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Stop blame game and take responsibility for spectrum allocation delays, analysts tell government

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Analysts have called on the government to stop the blame game and take responsibility for the delays in spectrum allocation.

Finance minister, Tito Mboweni, told SABC News this week that the process of spectrum allocation has been marred by corruption and greed.

Spectrum allocation has been identified by government as one of the key priorities to help boost economic growth.

South Africa is said to have one of the highest telecommunications costs.

The implementation of spectrum allocation aims to ensure affordable access to the internet. But this process has been delayed for over a decade due to legal battles between the telecommunications, postal and broadcasting regulator, ICASA, and some mobile operators.

The aggrieved parties have argued that the process of spectrum allocation was unlawful, unfair and irrational.

Minister Mboweni says spectrum allocation is being delayed because of people who are trying to influence this process for their gains.

However,  some analysts don’t buy the story.

They say the delay shows that government is not serious about making internet accessible to all South Africans and that it’s seen mostly as a commodity that’s mostly utilised by the rich.

“The big issue behind the rollout is that it was never treated as a priority and that it was mostly was for those who had money,” says Arthur Goldstuck from World Wide Worx.

Political analyst, Ongama Mtimka says: “Overall the problem for me is leadership and strategic direction when we look at how COVID-19 has affected consumers.”

In addition, Spectrum allocation will ensure equitable distribution for  smaller players to compete fairly in the market. This will help enhance competition and provide affordable prices for the benefit of all consumers.

SABC News programme, The Watchdog, discusses delay in distribution of spectrum:

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