ICT Policies of Namibia

8/13/2019 ICT Policies of Namibia

1/41

ICT POLICIES OF NAMIBIAVISION

To transform Namibia into a knowledge-based,highly competitive, industrialised and eco-friendly

nation, with sustainable economic growth and

high quality of life by 2030.

MISSION

To ensure that every citizen and resident shallhave affordable access to high quality information

and communication services.


2/41

ICT POLICIES OF NAMIBIATELECOM & IT OBJECTIVES

To enhance the market and regulatory structures of ICT in

Namibia, and to fully liberalise all telecommunications servicesTo establish streamlined, efficient and effective regulation ofthe ICT industry on a fully transparent, technology neutral andcompetitively balanced basis

To provide universal access to information and communication

facilities in Namibia for allTo enable affordable prices for telecommunications services,particularly low income groups

To enable profitable investment opportunities in all segmentsof the market

To successfully implement Government ICT initiatives ineducation and training and successfully implement e-government initiatives

To establish Namibia as a first class regional ICT hub that will

contribute towards job creation.


3/41


4/41

ICT POLICIES OF NAMIBIAMAJOR POLICY INITIATIVES

Universal access

International bandwidth costs

Internet access

Education and training

Information security and privacy

Electronic Government (egovernment)

Electronic connectivity (e-connectivity)

Foreign ICT skills

Reduction of ICT emission levels

Control of ICT waste


5/41

ICT POLICIES OF NAMIBIATELECOMS

Interconnection

Individual licensees must allow any other licensee to interconnect its

services and network.

The party providing interconnection and / or facility leasing must

provide services that are sufficiently unbundled.

The Regulatory Authority may prescribe benchmark charges forinterconnection.

Facility and network licensees must upon request lease facilities to other

licensed network operators.

Shared access is required from all facility licensees unless such a requestis technically or financially infeasible.

The Government promotes the utilisation of all telecommunications

sites and backbone networks in the development of the

telecommunications sector.


6/41


Numbering

The Regulatory Authority must review the numbering

plan in the interest of making more numbers available to

duly licensed operators.

An end user has the right to keep the same telephonenumber.

The Regulatory Authority is required to introduce a

numbering regime that:Increases consumer choice and competition

Supports international standards.


7/41


Universal service

All telecommunications providers are required to

contribute to the provision of universal service.

The Government will establish a Universal Service Fund

(USF) to fund the provision of services to unprofitableareas.

Operators are encouraged to roll out services to high

cost areas and qualifying public institutions.The Government leads initiatives to increase broadband

penetration to provide Internet access in Namibia.


8/41


Internet

The Government aims to stimulate the market for

bundled personal computer and telecommunications

services to increase uptake through access to funds from

the USF.

Government promotes the mass market roll out of

Internet services, through a price review of the pricing

components.


9/41


10/41


International bandwidth

The Government creates a market structure that

facilitates the reduction of international bandwidth

prices through the establishment of competition in the

telecommunications sector.

Government funding and incentives

The Government will assist with the funding of ICTprojects and programmes that will contribute to ICT

access, skills development, international bandwidth and

local content development.


11/41

ICT POLICIES OF NAMIBIAINFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Competition

The Government will create an equitable, fair, just and

competitive environment based on the principles of the free

market and open unfettered access to products and services.

Consumer protection and standards

The Government promotes efficient and reliable services that

conform to international technical and quality standards.

The Government promotes professional standards and ethicalpractices in the Namibian ICT industry

through self regulation.


12/41


Foreign participation and skills

Foreign investors are encouraged to enter and assist in building

and developing the Namibian ICT industry.

The Government actively seeks to facilitate the acquisition of ICT

skills from outside Namibia.

Small and medium enterprises

The Government recognises entrepreneurship and Small and

Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as important contributors to economicgrowth and job creation. The Government will therefore support

new ventures and SMEs.


13/41


14/41


Fair Use and Creative Commons licensing

The Namibian law will be investigated to create more fair use in

copyright laws. Creative Commons licenses by non profit and public

sector bodies grant baseline rights such as the right to distributed

copyrighted work.

Electronic Government (egovernment)

The Government promotes the use of electronic means to

facilitate interaction between Government and public, as well as to

improve the Governments own internal operations to enhance

service delivery and democratic participation.

Government services will be accessed free of charge through

established Information Kiosks within integrated Multi - Purpose

Regional Community Parks.


15/41


16/41


Open Source software

The Namibian Government supports all operating system

platforms.

The Government promotes access to Open Source (FLOSS) and

proprietary operating systems in schools in Namibia.

.na Top Level Domain (ccTLD)

Top level domain administration (.na) must be administered by a

central institution established or recognised by an Act ofParliament.

No person may update a repository or administer a second level

domain unless such a person is licensed to do so by the Association.


17/41


Education

The Government will stimulate the development of the ICT skills

through the establishment of ICT Centres of Excellence at centres of

further learning.

The Government will include IT training as part of the educational

curricula, starting from primary school level.

The Government aims to facilitate the establishment of

institutions of ICT learning in smaller towns.

Skills development

The Government will provide tax incentives for ICT skills

development by the private sector.


18/41



The Government determines safe levels for emission and ensures

that emissions do not exceed a limit beyond which exposure

becomes harmful to the population.


The Government determines safe levels for emission and ensures

that emissions do not exceed a limit beyond which exposure

becomes harmful to the population.

The Government appreciates foreign assistance in developing the

use of ICT in Namibia. However


19/41

ICT POLICIES OF NAMIBIABROADCASTING

Competition

The Government will create an equitable, fair, just and

competitive environment based on the principles

of the free market and open unfettered access to products and

services.

Consumer protection and standards

The Government promotes efficient, reliable and ethical services

that conform to international technical and quality standards.

Ownership and foreign participation

The Namibian Government encourages foreign participation in the

broadcasting sector.


20/41


Cross media ownership

The Government of Namibia accepts cross - media ownership

within defined checks and balances which include defined cross -

media limitations, licence area limits, directorship limitations,

limitations on controland ownership by foreign persons; sale of

public shares; and other qualifications (as required).

Pluralism and diversity

Namibia aims to establish a broadcasting and content regime that

ensures the objectives defined in theAfrican Charter on

Broadcasting and inform the Declaration of Principles on Freedom

of Expression in Africa underpin Namibian broadcasting policy.


21/41


22/41


Self-regulation

Namibian broadcasters, in conjunction with the Regulatory

Authority, will be responsible for developing

self - regulatory codes.

To give effect to Namibias policy on self - regulation, theRegulatory Authority will receive and adjudicate complaints that

have not been resolved by the push broadcaster to the satisfaction

of the complainant.

Self-regulatory agency

Government encourages broadcasters and media to establish a

self - regulatory agency to formulate, revise and update codes and

to undertake adjudication of complaints.


23/41


24/41


Facility sharing, co-location and rights of way

Facility and network licensees, in the interests of making efficient

use of facilities or networks, must upon request lease facilities (for

example poles, ducts) to other licensed network operators.

Shared access is required from all facility licensees unless such a

request is technically or financially infeasible.

Facility licensees must obtain rights of way, servitudes and / or

way leaves to dig trenches or plant poles for cable systems and

place facility infrastructure over land owned by another.

Digital switchover

The Regulatory Authority, in consultation with broadcasters and

other interested parties, will develop and implement an analogue /

digital television switchover plan.


25/41


Support for national content

The Government will establish a Universal Service Fund (USF) to,

inter alia, assist with content production by local broadcasters in

Namibia.

The Government will incentivise both local and foreign

productions using Namibia as a location through tax rebates.

The Government will continue to support the Film Development

Fund, which aims to develop local film production.

Two thirds of the Public Broadcasters content is required to be of

Namibian origin.

National provision of services

The Public Broadcaster is obliged to provide services to all parts of

Namibia.


26/41


Skills development

The Government will stimulate the development of the content

production skills through the establishment of Centres of Excellence

at centres of further learning. Government will allocate funds

toward the development of study centres at tertiary level. Where

possible, Government will form partnerships with industry todevelop content production skills in Namibia.

The commitment to the development of local skills will be a

condition to tax rebates for both local and foreign productions

using Namibia as a location.


27/41


Public broadcasting

The Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) will enhance its

capacity to be a public service broadcaster, charged with editorial

independence and with providing Namibians with a diverse range

of high quality programmes with a suitable proportion of local

content.

Commercial and community broadcasting sectors

The Government will continue to encourage commercial and

community broadcasting.


28/41

ICT POLICIES OF NAMIBIAPOSTAL SECTOR

CompetitionThe Government will create an equitable, fair, just andcompetitive environment based on the principles of the free

market and open, unfettered access to products and services.

All postal operators will be subject to a licence fee payable

annually. In addition, a once off market entry fee will be levied.

Government recognises that the growth in electronic

telecommunications has expanded the communications market,

reducing the postal services percentage of market share drasticallyand threatening the volumes of the current postal services

C O C S O


29/41


Customer protection and standards

The Government promotes efficient and reliable services that

conform to international technical and quality standards.

The Regulatory Authority will establish service standards and

product definitions for the designated postal operator that ensure

harmonisation of national mail systems with international

networks.

Regulatory framework

The regulatory framework will focus on the reregulation of the

postal sector, i.e. tight regulations (where required) combined with

a generally less prescriptive and efficient framework avoiding over

regulation and avoiding the creation of administrative burdens.


30/41

ICT POLICIES OF NAMIBIA


31/41


Universal postal service

The Government will subsidise loss making services resulting from

the designated postal operators universal service obligation.

The Government promotes more effective utilisation of postal

infrastructure to serve as points of access to the global information

society and will utilise this infrastructure post offices as Multi-

Purpose Community Centres for ICT services where deemed

necessary.

Reserved services

The Government realises that the designated postal operator is

faced with both direct and indirect competition and needs to be

protected to deliver a universal service.



32/41


Reserved services

In order to ensure the provision of universal service, the

Government will give the universal service provider exclusive or

monopoly protection in reserved services of the postal markets.

The tariffs applicable to reserved postal services shall be set by the

designated postal operator according to the guidelines established

by the Regulatory Authority.



33/41


Reserved services

The designated postal operator shall not cross-subsidise the prices of

any service it offers in the market for un-reserved postal services from

the sales revenue of reserved postal services.

Only the designated postal operator is allowed to issue postage

stamps. This includes definitive, commemorative, special andelectronic stamps.

The Regulatory Authority will set standards for the universal service

provider, and impose conditions through a licence agreement, for

reserved services.The designated postal operator will be subject to a performance

contract that specifies the scope and standards of the service, and

penalties for not providing the universal postal products and services

to these standards.



34/41


Interconnection

The Government promotes the provision of interconnection

facilities for mail presented by other licensed operators on

commercial terms so as to provide a seamless postal service to all

locations in Namibia.

Interconnection applies to linking with operators who provide

postal networks or services in order to allow the users of one

operator to deliver services to the users of another operator and to

access services provided by another operator, where specific

commitments are undertaken.Any postal network should be fully accessible to any other postal

operator in a non-discriminatory manner, while protecting the

privacy of both parties.



35/41


Mail house operators and mail consolidators

Mail house operators and mail consolidators shall comply with Universal

Postal Union guidelines on remailing, be subject to monitoring by the

Regulator with regard to trading practices and agreed-to service

standards; be subject to licensing by the Regulator in order to operate

within Namibia; and honour the reserved benefits conferred on thepublic postal operator.

Extra Territorial Offices of Exchange (ETOEs)

Mail house operators, mail consolidators and extra territorial offices of

exchange shall comply with Universal Postal Union guidelines on re-

mailing, be subject to monitoring by the Regulator with regard to trading

practices and agreed-to service standards; be subject to licensing by the

Regulator in order to operate within Namibia; and honour the reserved

benefits conferred on the designated postal operator.



36/41


Postal security

The Government will develop and adopt specific postal laws, regulations

and measures to ensure the security and integrity of the postal system.

The designated postal operator will ensure the integrity of mail and

protect employees, property, business interests and clients against

criminal activities. This will enhance the quality of service and image ofthe designated postal operator.

The designated postal operator will develop a crime prevention and

investigation strategy in consultation with all stakeholders in the postal

service.

Postal articles may be subjected to examination without opening

through the use of detection devices. This will be in line with applicable

national legislation and will therefore not involve a breach of privacy.



37/41


Licensing regime

The Regulatory Authority will issue a concession to delegate public

postal operations. This will grant the designated postal operator

exclusive privileges for a determined period of time. At the end of

the stipulated period, the concession agreement and conditions will

be reviewed.

All new entrants into the postal market will be subject to licensing

conditions as set by the Regulatory Authority.

Postal service impact of technological advances

The Government recognises technological innovation and the

application of new technology in the postal market as indirect



38/41


Postal service impact of technological advances

The Government recognises Hybrid Electronic Services (e.g.

Volume Electronic MailVEM, Hybrid Data Interchange service and

Electronic Document Interchange - EDI) as complementary services

to postal services.

International postal relations

The Government aims to ensure the smooth functioning of the

vast global postal networks, and a close cooperation between

different countries in the international postal sector.



39/41


Cooperation and interaction among stakeholders

The Government aims to strengthen and broaden cooperation

and interaction among the stakeholders of the postal sector.

Skills development

The Government will provide incentives for ICT skills development

by the private sector.

Postal services and the environment

The Government is committed to environmental development andsustainability, and will thus ensure that all responsibilities and

duties within the postal sector will be implemented with the least

possible impact on the environment.



40/41


Postal services and the environment

In the Governments efforts to protect the environment, the

Government promotes the implementation of an environmental

policy in the postal sector. The policy will be aligned with 'Beijing

Declaration on Environmental Protection.



41/41


I THANK YOU

Documents

ICT Policies of Namibia