ALMOST four years since Government decided to authorise a second cellular service in Namibia, it yesterday introduced legislation to the National Assembly to speed up the process of awarding a licence.
According to Government’s Telecommunications and Regulatory Framework of 1999, the telecoms market should be open to competition no later than this year. Namibia’s sole cellular operator, Mobile Telecommunications Ltd, has enjoyed its monopoly way beyond the original five-year exclusivity period it was granted.That period in 2000.Introducing the relevant amendment to the Namibian Communications Commission Bill of 1992, Information and Broadcasting Minister Nangolo Mbumba said that so far 22 tender documents had been sold – a sure sign, he said, of interest among prospective investors in the nation’s telecoms sector.In 2000 Cabinet nominated the Namibia Communications Commission (NCC) to solicit for open tenders in a process aimed at opening the market up to competition, and the German Detecon consultancy was appointed to spearhead the tendering, evaluation and licensing process.But it later emerged that the NCC had no authority to call tenders for a second cellular operator.At one point it was hoped to deal with problems related to this process and associated matters concerning regulation of the telecoms sector by introducting a Communications Bill, but that document is still only in draft form.Failure to budget for Detecon’s services protracted the process even further, with the consultants able to perform their tasks only once funds had been made available, in 2002.Finally, last June, tenders were invited and meetings held with prospective applicants.No closing date has yet been set for the closure of the tendering process.Three weeks ago the NCC told The Namibian it had not yet received a bid for the country’s second cellular licence.South Africa’s three cellular operators – Vodacom, MTN and Cell C – all told this newspaper that they would not be applying for the licence, saying it did not appear to be a commercially viable option.Minister Mbumba yesterday impressed on parliamentarians the importance of passing the proposed legislation, saying it was the pivot on which a final closing date and awarding of the tender turned.The bill also authorises the NCC to prescribe fees for any postal service licence and the conditions under which such a licence may be issued.The NCC will also be permitted to impose specific obligations and requirements on the successful applicant.Should the Bill be enacted in its current form, its provisions will be made retrospective to June 1 2003.Namibia’s sole cellular operator, Mobile Telecommunications Ltd, has enjoyed its monopoly way beyond the original five-year exclusivity period it was granted. That period in 2000. Introducing the relevant amendment to the Namibian Communications Commission Bill of 1992, Information and Broadcasting Minister Nangolo Mbumba said that so far 22 tender documents had been sold – a sure sign, he said, of interest among prospective investors in the nation’s telecoms sector. In 2000 Cabinet nominated the Namibia Communications Commission (NCC) to solicit for open tenders in a process aimed at opening the market up to competition, and the German Detecon consultancy was appointed to spearhead the tendering, evaluation and licensing process. But it later emerged that the NCC had no authority to call tenders for a second cellular operator. At one point it was hoped to deal with problems related to this process and associated matters concerning regulation of the telecoms sector by introducting a Communications Bill, but that document is still only in draft form. Failure to budget for Detecon’s services protracted the process even further, with the consultants able to perform their tasks only once funds had been made available, in 2002. Finally, last June, tenders were invited and meetings held with prospective applicants. No closing date has yet been set for the closure of the tendering process. Three weeks ago the NCC told The Namibian it had not yet received a bid for the country’s second cellular licence. South Africa’s three cellular operators – Vodacom, MTN and Cell C – all told this newspaper that they would not be applying for the licence, saying it did not appear to be a commercially viable option. Minister Mbumba yesterday impressed on parliamentarians the importance of passing the proposed legislation, saying it was the pivot on which a final closing date and awarding of the tender turned. The bill also authorises the NCC to prescribe fees for any postal service licence and the conditions under which such a licence may be issued. The NCC will also be permitted to impose specific obligations and requirements on the successful applicant. Should the Bill be enacted in its current form, its provisions will be made retrospective to June 1 2003.
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