2 March 2011

The Namibian Communications Commission`s issued a ruling for all licensees and providers of public mobile cellular services to implement a price cap for off-net call prices and call prices to fixed-lines to the level of their on-net prices with effect from the 1st March 2011. It further instructed that off-net prices and prices for calls to fixed-lines may no longer exceed those of on-net calls for each product or service.

Telecom Namibia has welcomed the intervention of the regulator as it ensures customer protection, fair competition among players and long term viability of the industry. High mobile cellular off-net charges have prevented customers from calling across networks, hence restraining competition.

However, the biggest winner in this new development is the customer who will enjoy the freedom to make calls, using any mobile cellular network in the country to make a call to another network, without fearing being charged more for calling outside the network of his/her service provider. It should be stressed that the price cap on off-net mobile cellular calls also applies to calls made by mobile phone users to fixed-lines.

While the ruling of the Namibian Communications Commission (NCC) is not applicable to fixed line originating calls, it has naturally affected all SWITCH voice plans, including text messaging services. In view of this, Telecom Namibia has taken steps to implement the NCC resolution as from the 1^st March 2011, namely:

• All SWITCH postpaid and prepaid plans have been adjusted accordingly to fully comply with the NCC ruling.

• The special rate campaigns currently applicable to both SWITCH calls and short messaging services (SMSs) have been discontinued to allow for a seamless implementation of the NCC ruling.

The price cap on mobile off-net services is clearly much needed as there are some horrendous examples of ludicrous charges being slapped on users for making mobile cellular off-net calls, for the sake of unfair monopoly profits. The cap means this abuse of power will stop.

We are confident that the NCC ruling clearly lives up to the expectations of customers for affordable mobile cellular voice services.

13 September 2010

Namibia`s premiere information and communication technology (ICT) event "“ the 4th Telecom Namibia ICT Summit 2010, is scheduled to take place in Windhoek on 7-8 October 2010, under the theme "The contribution of ICT to sustainable economic growth and knowledge-based societies."

The two-day summit, now on its fourth year, is annually hosted by Telecom Namibia. Organised to gather local and foreign industry practitioners and key decision makers with select invited delegates from the academe, business sector, government and even NGOs, the event aims to increase awareness and exposure to the latest emerging trends and opportunities offered by ICTs.

Information and Communication Technology Minister Honourable Joel Kaapanda is billed to officially open this year`s summit, while Telecom Namibia Board Chairman Mr Joseph Iita is also expected to address the opening session.

The primary objective of the summit is to provide a venue where all ICT stakeholders can convene and learn new insights from experts and established practitioners in the ICT industry. In addition, the 4th Telecom Namibia ICT Summit hopes to unite all those involved in the industry to map out and define how to use ICTs effectively to attain sustainable economic growth, especially as countries are now emerging from the global financial crises. This summit will also serve as a unique platform for showcasing Namibia`s ICT capabilities as well as its potential in drawing prospective investors to set-up more ICT-related businesses.

"ICTs are the backbone of modern societies," says Coenraad Coetzee, general manager for ICT and Corporate Business Solutions at Telecom Namibia. "Innovation and investment in the telecommunications sector are key enablers for Namibia's economic transformation to a stronger and more productive, knowledge-based economy," Coetzee said.

"Strategic use of ICTs is helping to create social and economic change in health, education, culture, and also increases civic engagement in many countries of the world. As more people gain access to ICTs, the challenge is turning this capacity into community capital in the form of better educated citizens, more prosperous businesses, higher quality of life and better access to services," he said.

Many ICT companies will be showcasing their products and services during the summit and over 800 delegates are expected to attend the event.

The conference programme has an impressive line-up of local and international experts, who will deliver presentations and participate in panel discussions and workshops. The discussions at the ICT Summit will focus on how to empower country development through ICTs and build knowledge based economy.

The Summit takes place at the Safari Hotel and Conference Centre in Windhoek.

Visit the ICT Summit website www.ictsummit.telecom.na to learn more about the sponsors, the presentations, the programme and the workshops which will take place during the two days.

The 6th annual Telecom Namibia ICT Summit saw over 930 participants including CEO’s, business individuals, ICT companies and over twelve exhibitors drawn from educational institutions and private companies attending the premier event.

The 3-day event, taking place under the theme “ICT-an integral part of everyday lives,” brought together representatives from civil society, government ministries and agencies, the private sector and ICT vendors and service providers to explore the many digital opportunities and challenges presented by ICT.

Minister of Information and Communication Technology who officiated at the event said ICT will become an integral part of people’s lives.

“In Africa, just like in the rest of the world, ICT is increasing in importance in people’s lives and it is expected that this trend will continue to the extent that ICT literacy will become a functional requirement for people’s work, social, and personal lives,” Minister Kaapanda said.

He said with the arrival of the West African Cable System, the governments of Namibia and Botswana in collaboration with Telecom Namibia, Botswana Telecom and MTC have laid the foundation with state-of-the-art infrastructure for ICT promotion, growth and development.

“There is bandwidth available in abundance and now, it is up to the players to explore bandwidth as a transformational tool to do business, to empower individuals and improve service delivery in government and the private sector,” he said.

Kaapanda also expressed delight at the prospects of Telecom Namibia its own international points of presence in various countries, from which our neighbours would also benefit immensely.

Board Chairman of Telecom Namibia Joseph Iita reiterated the importance of ICT in development. “Unlike previous technology waves, this new wave of ICT touches everyone and everything: ICT no longer just enable us to do new things; it shapes how we do them. It transforms, enriches and becomes an integral part of almost everything we do,” Iita said.

He said ICT products and applications are inseparable from our daily lives. “Computers, the internet, mobile phones, control systems, data banks and “smart networks” all play a vital role in our everyday lives today, and are essential to our future development.”

Telecom Namibia Managing Director Frans Ndoroma said ICT has acted as a game-changer in many sectors. “IT has created a revolution in the social and economic life of many countries around the world, where they have been successful in establishing an ultra-high speed, pervasive, intelligent and trusted ICT infrastructure,” said Ndoroma.

The MD further said that ever since Telecom Namibia took the decision to transition itself towards a Next Generation Network Operator, there have been rapid advances in ICT. “We have witnessed the introduction of many innovative products, services and solutions by Telecom Namibia and other ICT players which, in many respects, transformed the way we work, live, learn and interact in Namibia.”

The Summit took place from 9 to 11 October 2012.