Despite some headway made in the development of South Africa’s policy and regulatory framework, the telecommunications industry still faced uncertainty, with many processes remaining incomplete, said Neotel chief corporate services officer Dr Tracy Cohen on Tuesday.

“There have been some great wins, such as mobile termination rates, but what we are doing isn’t working in the policy and regulation space and we need to change,” she said, noting that many proposed policies had fallen through the cracks.

Speaking at the Southern African Telecommunications Networks and Applications Conference, or Satnac, in Stellenbosch, Cohen also noted that the proposed policies currently tabled had to be streamlined.

She cited the various targets tabled by the National Development Plan and the Strategic Integrated Project 15 of the National Infrastructure Plan, along with the amendments of two regulations, including the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa Act, 2000, and the National Broadband Plan, which newly appointed Communications Minister Yunus Carrim said would be finalised by November.

Further, the Department of Communications- (DoC-) led National Integrated Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policy and the ICT review process, which she lauded, would also likely stimulate policy changes and new regulations.

The ICT review panel, which comprised a range of industry experts, was tasked with reviewing South Africa’s policies and developing sustainable solutions to any issues that came to light.

The DoC expected to table the green paper for the National Integrated ICT Policy within the next two-and-a-half months, with a white paper published by year-end.

“We should be focused on one line of sight rather than multiple plans originating from the same source,” said Cohen.

Further, the structure of the regulatory authority and the role the institution played in an ever-changing environment needed to be reformed.

Cell C executive head of regulatory affairs Mothibi Ramusi added that investors required stability and that a regulator clearing a seamless pathway towards government’s broadband ambitions would ease investors into the sector.

While there was a need to acknowledge the progress made and effective policies developed, an examination of the lack of implementation of the policies was required, ensuring that the regulator had no fear of resistance and resultant litigation and that the outlined policy was clear and easy to interpret.