User Rating: / 0
PoorBest 

 

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

  

A recent study undertaken by the World Bank found that mobile networks today constitute the world’s “largest distribution platform and create a major development opportunity.”

In South Africa, the past decade has seen phenomenal growth in citizen access to telecommunications services, driven in no small part by market de-regulation and the rollout of next-generation networks capable of bringing communications into even the most rural and disadvantaged areas, where fixed-line services were not available.

 

With cell phone penetration in SA at close to 100%, mature mobile and wireless platforms offer governments a unique opportunity to build innovative, alternative delivery channels based on strong, readily available infrastructure. One only has to look at the success of initiatives such as Home Affairs’ “Track and Trace” system, allowing citizens to stay informed on the progress of their ID Book or Passport applications to see how government service delivery can be made more citizen-friendly and efficient using mobile and wireless technology. Fewer queues translate into happier citizens but also allow public servants more time to invest in duties, further driving efficiency.

 

If government takes a leaf from the mobile banking book, wireless technologies could be used to roll out the kind of transactions-based services that represent the pinnacle of e-government service delivery.

 

In any modern or developing economy, broadband networks are the enabling backbone of the kind of high-speed data transfer services on which effective e-government is founded – whether it’s voice, video, television, SMS-based citizen-interaction or support for the kind of information-sharing infrastructure that is vital to good governmentto- government (G2G) provision.

 

Broadband is also good for business - World Bank research indicates that, for every 10-percentage-point increase in broadband service penetration, there is an increase of 1.3 percentage-points in economic growth. Broadband provision has also been linked with boosting exports and driving process efficiency – both key components of economic growth.

 

As telecommunications technologies converge, so too can the services offered by governments to citizens, business and its own employees and agencies. A single network carrying a broad range of services and capable of interconnecting with other networks to facilitate information flow and collaboration is a powerful driver of efficient service delivery and open access upon which the government principles of Batho Pele are built. Today, service providers are capable of offering such end-to-end solutions to the public sector, customised to fit the specific needs of individual agencies and functions, but always capable of supporting interconnectivity.

 

Governments the world over recognise the importance of partnering with private enterprises to fast-track service delivery within measurable timeframes; networks and communications services have been at the forefront of many such partnerships. In SA, service delivery challenges are not limited to infrastructure but it is fair to say that technologies such as GPRS and EDGE have made it possible for governments to extend telecommunications - and the services that go with it – to sections of the population that had traditionally had little or no access. With the cost of broadband decreasing in the near future, it is certain that government will be able to achieve more of its mandate by reaching ever-increasing numbers of citizens with quality, more efficient services.

 

At this critical juncture in SA’s telecommunications history, the demands on us have never been greater. But I have no doubt we can capitalise and build on our existing capabilities, as well as develop new ones, to achieve our objectives.