworkshops
50,000
28Nationalworkshops@US$10keach,2per
countrytoconsidertheresultsandreviewfollowup
Supportfornationalbroadbandstrategiesdevelopment
Assessmentstudytodevelopbroadbandavailabilitytargets(coverage,speed,costanddeploymenttimeline)for
theregionandvariationsforgroupsofMemberStates.Wouldalsocoveridentificationofstrategiestoreachthese
targets,includingassessmentofpotentialimpactofuniversalservicefunds.
Regionalguidelinesandregulationsontariffsforuseofpublicinfrastructureassets
40,000
Identificationofbestpracticesandguidelinesforextensionofnationalandinternationalterrestrialfibre
backbones
80,000
Guidelinesandupdatedplanningapprovalprocedurestoensurethatallnewpublicinfrastructureincludesfibre
andducts,includingpublicandcommercialbuildings
Supportfor3regional3dayISPfora
115,500
Reviewandupdatingofspectrumallocationplans.Studytoassessthefeasibilityofusingnewtechnologiessuch
aswhitespace(802.22)asaninterimmeasureuntilDTTmigrationhastakenplace,developmentofproposalsfor
broadcastingspectrumfeeregulations.
Consultancyfees($)
50,000
Promotingcapacitypricinginformationexchangeacrosstheregionfeasibilitystudyforregionalcapacitytrading
platformtoimprovetransparencyinthemarket
Implementationsupport
Supportforpublicsectoroperatorstotransitiontonewmarketenvironments
Consultancies7studies@US$70keach
3RegionalPolicy&Regulatory3dayWorkshops
133
160,000
280,000
50,000
15,000
40,000
250,000
490,000
115,500
134
StudyforModelNationalPostalPolicyDevelopmentandRegionalHarmonisation,includingstrategiesforcreating
regulatedpostalmarketsandautonomousoperators,addressinginstitutional/culturalandproductivityissues,
raisingtheprofileofthepostalsysteminnationalbudgetallocations,innationalICTstrategies,andinaccessto
theUniversalServiceFunds.
50,000
Total
1,824,500
+10%projectmanagement
2,006,950
Monitoringandevaluationofprogresstoward
DigitalSADC2027
DevelopmentofModelregulatoryguidelinestoensureoperatorssubmitdataquarterlytoregulator.
20,000
DevelopmentofproposedsetofICTprogressmarkersforverificationatregionalmeeting.Plusoneregional
meetingformidtermreview(2018)andcapacitybuildingfordatapresentationandstatisticalanalysis
40,000
RegionalMeetings:Costpermeeting:
Daysofmeeting
3
20Participants
20
DSAs(US$)
Flightcost(US$)
TotalParticipantCost
VenueHire
Interpretation
Facilitation
TotalVenue
Totalfor3Meetings
TotalIncludingConsultancy
2yearpilotdatagatheringandpublicationby
regulatorsandICTobservatory
150
750
24,000
7,500
5,000
2,000
14,500
115,500
175,500
125,000
Total,including10%projectmanagement
330,550
EnsuringConfidenceandSecurityofNetworksand
Services
Consultancyfordevelopmentofstandardsandmodelnationalguidelinesandregulationsforcablelaying
(mandatorytrenchdepth,cableringtopologiesetc).Alsotobeincludedwouldbeidentificationofstrategiesfor
ensuringinfrastructuresecurityagainstthreatssuchastheft,vandalismandaccidentaldamage,including
developinglegalpenaltiesforvandalismandlackofduecareandmandatoryreciprocalaccesstootheroperator
infrastructure.
30,000
Costpermeeting:
Daysofmeeting
3
20Participants
20
DSAs(US$)
150
Flightcost(US$)
750
24,000
VenueHire
7,500
Interpretation
5,000
Facilitation
2,000
TotalVenue
14,500
Totalfor2regionalMeetings
77,000
TotalIncludingConsultancy
107,000
CapacitybuildingfortimelyswitchovertoIPv6incivilservicenetworks
3Regionaltrainingworkshops
115,500
AssistancewithestablishmentofCERTs
NationalImplementationinSADCMemberStates
whereneeded@US$75keach
450,000
DevelopmentofmodelregionalandnationalCERT
50,000
regulationsandguidelines
Harmonisationofsecuritystandardsinorderto
respondtocybercrime,terrorism,drugtrafficking,
andmoneylaundering.Capacitybuildingofpostal
operatorstoapplyappropriatesecuritymeasures
tworegionaltrainingworkshops
70,000
Total
792,500
871,750
ConsolidationofRegionalCommunications
Backbones
5,000km@US$15K/km
75,000,000
Seychellessubmarinelink
50,000,000
FeasibilitystudyandfacilitationforadditionalcrossborderlinksbetweenSADCMemberStateswherethereis
onlyonesuchlink.Emphasisonidentificationofopportunitiesandmodalitiesforusingcorridordevelopment
projectstoreducecostsofcrossborderfibrelinks.Assesspotentialforpassivetransboundarysmartcorridors.In
synergywithothersectors,theseICTcorridorswouldbeestablishedincombinationwithroadorpower
transmissionlinesonexistingcorridorprojects.Thesmartcorridorswouldconsistofopticalcablesfor
transboundaryandnationaltraffic,emptyductsforfuturedeploymentofcablesbyothersand"Sharedfacilities"
forhostingintermediatepointsofinterconnectionalongtheroute.CorridorstakeholderWorkshops/Meetings
facilitation.
80,000
15Workshops/meetings@US$5keach
75,000
DTTMigrationsupportforMemberStateswhere
needed
180,000
AssessneedsandeconomicfeasibilityforasharedregionalVSATnetworkforconnectingremoteresearchcentres,
schools,meteorologystations,wildlifeconservationposts,borderposts,clinics,emergencyservicesandpostal
branches.
40,000
Feasibility study and facilitation for Regional IXP.
Consultancy and 2 Regional meetings. US$25K +
US$70k
95,000
Satellitenetwork/hubimplementationsupport
900,000
Totalincludinglinks,10%projectmanagement
139,007,000
ICTCapacityBuilding&AwarenessRaising
Awarenessraisingforpolicymakers&developmentpractitioners1regionalconference100participantsand
briefingpaper
Backgroundbriefingpaper
10,000
Costofmeeting:
Daysofmeeting
3
Participants
100
DSAs(US$)/person
150
Flightcost(US$)/person
750
120,000
VenueHire
12,000
Interpretation
5,000
Facilitation
2,000
TotalVenue
TotalCostIncludingConsultancy
135
19,000
149,000
Establishmentofnationalcallcentrestohelpcitizenswithuseofeservicesandaccesstogovtinfo,identifying
serviceofferingrefinementsandnewserviceneedsrequiredtobedeveloped
Consultancyforreferencedesignofworkshopsand
callcentres
40,000
NationalsupportinSADCMemberStateswhere
needed@US$300keach
1,800,000
Establishmentofnationalandregionalcentresofexcellence
RegionalDTTtrainingfacilityinstitutionalsupport
500,000
Developmentofregionalaccreditationprocedurefor
theCoEs
40,000
IT&PostalCoEestablishment
1,500,000
Developingregionalcertificationstandardsforinformationliteracycapacitybuildingandcertification
standardsharmonisation
ModelnationalICTliteracytrainingsyllabusdevelopmentandICTtrainingstandardsharmonisationneeds
assessment
60,000
CapacitybuildingofNRAs,NationalBroadcasters
andCERTs
2X4dayregionalworkshops
Facilitationfees(US$)
20,000
Costpermeeting:
Daysofmeeting
4
20Participants
20
DSAs(US$)
150
Flightcost(US$)
750
27,000
VenueHire
7,500
Interpretation
5,000
Facilitation
2,000
TotalVenue
14,500
Totalfor3Meetings
124,500
TotalIncludingfacilitation
144,500
OnlineRepositoriesofLearningandCultural
HeritageMaterials
Identificationofcontentgatheringandhostingentities,contentgenerationhubs,contentsources&providers,
identificationofgapsinavailablecontent,intellectualpropertyissues,opportunitiesforsharingwithother
regions,andopportunitiesforbulkpurchasingofecontentandcreationofdigitalcontentgenerationhubs.
Consultancy
45,000
2dayregionalworkshop
Daysofmeeting
2
20Participants
20
DSAs(US$)
150
Flightcost(US$)
750
21,000
VenueHire
7,500
Interpretation
5,000
Facilitation
2,000
TotalVenue
14,500
Implementationsupportforpilotonlinerepository
575,000
Total
136
4,533,500
137
10%Projectmanagement
4,986,850
EServices&Applicationsdevelopment
Developmentofchecklistofrequiredegovernmentapplicationstobedevelopedatnationalandregionallevels,
identification of potential business models and sources of software/developers and systems for shared
services/back office platform for government, and evaluation of potential for creation of a single library of
regionalapplicationsthatcanbelocalisedfornationalimplementation.Includesassessmentofpotentialsavings
fromsharingcostsofsoftwaredevelopment,bulkpurchasesofcapacityandequipmentbetweenmemberstates,
andadoptingasharednationalorregionalcloudcomputingarchitectureforgovernmentservices,andfeasibility
assessment of establishing a dedicated government cloud computing platform or outsourcing using existing
privatecloudproviders.
Consultancyforabove
100,000
2dayregionalverificationworkshop
Daysofmeeting
2
20Participants
20
DSAs(US$)
150
Flightcost(US$)
750
21,000
VenueHire
7,500
Interpretation
5,000
Facilitation
2,000
TotalVenue
14,500
ImplementationsupportforgovernmentsofSADC
MemberStateswhereneeded@US$500keach
3,000,000
Total
3,135,500
Developmentofecommercestrategy.Identificationofneeds/feasibilityassessmentfornationalandregional
paymentgatewaysandemarketplacesforsmallbusinesswebsitehostingarerequired.Identificationofpartners
outsideICTsectorthatmayberequired.
Consultancyforabove
75,000
Daysofmeeting
2
20Participants
20
DSAs(US$)
150
Flightcost(US$)
750
21,000
VenueHire
7,500
Interpretation
5,000
Facilitation
2,000
TotalVenue
14,500
Total
110,500
ImplementationsupportforofSADCMemberStates
whereneeded@US$300Keach
1,800,000
DevelopmentofnationalandregionallyconsolidatedgovernmentOpenDatapoliciesandmanagementsystems
for public data and related spatial mapping. Design of national and regional reference models, and
technical/economicfeasibilityassessment.
Consultancyforabove
75,000
Daysofmeeting
2
20Participants
20
DSAs(US$)
150
Flightcost(US$)
750
138
21,000
VenueHire
7,500
Interpretation
5,000
Facilitation
2,000
TotalVenue
14,500
Total
110,500
DevelopmentoftechnicalandbusinessimplementationreferencemodelforGPSand3GWifigatewaysonpublic
vehiclestomonitormovementofpublictransportfortrafficmanagementplanningandprovidingconnectivityfor
passengers.
Consultancy
25,000
RegionalonlinesystemsatSADCMemberStateborderpoststofacilitatefreetradeandthefreemovementof
peoplebetweenSADCMemberStatesintheregion.Assessmentofconnectivityrequirementsand
software/hardwareneeds,preliminarycostingfordevelopmentandimplementation.
200,000
Daysofmeeting
1
20Participants
20
DSAs(US$)
150
Flightcost(US$)
750
21,000
VenueHire
7,500
Interpretation
5,000
Facilitation
2,000
TotalVenue
14,500
Total
235,500
Softwaredevelopment(estimateforallocation)
1,500,000
71,000
Daysofmeeting
2
Total
1571,000
ProjectTotal
Plus10%projectmanagement
7,686,800
SupportingResearch,InnovationandIndustry
Development
Nationalsupportforresearchinstitutionconnectivity
SADCMemberStateswhereneededXUS$500,000
3,000,000
StudyformodelstrategiesandgovernanceguidelinestopromoteICTsmallbusinessincubationfacilities.This
wouldfocusonidentifyingappropriaterolesandmodalitiesforgovernmentsupporttoincubators(suchas
guaranteesonworkingcapitalandotherincentiveschemes).
Consultancy
35,000
SupportforestablishmentofincubatorsinSADC
MemberStateswhereneeded.US$350,000/country
2,100,000
MarketandtechnicalfeasibilitystudyonregionalDTTsettopboxmanufacturingopportunities.Includesa
scopingexercisetoidentifyextraregionalexportopportunitiesandtoidentifyothertechnologiesamenableto
localmanufacturing,softwareandcontentdevelopment.
60,000
Industrycolloquiumtoverifystudyconclusionsandidentifyadditionalopportunities,raiseawarenessofinitiatives
Conferencecosts
Daysofmeeting
2
50Participants
50
DSAs(US$)
150
Flightcost(US$)
750
52,500
VenueHire
10,000
Interpretation
5,000
Facilitation
2,000
TotalVenue
17,000
Total
129,500
DevelopmentofregionalandnationalguidelinesandbestpracticesforaddressingewasteandICTinduced
climatechange.Includeproductionofreferencedesignforsmartrenewableenergybaseddatacentres,and
evaluationofthecostandtechnicalfeasibilityoftheSATAproposalsonawayforwardforewastehandling.
Consultancyfees
Daysofmeeting
20Participants
20
DSAs(US$)
150
Flightcost(US$)
750
VenueHire
7,500
Interpretation
5,000
Facilitation
2,000
TotalVenue
14,500
Total
95,500
Regionalewastemanagementcentreestablishment
Projecttotal
6,061,000
PostalSectorStrengthening
ImplementationofPostalCodeaddressingsystemsin
MemberStatesthatdonothavethem(SAPOA
estimate)
110,000,000
Studyforstrategydevelopmentforextensionofnationalpostalbranchnetworkstomorelocations,especially
ruralareas,includingconsiderationofoptionssuchasfranchisemodels.
50,000
StrategydevelopmentandassessmentofeconomicfeasibilityforintroducingimproveduseofICTsinpostal
systems(networkconnectivity,capacitybuilding&training,publicaccesstointernetfacilitiesandaugmented
servicedelivery),postalbranchofficeprocesscounterautomation.
Countrybycountryanalysistoestablishexact
fundingneeds
70,000
Implementationsupportinitialallocation(SAPOA
estimate100m+40mforcounterautomation)
140,000,000
139
60,000
21,000
150,000
Harmonisationofsecuritystandardsinordertorespondtocybercrime,terrorism,drugtrafficking,andmoney
laundering.Capacitybuildingofpostaloperatorstoapplyappropriatesecuritymeasures.
Implementationofaregionalglobalmonitoringsystem(GMS)formailbypostaloperators.
Implementationcost(SAPOAestimate)
RegionalMeetingtoconsiderresultsofstudies
Total
Totalforallprojects
140
10,000,000
35,000
260,155,000
286,170,500
436,050,300
ANNEXURE5SADCPreExistingOngoingActivities
Atthe2010LuandaMinisterialmeeting,theSADCICTRegionalPrioritiesfor2011/2012weregrouped
alongthethreekeypriorityareasofInfrastructureDevelopment,PolicyandRegulatoryFramework,
andPostalOperationsandRegulation.Inadditionthereisthepriorityareaofregionalcoordination
leadingontointernationalevents.Thedetailsofeachoftheseareasareasfollows:
1. InfrastructureDevelopment
i.
SADCRegionalInformationInfrastructure(SRII)Phase2Intelligentnodes;
ii. ImplementationoftheNEPADICTBroadbandInfrastructure;
iii. StudyontheharmonisationofBroadbandInfrastructureProjectsinSADC;and
iv. SettingupofNationalandRegionalInternetExchangepoints(NIXPsandRIXP).
2.
i.
DevelopmentandimplementationoftheeSADCinitiative;
ii.
Regionaldigitalmigrationplan;
iii. DevelopmentofaframeworkforSADCRegionalRoamingRegulation;
iv. Homeandawayroaming;
v.
SADCfrequencybandplan;and
vi. HarmonisationofCyberSecurityRegulatoryFrameworksinSADC.
3.
PostalOperationsandRegulation
i.
RegionalProjecttoimprovequalityofservicewithinthepostalnetwork;
ii. RegionalProjecttoimproveinterconnectionamongphysical,electronic
and
financialpostalnetworkswithintheRegion;
iii. Strategy to counter acts of terrorism, malpractice and money laundering through the
postalnetwork;and
iv. Regional Project on development of a subregional road transport network within the
SADCRegion.
In the area of regional coordination, this includes coordination of SADC positions on international
postal,telecommunicationsandICTinitiatives(WorldTelecommunicationsDevelopmentConference;
ITU Plenipotentiary Conference and the UPU Strategy Conference); and coordination of ICT
Programmes with other key stakeholders. In addition, three new priorities were identified at the
2010LuandaMeeting:
DevelopmentofatoolkitforbestPracticeUniversalServiceand Access;
MonitoringandevaluationoftheSADCActionPlanforDigitalBroadcastingMigration;and
DevelopmentofaRadioSpectrumChannellingPlan.
Themajorareaswheremostactivitiesandadvanceshavebeenmadeareoutlinedbelow.
1.
Roaming
The high cost of international roaming in the region has received substantial attention by policy
makersandregulators.Inlate2008CRASAcreatedtheRegionalAllianceTaskTeam(RATT)onSADC
Home and Away Roaming comprising representatives of the SADC Secretariat, CRASA, GSM Africa,
Southern Africa Telecommunication Association (SATA) and the SADC Parliamentary Forum as an
observer. The RATT's primary task was to investigate possible mechanisms to reduce international
mobileroamingchargesintheregion.In2009CRASAcommissionedaregulatoryimpactassessment
studyonhomeandawayroaminginSADConbehalftheRATT.Duetofinancialconstraints,apartial
142
RIAwascarriedout,andfollowingfurtherrefinementofthemethodology,asecondstudy,RIAII,has
been commissioned to provide more conclusive answers to the various roaming issues and to
produce a draft 'Harmonisation Policy Framework for SADC Home and Away Roaming'. In the
meantimeCRASAhascalledonitsmemberstorequestmobileoperatorstobemoretransparentin
theirroamingcharges.
2.
UniversalService/Access
Development of policies and legal frameworks to ensure broader accessibility through Universal
Service/AccessFundshavealsobeenanongoingareaofactivityintheregion.InMay2007theSADC
Ministers responsible for Telecommunications, Postal and ICTs directed the SADC Secretariat, in
conjunction with CRASA, to develop a report on the "Best Practices in Utilisation of Universal
Service/Access Funds in SADC". This was in response to concerns raised by operators that
governmentsintheregionhadbeencollectingfundsforUniversalService,however,nosubstantial
utilisationofthefundshadbeendoneintheregion.
This was followed up, with support from HIPSSA, by the drafting of "SADC Universal Service
Guidelines,anassessmentoftheimplementationofuniversalservice/accessstrategiesintheregion"
and the development of the "SADC Tool Kit on Best Practices in Utilisation of Universal Service
Funds". After feedback from CRASA members, the document has been forwarded to the SADC
SecretariatforinclusionontheSADCICTMinistersmeetingagenda.
3.
ConsumerProtection
Secureconsumersandtheinclusionofthesociallyexcludedareseenasaprerequisiteforabroad
basedinformationsociety,and theSADCMinistersresponsibleforTelecommunications,Postaland
ICT have approved, in principle, the "ICT Consumer Protection Guidelines", but have directed the
SADC Secretariat in conjunction with CRASA to amend the Guidelines in order to include issues
relatingtoelderlypeopleandciviceducation.
4.
DigitalTerrestrialTelevision(DTT)Migration
Ensuringsmoothmigrationfromanaloguetodigitalbroadcastingtechnologiesisacrucialarea,not
onlytoimproveavailabilityofbetterbroadcastservices,butequallyasimportantly,toliberatevital
areasoftheradiospectrumforthedeliveryofwirelessbroadbandservices.
The choice of the DTT standard for use has been controversial and this has delayed the migration
processtosomeextent.CRASAhasdevelopedadraftDigitalBroadcastingMigrationActionPlan,and
convened a Working Forum on Digital Broadcasting Migration in Ebene, Mauritius in 2009 which
recommendedadraft"RoadmaponSADCDigitalMigration".TheRoadmaprecommendedthatthe
regionshouldconsideradoptionoftheDVBTstandardfortheimplementationofDTT,buttheSADC
Ministers responsible for Telecommunications, Postal and ICTs held a Special Session on Digital
Broadcasting in November 2010 in Lusaka, Zambia and decided that SADC Member States should
adopt DVBT2 with MPEG4 compression and any other GEO6 compliant equivalents as the digital
terrestrial television broadcast standard for the region. They approved the revised SADC DTT
Migration Roadmap, reviewed progress of Member States, and set up a special desk at the SADC
Secretariattooverseetheprogramme,aswellasanimplementationsteeringcommittee,withaDVB
forum to be held twice a year. At the CRASA AGM in March 2011 a project on Monitoring of
MigrationtoDigitalBroadcastinginSADCwasincludedundertheActionPlanPriorityListfortheyear
2011/12.
The3rdDigitalBroadcastingMigrationForuminOctober2011(Luanda,Angola)recommendedthat
DTTshouldbeseenasacentralgovernmentprojectofgreaterpublicandnationalinterestandnot
143
simplyasanICTproject.InadditiontheForumproposed:
That various funding mechanisms to fund DTT Migration be explored, including Universal
Service Funds, Public Private Partnerships, and licensing of the digital dividend to other
electroniccommunicationsservices;
TheestablishmentofaTechnicalSteeringCommitteecomprisingofMemberStatesand
SADC organs, including CRASA, SABA and Consumer groups, under the guidance of SADC
Secretariat;and
ThatMemberStatescontinuetooptimisethespectrumtoachievemaximumbenefitsinline
withtheGE06andtheRegionalSpectrumPlan.
ANationalInterMinisterialCommitteealsoproposedNationalDTTMigrationProjectManagement
Offices,NationalandRegionalMultistakeholderForumstodealmainlywithconsumerissues,anda
Regional Project Management Office at the SADC Secretariat to monitor and assess the
implementation of the DTT Roadmap and Action Plan as well as to assist Member States on
challengesfacedwiththeimplementationofRoadmapatNationallevel.
InFebruary2011itwasannouncedthatoverZAR1billionhadbeensetasidebytheSouthAfrican
treasurytoensureasmoothtransitionfromanaloguebroadcastingtodigital.
5.
RadioSpectrumManagement
TheLuandaSADCMinisters'meetingapprovedtheadoptionoftheSADCFrequencyAllocationPlan
(FAP), and encouraged Member States to harmonise their national Frequency Band Plans with the
approved SADC FAP. The validation workshop for the SADC FAP, which was held in Swaziland in
February 2010, identified the following issues for CRASA in order to reach a comprehensive
harmonisedspectrumallocationandmanagementframework:
HarmonisationoftheHFcrossbordercoordinatedfrequenciesfortrucking;
HarmonisationanddevelopmentofspecificsforShortRangeDevices(SRDs);
HarmonisationofspectrumprovisionsforPublicProtectionandDisasterRelief(PPDR);
Finalisationofthechannellingarrangement(ChannelPlan)forallkeybandsi.e.IMT,CB,BFWA
andmicrowaveslinks;
ReviewofthefootnotesapplicabletoSADCinreadinessforWRC;
ReconsiderationofthedeploymentofTDABinthebands1452to1492MHz;
HarmonisationofHFusageinSADC,whichmostlyisusedforgovernmentdefenceunderthe
SADCmilitaryharmonisationinitiative;and
ReviewoftheapplicablebandsfortheDigitalRadioMondiale(DRM)service.
The Frequency Planning, Technology and Advanced Services Committee met in Salima, Malawi in
May2010andagreedtoalargeworkplanwiththefollowingelements:
DevelopacommonSADCCrossBorderTruckingLicencetemplate;
EngagewiththeSADCMilitaryAlliancetoformalisetheharmonisationofthebandsthathave
beenrequestedforusagefortheregionaldefenceprogramme;
UrgeeachNRAtoreviewitsfootnotesinboththeSADCFrequencyAllocationPlan(FAP)and
ITUPlanpriortotheSADCWRCPreparatoryMeeting;
Review the MoU on Cross Border Coordination to allow for effective implementation of
servicesotherthanGSMandtorevivetheSubCommitteeonCrossBorderCoordination;
Considerandanalysetheoptiontointroducespectrumtradingtomanagethespectrumusein
SADC;
UrgeCountryMemberstopublishtheirBandPlansandStandardsinuse;
144
Urge SADC Member States to enforce the implementation of Mutual Recognition of Type
ApprovalintheSADCRegion;
Resuscitate the OneStopShop (OSS) for SADC in order to overcome the challenge of type
approvalofequipmentfromregionsotherthanRegion1;
UrgeCRASAmemberstoMonitorUsageofthe13harmonisedHFfrequencychannelsandto
consideralternativeusewherenecessary;
DeveloptheCRASAFrameworkonharmonisationoffrequenciesforSRDs;
DeveloptheCRASAModelFrameworkonharmonisationoffrequenciesforPPDR;
Prepare Draft Paper with Recommendations on the current ITU Radio Regulations footnotes
reflectingSADCcountrynames;
DevelopHarmonisedradiofrequencychannellingarrangementsforterrestrialfixedandmobile
systemsinSADC;and
ReviewtheImplementingaHarmonisedPMR446TwoWayRadioServiceinSADCandadd
thedocumentasanaddendumtothenewSRDFramework.
The March CRASA AGM also approved guidelines on: a) Harmonised Radio Frequency Channelling
Arrangements for Terrestrial Fixed and Mobile Systems in SADC, and b) the Framework for
harmonisationoffrequenciesforPublicProtectionandDisasterRelief(PPDR)inSADC.
TheCRASAPriorityProjectsfor2010/11wereagreedasfollows:
DevelopmentofaframeworkforSADCRegionalRoamingRegulation;
DevelopmentofToolkitfortheBestPracticesinUniversalServiceandAccess;
HarmonisationofCyberSecurityRegulatoryFrameworksinSADC;
MonitoringandevaluationoftheSADCActionPlanforDigitalBroadcastingMigration;and
DevelopmentofaChannellingPlan.
6.
CommentaryonExistingSADCProjects
Anexistingsetof16proposedprojectswasidentifiedthroughconsultationswiththeSADCMember
States.Ofthe16approvedprojects,fourarerelatedtoinfrastructuredevelopment,fivearefocussed
on policy and regulatory frameworks, four on postal services, and three are new priorities. All are
SADCMemberStateprioritiesforimplementation,andarenotdependentoncooperationwithany
other Member State, but provide national benefits and contribute more generally to regional
integration,costsharingandacommonmarket.
InfrastructureDevelopment
SADCRegionalInformationInfrastructure(SRII)Phase2lntelligentNodes
ThisprojectismainlyabusinessdecisionbytheSATAmemberstocontinuetheprocessofupgrading
theirnetworkstothenextgenerationoftechnologies(allIPbasedsystems)whichwouldhelpthem
toprovidebetterserviceswhilecuttingtheiroperatingcosts(reducedhumanresourcerequirements
andequipmentcost/maintenance).Initsentiretyitisunlikelytoqualifyfordevelopmentfinanceas
it is potentially fundable on a countrybycountry basis by the commercial banks or by the foreign
shareholder where the operator has been partially privatised. If the network upgrade can be
sectionedoutforthemoreremoteandruralareas,whichmaynotbeeconomicallyjustifiable,itmay
bepossibletomakeacaseforDFIfundingfortheseaspects,orthefundscouldcomefromtheUSFif
available.
SettingupNational&RegionalInternetExchangePoints(NIXPsandRIXP)
Asindicatedearlierinthereport,allSADCMemberStates,exceptLesotho,Madagascar,Seychelles
andSwaziland,alreadyhavenationalIXPsandsomehavetwo.HowevermostoftheexistingIXPsare
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not functioning optimally, so as a first step, this project could be realigned around improving the
functioning of IXPs in the region, while setting up new ones where required, which could include
secondary cities if there are multiple independent networks operating there. A study could be
conductedtoevaluatetheefficiencyofoperationsofIXPsandtheiroperatingenvironmentinSADC
MemberStates,identifythebottleneckstotheirestablishmentoreffectiveness,andusetheoutputs
ofthistodeveloparegionalprogrammetoimproveinternetinterconnectivitywithintheregion.This
project could gain synergy from the African Union/EC AXIS project which also aims to build the
strength of IXPs on the continent. Aside from national governments and local Internet providers,
other potential partners/sponsors, which have shown interest in this area are: Internet Society
(ISOC), Cisco, regional data centre operators such as such as Teraco, and content distribution
networks(CDNs),e.g.Google.
DigitalTelevisionBroadcastingMigration
Thisprojecthasalreadygainedconsiderablemomentumintheregion,andwhileitisimportantto
ensurethatfundsareavailabletocompletetheprocess,thiswillideallybeafairlyshortprojectifthe
2013 switchover goal is reached (with slippage to 2015 envisaged). However during the period
leading up to the final switchover there is likely to be considerable preparatory work required to
maketheprocessassmoothaspossible.Inaddition,giventhatSouthAfricahasallocatedR1billion
totheprocess,someoftheSADCmemberswithlowerlevelsofeconomicdevelopmentmayneed
external assistance to finish the migration, and as already proposed, some Universal Service Funds
could be applied to support the process. This is linked with the 'Regional digital migration' project
underpolicyandregulationcategorybelow.
StudyontheHarmonisationofBroadbandInfrastructureProjectsinSADC
Knowledgeoftheopportunitiesandneedsforstandardisationinextendingbroadbandinfrastructure
across borders, such as through using alternative infrastructure or transport corridors will help to
maximise the level of interconnection regionally. In terms of national broadband plans for local
access,thereispotentialforthedevelopmentofatoolkittoguidepolicymakersinbestpractices,
makinguseofexperiencesinotherpartsoftheworld.
ImplementationoftheeSADCInitiative
TherearesevenstrategicobjectivesintheeSADCframework(conducivelegal,policyandregulatory
environmentforthedevelopmentofanICTculture;ICTinfrastructureandsecurity;humanresource
development;eapplicationsincludingegovernment;usageofICTinbusiness;localICTindustry;and
developmentofinstitutionalmechanisms).Thisisaprogrammewithawideremitwhichwillneedto
beconsideredindetailtodeterminehowbesttheRIDMPcansupportit.TheICTinfrastructureand
security objective is among the most closely aligned with the regional mandate, as well as with
supportforregionalresearchandanenablingenvironment.
RegionalDigitalMigrationPlan
Project 3 above, supporting 'Digital Television Broadcasting migration', could be closely linked with
thisprojecttohelpmaximisethepotentialbenefitsofthedigitaldividendintermsofbeingreadyto
allocatethespectrumforbroadbandassoonasitbecomesavailable(linkedwithproject4belowon
SADCfrequencybandplan)andwiththeproject1underNewPriorities,'Monitoringandevaluation
oftheSADCActionPlanfordigitalbroadcastingmigration'.
DevelopmentofaFrameworkforSADCRegionalRoamingRegulation
This project awaits the outcome of the RIA II study to help determine the best strategy. With the
146
growthoflowcostinterregionalterrestrialfibrenetworksinterlinkingmobileoperatorswithmulti
countryfootprints,roamingisbecomingabusinesscompetitionelementwithfreeinternationalcalls
between users on the same parent network (MTN or BhartiAirtel for example). Consideration will
alsoneedtobemadeofhowbesttoleveragetheinterestinlowcostroamingtoscaleitupforthe
Tripartite,aswellasfortheAfricanUnion'sroamingproject.
SADCFrequencyBandPlan
Continued technology developments in wireless communications and shifting requirements from
existingandnewoperatorsemerginginthemarketrequirecontinuousupdatingoffrequencyband
plans.ParticularlyextensiveandrapidchangeswillneedtobeaccommodatedinthewakeoftheDTT
migrationprocess.
HarmonisationofCyberSecurityRegulatoryFrameworksinSADC
Theimportanceofnationalsecurityandthedevelopmentofeffectivelegislationtodealwithissues
ofpersonalprivacy,dataprotectionandcounteringcybercrimeisacriticalrequirementinthepolicy
frameworks. Three legal instruments can be envisaged here for facilitating ecommerce e
transactions, personal data protection and cybercrime. This project has regional significance
because with growing broadband interconnectivity, cybercrime can easily be perpetrated across
bordersandcriminalityoftenemanatesfrom'safehavens'orexploitslocationsandsituationswith
laxlegislation.Inadditionexplodingnumbersofconsumerdevicesconnectedtothenetworkalong
withmassfinancialtransactions,increasetheopportunitiesforsecuritybreaches.Securityfacilities
could also be shared by countries, especially by paring countries with scarce resources with those
with better resources, at least initially. Aside from SADC activities here, it should be noted that an
extensive cybersecurity project is also being developed by COMESA, including proposals for a
regional Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), and a regional cooperation agreement between Member
States on cyber security matters e.g. investigation, enforcement, digital certification. To this end, a
cybersecurityImplementationRoadmapwasadoptedatthe5thCOMESATransport,ICTandEnergy
Ministers'meetinginSwazilandin2011.
PostalOperationsandRegulation
RegionalProjecttoImproveQualityofServicewithinthePostalNetwork
High quality postal services are vital to ensuring the economic sustainability of the public postal
system,andacriticalrequirementforavibrantecommerceecosystem.UseofICTsinlogisticsystem,
alongwithimprovedcrossborderterrestrialandairtransportroutesholdconsiderablepotentialfor
improvingpostalQoS.
Regional Project to Improve Interconnection among Physical, Electronic and Financial Postal
NetworkswithintheRegion
Interconnectionofpostalsystemsatalloperationallevelsandatmultiplegeographicpointsisvital
forprovidingasustainable,affordableandefficientpostalservice.Thisprojectinvolvesamixofhard
and soft aspects, some of which are dependent on other aspects of the RIDMP energy supply,
transport infrastructure, national broadband and regional backbone connectivity. In the area of
physicalinterconnection,thiscouldextendtotheestablishmentofregionalstandardsforaddressing
systems and postcodes, and possibly assistance in their implementation. Use of GPS based
information and GISsystemsarealso potentialaspects to thisproject.COMESAand the UPU have
agreedtoconductastudyonpostalcodeandaddressesandorganisetrainingforpostalregulators.
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Strategy to Counter Acts of Terrorism, Malpractices and Money Laundering through the Postal
Network
Potentially,thisisacapacitybuildingprogrammetohelpbuildinternalsecuritysystemsinnational
postal networks. This project has links with project 5 above on harmonisation of cyber regulatory
frameworks,andneedstoestablishnationalpublic/privatesectorpostalindustrystakeholderforums
toestablishcommonproceduresandshareinformation.Atoolkitbasedonbestpracticesworldwide
appearsrelevanthere.
Regional Project on Development of a SubRegional Road Transport Network within the SADC
Region
ThisprojectwouldhaveverystronglinkageswiththetransportsectorcomponentsoftheRIDMP,on
whichitwouldlikelydependforthesuccessfulachievementofthisgoal.
7.
NewPriorities
MonitoringandEvaluationoftheSADCActionPlanforDigitalBroadcastingMigration
ImplementationoftheActionPlanrequiresuptodatemonitoringofitsprogressandidentification
of potential constraints to its completion. Given the importance of this process, both for the
introduction of improved broadcast services and to liberate much needed radio spectrum, this
projectwouldbecloselylinkedwiththetwodigitalmigrationprojectsabove.
ICTsandClimateChange
IncreaseduptakeandintensityofuseofICTs,fromtheenduserdevicetowirelessbasestationsand
data centres, is leading to exploding levels of energy demand, increasing carbon footprints
everywhere.IntheUSA,ICTsarenowresponsibleforabout10%oftotalenergyconsumption.Energy
consumption can be mitigated to some extent by adopting optimal networking topologies, low
power consuming equipment and use of cloud computing systems. This is a fast moving field also
tiedtoenergypolicy(e.g.IPPs)andrenewableenergyinfrastructure.Atthesametime,ICTscanhelp
monitor climate change, and industrial or domestic energy consuming activities to increase the
efficiencyofenergyuse.
PostalSecurity
Postal security is closely related to project 1 above on improving Quality of Service in the Postal
Network. The use of online realtime security cameras and other monitoring systems is linked to
Project2aboveonensuringelectronicinterconnectionwithinthepostalsystem.
ManyoftheseprojectssupportthegoalsoftheotherRECsintheTripartiteFrameworkCOMESA
andEAC,aswellasfurtherafieldinECOWASandtheUMA,andatthecontinentwidelevelwiththe
AfricanUnionandPIDA(seeAnnexure5).
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ANNEXURE6PIDAICTInfrastructureRecommendations
This section outlines the main PIDA strategic recommendations for the ICT sector and these have
beenusedtohelpidentifysupportingorcomplementaryprojectstotheonesalreadyidentified,and
todeterminethegapsintheproposedlistofprojects.
More efficient use of existing infrastructure in the short term, there are massive benefits to be
gained simply by improving access to what is existing i.e. the efficiency of the current fibre
infrastructure.ThemajorpartoftheeAfricavisioncanbeachievedbyensuringthattheextensive
fibreinfrastructurethatiscurrentlyinplaceismadeavailableatcompetitiveorcostorientedprices.
This will require creating an enabling policy/regulatory environment (especially through price
regulationandnondiscriminatoryaccessrequirementsonSMPs)for:
Optimisingtheuseofexistingtelecommunicationsfibre(reducingcostsandprovidingaccess
toalloperators);
Ensuringaccesstoexistingalternativeinfrastructure(transportandenergy)toprovide
additionalroutesandcompetitivechoice;
ConductingregularICTmarketandinfrastructuredatagatheringtosupportmoreinformed
decisionmaking,monitoringandevaluation;and
Developinganawarenessraisingandpeerreviewprocesstoensurecommitmentfromall
countriestothestrategyandencouragecountriesthatarelaggingbehindtocatchup.
Connectingtheremainingmissinglinksbothbetweencountries,andsubmarinelandingstations
whereneeded.
Increasing international demand opening markets to new access providers, establishing national
trafficexchangepoints(IXPs),loweringICTtaxesandlicence/spectrumfees,supportingextensionof
national/international backbones to remote and rural areas (PPP/reverse auction), and deploying
fibreonalternativeinfrastructure.
Establishingamoreconduciveenvironmentforfuturefibredeploymentsdomesticmarketsneed
tobeopenedtoincreasedcompetitiontoencourageprivatesectorinvestmentincrossborderand
national backbone infrastructure. To optimise the large potential cost savings for new fibre
deployments,planningregulationsneedtobedevelopedtoensurethatallnewtransportandenergy
infrastructure includes ducts and fibre for telecommunications purposes. To further support this
activity,smartICTcorridorsneedtobeestablishedwithallnewtransborderroadlinkstoensure
theyincludetherequiredfibrefacilities.
Deployingdomesticsatelliteinfrastructuretoimprovebackbonereliabilitywherethereisonlyone
fibrelink,forbroadcasting,andtofillthegapsinruralbroadbandcoverage,especiallyintheremote
areas where it may be many years before terrestrial infrastructure becomes available. Satellite
infrastructurewouldalsobenecessaryforregionalremotesensingapplications.
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Development Master Plan

SADC ICT SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN: July 2012

SADC ICT SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN: July 2012

SADC ICT SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN: July 2012

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SADC ICT SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN: July 2012

SADC ICT SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN: July 2012

SADC ICT SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN: July 2012

SADC ICT SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN: July 2012

SADC ICT SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN: July 2012

SADC ICT SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN: July 2012

Infrastructure a) Consolidation of regional telecommunications networks. Ensuring that the

SADC ICT SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN: July 2012

SADC ICT SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN: July 2012

ICT infrastructure comprises a wide range of electronic technologies computing,

SADC ICT SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN: July 2012

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SADC ICT SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN: July 2012

Increasingly, convergence of technologies is being reflected in national licensing environments, as

SADC ICT SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN: July 2012

SADC ICT SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN: July 2012

SADC ICT SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN: July 2012

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SADC ICT SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN: July 2012

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SADC ICT SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN: July 2012

SADC ICT SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN: July 2012

The AfricanTelecommunicationUnion (ATU)hasalsobeenactiveinpromotingsimilargoalswithin

SADC ICT SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN: July 2012

SADC ICT SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN: July 2012

To facilitate project implementation, a Project Coordinating Unit (PCU) for infrastructure

In addition there is the subsectoral Telecommunications Committee and a Postal Services

SADC ICT SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN: July 2012

SADC ICT SECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT MASTER PLAN: July 2012

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Penetration/cost of access devices (computers, handhelds affected by technology trends,