Government Shelves Telecoms Sector Bill

By Bekezela Phakathi |

Business, mobile operators and the DA welcome the news, citing the bill’s impingement on privacy and deleterious effect on the economy.

The government has shelved a controversial proposed law aimed at regulating infrastructure sharing in the telecommunications sector.

One of the contentious proposals in the Electronic Communications Amendment Bill was the establishment of a wireless open-access network (WOAN), which the government has said was aimed at driving down communications costs by facilitating the entry of more players.

The government also said the bill was meant to improve competition, regulation and infrastructure-sharing in the sector amid a spectrum crunch.

Briefing the telecommunications and postal services committee on Tuesday, communications minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams said given that parliament is unlikely to finalise the bill during the remainder of the current term, it would be best to withdraw it to enable further consultations.

This article was first published on February 12, 2019 on Business Live website.