Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Telecommunication policy, africa'

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2006.
From the 1990s onwards, significant developments have occurred in the international telecommunications sector that have affected the South African telecommunications industry and peoples' access to the telephony. Rapid developments in Information and Communication Technologies together with the reorganisation of telecommunications operators through commercialisation, privatisation and market liberalisation have resulted in monopoly operators moving away from their public service mandates. Globalisation and adherence to World Trade Organisation rules are causing operators to rebalance their tariffs, long-distance rates are decreasing while the cost of local calls is increasing. High-end users of telecommunication services are benefiting while low-end, largely residential users are being priced off the network. The end result is a negative effect on universal access to telecommunications. This study examines the extent of telecommunications reform within the South African telecommunications industry as it affects the provision of telecommunication services and the government's goal of achieving universal access in South Africa. Quantitative research methods utilising secondary data were utilised to establish that the state owned operator, Telkom, has transformed itself from a public service operator to one that is fully commercialised and prepared for competition. This study finds that despite the large roll-out programme in fixed-line telecommunications, there has been only very limited uptake for rural and low-income users. Although Telkom's exclusivity period initially caused an acceleration of the growth in net new lines from Telkom's greater investment levels, this acceleration only lasted until 2000/1 when Telkom started to enforce timely accounts payment more strictly. This resulted in an actual decrease in the total number of active lines in 2001 and 2002, despite new lines being rolled out. Household figures suggest that low-income households disconnected in large numbers. Fixed line telephony access was given to people who could not afford telephones and hence they were later disconnected. The end result was that fixed lines ended up growing at a similar rate to what they were prior to the exclusivity period, suggesting that the grand subsidisation of universal access was most likely a waste of resources and only resulted in temporary ownership improvements. A further problem now faced by government is the number of people who were disconnected from Telkom and remain indebted to the company. These households are prevented from getting a fixed-line phone until they repay their deb!. This has potentially far-reaching effects on their lives through destroying their credit rating. In contrast to fixed line telephones, the growth in cellular subscribers has grown beyond all expectations. Almost all the gains in ownership have come from the adoption of cellular by rural and low-income users. This study demonstrates that cellular is the rational choice for most low-income consumers given the different tariff structures and the average monthly spend on communication. The study further suggests that future use of universal service funds should be more technology neutral, this will enhance the role of cellular telecommunications in such plans. Removing the burden off fixed line for universal service provision may enable the acceleration of telecommunication liberalisation in South Africa. Obvious benefits are better prices and products for business users. Fixed-line technology remains the core technology for business users who require bandwidth for data services and make considerably more calls than residential users, making fixed-line the cheaper technology. Amongst the current biggest users are cellular network operators. Improving prices on leasing and interconnection should lower cellular call rates, making it even more attractive to low-income users. Finally, the new Intemational Telecommunication Union definitions for universal access and service now include cellular technology and move away from a fixed-line focus. These definitions are very much in line with the results identified in this study.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2004.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study aims to assess the state of developments of Information Communication Technologies (ICT's) in the Gauteng Province as a driving factor for evolution into informational economy. Throughout the world the convergence of telecommunications, computing and publishing industries has changed the way in which the world economies and society at large are organized. It is important for every part of society to adapt to these changes. Since 1996 a number of institutional developments at a global, national, provincial, industrial, municipality and community levels have taken place to prepare society for the digital revolution. These institutional initiatives took form of policies and programs that would have an impact on the Gauteng Province. Therefore, it is necessary for Gauteng Province to develop a planning framework that is informed by these changes and initiatives. The theoretical basis of the study was Critical Multiplism. This approach employs multiple perspectives, methods, measures and data sources to arrive at plausible conclusions. The study concludes that the Gauteng Province has reached a critical point for rapid growth of ICT's to take place.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die studie fokus op die evaluering van die ontwikkeling van die Informasie Kommunikasie Tegnologie in Gauteng as 'n dryffaktor vir die evolusie na 'n informasie ekonomie. Internasionaal het die integrasie van telekommunikasie, rekenarisering en publisieteit industrieë die manier van organisasie van wêreld ekonomie en die samelewing verander. Dit is belangrik vir die sameling se voortbestaan om aan te pas by hierdie veranderinge. Sedert 1996 het verskeie institute en organisasies op globale, nasionale, provinsiale, industrieële, munisipale en gemeenskaps vlak reeds met voorbereidings begin vir die digitale revolusie. Hierdie inisiatiewe het die vorm van voorskrifte en programme aangeneem wat 'n definitiewe impak maak op Gauteng. Dit is belangrik vir Gauteng om 'n voorskriftelike raamwerk op te stel in lyn met hierdie inisiatiewe. Die teoretiese basis van hierdie studie was Kritiese Vermenigvuldiging. Hierdie metode maak gebruik van verskeie sienings, maniere en inligtingsbronne om by 'n werkbare oplossing te kom. Hierdie studie beklemtoon die feit dat Gauteng 'n krietiesie punt bereik het vir vinnige groei in Informasie Kommunikasie Tegnologie.

Thesis (S.M. in Engineering and Management, and, in Technology and Policy)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2011.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 143-150).
While most of the world's population resides in countries that are wealthy or developing, the rest reside in low-income and least developed countries (LDCs), left behind and growing more disconnected. At the same time, mobile phones are widely adopted in these underdeveloped areas and demonstrate potential for economic development. However, technological innovation and policies have often addressed narrow dimensions of poverty and development. Sustainable development, on the other hand, assesses the welfare of a country in its entirety. This then begs the question of how mobile telephony technology, given its pervasiveness, can be beneficial on a systemic and sustainable level. This document presents evidence that mobile phones can contribute to sustainable development in several ways. The focus is on selected countries in the sub-Saharan Africa region: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Nigeria, each of which is categorized as a LDC. The Sustainable Development framework is used to analyze data from case studies and existing technology, institutional and policy trends in the mobile telecommunication industry. The evidence from literature demonstrates that mobile initiatives focused on niche areas, such as banking and health, have benefited on the community level and improved operations within firms. Mobile industry policies have created a healthy system of innovation in these countries. However, environmental development has been secondary or even ignored. Thus, the recommendations focus on prioritizing sustainability, specific policies continuing diffusion and adoption, technology transfer mechanisms, increased robustness in data-tracking and countering external economic shocks. The data presented is not meant to be comprehensive nor complete. Consequently, suggested future work addresses short-term, mid-term, and long-term strategies. Specific areas include examining causal linkages for mobile phone adoption, designing technology initiatives around sustainability goals, and drivers that facilitate technology transfer. Mobile telecommunication technology offers real opportunities for development and growth in Africa. If the focus of development shifts from mere economic growth to sustainable development, countries can not only transform their economic fortunes but also enhance the quality of their environment.
by Alexander Shih.
S.M.in Engineering and Management, and, in Technology and Policy

Since the deregulation of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) in 2005, many South African organizations are now attempting to leverage its cost saving and competitive values. However, it has been recently cited that VoIP is one of the greatest new risks to organizations and this risk is cited to increase Information Security insurance premiums in the near future. Due to the dynamic nature of the VoIP technology, regulatory and legislative concerns such as lawful interception of communications and privacy may also contribute to business risk. In order to leverage value from the VoIP implementation, an organization should implement the technology with knowledge of the potential risk of civil liability. This is further highlighted by the King III Report which indicates that the Directors of an organization should be ultimately responsible for Corporate Governance and, therefore, IT Governance and Information Security Governance. The report goes further to say that any newly implemented technology, such as VoIP, should comply with all South African legislation and regulations. This responsibility encourages the practice of both due care and due diligence. However, recent trends exercised by Information Security professionals, responsible for drafting Information Security policies and related procedures, often neglect the regulatory requirements and choose to only implement international best practices with no consideration of the risk of civil liability. Although these best practice frameworks may inadvertently comply with existing local legislation, a chance of an oversight is possible. Oversights may not only result in criminal sanctions, but also civil action due to losses or damages suffered. With regard to implementing VoIP, good Corporate Governance could potentially be ensured through the use of both identified regulations and relevant international best practices. This dissertation aims to aid organizations in avoiding or at least mitigating the risk of civil liability to better leverage VoIP’s value, through good Corporate Governance practices. This should aid in the exercise of due care and due diligence when implementing VoIP as a means of conducting business communication.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is widely regarded as a key tool for bringing about development to people who live in underserved areas. Technologies such as mobile phones and Wi-Fi are seen as advantageous because they can be made available to poor places without the cost of building extensive physical infrastructure. However, researchers argue that ICTs have failed to live up to their potential in the context of development. Researchers point out developing countries lack frameworks to guide them through the implementation of ICTs in this context. The objective of this study is to come up with a framework that can be used in rural areas in South Africa to implement ICT projects. The researcher interviewed individuals who have been directly involved in an ICT initiative in a rural setting in the Eastern Cape Province to learn from their experiences. The researcher also studied publications that have been produced from these initiatives in order to gain a richer understanding. The findings of the study show that participants share similar views about how ICT projects should be approached and implemented in rural areas in South Africa. The views are grouped according to similarity into themes and discussed in detail in the study. From these themes a framework that can help implement ICT projects in rural areas is developed.

There is a great difference that exists between people who have access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and those who do not. As a developing nation, South Africa is badly affected by the so-called Digital Divide. Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICTD) interventions are rapidly increasing in marginalized and rural communities in striving to bridge this digital divide. This research project is undertaken within the context of the Siyakhula Living Lab (SLL) which is an ICTD intervention at Dwesa rural community. This research investigates how audio-based services can be applied locally for communication and information sharing. This research aims to develop a user-driven telephony framework which will enable users to construct customized audio-based services. This aims to empower the Dwesa community for skill development and supports the user-driven innovation. The Internet and Telephones are the most popular technologies that are widely used in our daily life for purposes of communication and information access. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) integrates these two separate technologies (Internet and Telephones) to produce real-time multimedia communication services such as Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems. In addition, the ability of VoIP presenting information through voice plays a crucial role, more especially to those who do not have web visual access or those who are computer illiterate.

The liberalization of the telecommunications sector in South Africa has brought about vast improvement in the take-up and use of mobile telephony, however the opposite can be said of broadband penetration. As recently as 2012, there has been some degree of stagnation in fixed telephony and broadband access. This research report explores the evolution of broadband policy and regulation over the past decade, 2003-2012. Several themes from international trends are used, as guidelines of what an integrated, efficient broadband policy should address what governance and policy leadership is necessary for driving broadband policy initiatives across all spheres of government. The study proposes a conceptual framework that informs the analysis in comparing and contrasting the national broadband policy and plans, as well as provincial and local government’s policies and plans against desirable characteristics, such coordinated planning and implementation of broadband across government. The research analyses the current state of the country’s national broadband policy and plans across the three spheres of government. The analysis considers the contextual differences between the trends studied and the local data collected in the formal research phase, for the benefit of identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the South African broadband plans. The conclusion focuses on the incentive structure needed to extend the development of the broadband ecosystem in terms of infrastructure, services, applications and user involvement in the country.

Thesis (M.M. (ICT Policy and Regulation))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Graduate School of Public and Development Management, 2013.
Cannot copy abstract

Dissertation submitted to the faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in ICT PR
ABSTRACT Infrastructure sharing is seen an opportunity to reduce the costs of deploying infrastructure and of gearing investment towards underserviced areas. It has since emerged that there is duplication and concentration of infrastructure in urban areas and limited infrastructure in many parts of the country. This complicates the sharing of infrastructure and the effectiveness of the infrastructure sharing instruments on essential facilities, facilities leasing and interconnection regulations in granting access to a wide range of services such as voice and broadband. The purpose of this study is to explore policy and regulatory instruments in infrastructure sharing and access to broadband. The study took into account the literature on policy and regulation and infrastructure sharing, the industry views and considered the trends in infrastructure sharing and the provision of ubiquitous networks to underserviced areas. The study found that network infrastructure sharing has the potential of providing the rapid development of access infrastructure capable of handling high bandwidth requirements suitable for an information society.

Social regulation, as applied specifically to the telecommunications sector, is a new phenomenon in most countries. It was only in the 1960s, with the establishment of regulatory agencies, that social regulation became important. The regulators are mandated by their country’s legislative and regulatory frameworks to meet social objectives. This study examined the extent to which ICASA protects consumers as it is mandated to do by the Electronic Communications Act 36 of 2005. The study found that ICASA has adopted mechanisms of protecting consumers, namely by conducting awareness campaigns, road shows and workshops in all the nine provinces of South Africa in order to educate and inform consumers about the procedures of lodging complaints and to make them aware of their rights. However, despite ICASA’s endeavours to ensure consumer protection, most consumers are neither aware of their rights and how to efficiently exercise them nor the procedures of lodging complaints. ICASA protects consumers to a reasonable extent but it can do more when the enduser and subscriber service charter regulations are finalised.
Communication Science
M. A. (International Communication)

Abstract The South African government embarked on a liberalisation path of the telecoms sector in 1996 in order to establish a knowledge-based society and thus enhance all aspects of the economy to make South Africa globally competitive. Liberalisation of the telecoms sector was an integral part of its overall vision to improve the quality of life for all South Africans. Market-based reform was the central philosophy underpinning the growth strategy for South Africa. ICT was recognised as key to growth and development. To date, international telecoms reform has focused on managing the transition from traditional monopoly markets to effective competition. The key steps in this process have been the commercialisation and ultimate sale of state-owned assets, licensing competitors, setting sector-specific regulation by independent national regulatory authorities to implement the market reform policies and ensure public interest objectives are met. As a result of rapidly changing technology, the unanticipated rapid and pervasive uptake of mobile services, the influence of international financial advisors and suppliers of telecoms equipment who all stand to gain, the reform process in developing countries has been controversial. Also, often after the first phase of market liberalisation, entrenched private sector incumbents make further reform in developing countries difficult. The focus of this study is on the second-phase of reform in South Africa after the initial market liberalisation. The research analysed the changing configuration and structure of the South African telecoms network market during the transition from monopoly to competition (2000- 2003) within the framework of competition rules to determine how government’s “managed liberalisation” policy and regulatory decisions have shaped (and are shaping) the competitive dynamics of the South African market. The findings were utilised to analyse its implications for the development of South Africa’s information society and provide a framework for policy-makers and regulators on effectively shaping telecoms network markets in transition. This study contextualised the South African telecoms situation within the dynamics of an international market by examining the changing role of the market in telecoms policy formulation in both developed and developing countries. This research looks at the current debates on the information society and liberalising telecoms markets in order to assess the impact of policy and regulatory interventions in selected national markets deemed relevant to this investigation e.g., United States, United Kingdom, India, Nigeria, Morocco, Uganda and Sri-Lanka. Based on an information society paradigm, the study involved multiple methods incorporating primarily qualitative research to investigate the actual development on the ground of competition in South Africa since the start of the managed liberalisation process. Secondary statistical data was utilised to understand market development and dynamics. The analysis combined competition rules and regulatory principles based on international experience together with the South African experience with sector liberalisation derived from interviews, focus groups and data analysis of the market. The study uses market structure analysis, with specific reference to telecom network markets as the basic framework of analysis. This is further enhanced by analysing the broader dynamics of the business, communications, policy and regulatory environments and an analysis of the performance of infrastructure companies in the telecoms network market in South Africa. The analysis explains how the managed liberalisation policy of the South African government has constrained growth, allowed incumbent operators to entrench themselves, generally failed to meet the needs of most consumers and limited South Africa’s aspirations to join the global information society. Despite technically meeting the form of most international best practice standards on market reform, there has been a lack of commitment to the substance i.e. effective competition, inconsistent application of regulation, the absence of a clear strategic framework and failure to undertake detailed market analysis throughout the process. The result has been artificial barriers to investment and constrained growth in the telecoms sector. In particular, a pre-occupation with the narrow licensing of individual technologies and specifically defined service classifications has created an unnecessarily complicated implementation regime hindering market development. The lack of competition at the core infrastructure level has constrained growth and innovation at the upper levels of the telecoms sector value chain, i.e. network services, that are dependent on access to the fixed line network. The study provides recommendations to increase investment in the South African ICT sector which include: clarifying national policy objectives and reviewing the current licensing framework; implementing widespread market reform; instituting market and competition review processes; allowing for increased competition review processes and increasing independence and accountability of the regulator. The research outlines strategies to counter the effects of a weak competitive environment, infrastructure and resource shortages and the lack of strong administrative structures in South Africa that are applicable to most developing countries. It suggests the following measures to drive competitive markets and enhance ICT growth: ensuring political commitment to market liberalisation and market-driven macro-economic policies; focusing on licensing major operators; instituting technology neutral licensing; reducing the need for regulatory decisions by accelerating competition and harnessing regional skills to strengthen regulatory effectiveness. Finally, this study demonstrates that ICT market development and policy is rooted in and influenced by many factors and disciplines. Thus the research suggests an integrated and holistic approach for analysing network markets in transition.

After enactment of the Electronic Communication Act of 2005, there has been increased regulation in the electronic communications sector. The purpose of this study is to investigate how ICASA ensured regulatory quality when formulating regulations. Regulatory quality is an effective way of ensuring that new or amended regulations achieve they intended objectives. Failure to address regulatory quality may result in ineffective and costly regulations that negatively impact the electronic communications sector. This study revealed that there are regulatory quality gaps in the regulatory process followed by ICASA. The study established that there was lack of transparency and consistency in the process followed by ICASA when formulating regulations. The regulatory decisions made by ICASA were not evidence based as no ex-ante regulatory impact assessment was conducted. The regulatory environment within which ICASA operated was not conducive to enabling regulatory quality. The main factors contributing to an unsuitable regulatory environment were identified as prescriptive sector legislation, ineffective institutional arrangements, and ICASAs‘ lack of the capacity and resources.

Countries worldwide have reformed or are in the process of reforming their telecommunications industries. The reform process is characterised by new laws and policies, and the establishment of regulatory agencies to implement reforms in a new dynamic global environment. Regulatory reform has emerged as an important policy area worldwide. In South Africa, the regulatory environment is undergoing an overhaul to create a framework for vibrant competition and consequently affordable services. The aim of this study is to gain a deeper insight into the capability and state of readiness of the regulatory authority to implement its constitutional mandate: to regulate the industry, create conditions for competition, and to achieve socio-political objectives. The case study research design was used. The methodology include: in-depth interviews, qualitative content analysis and documentation. The report concludes that the regulator lacks behind global best practices in terms of crucial policy and regulatory aspects to successfully implement its mandate.
Communication Science
M. A. (International Communication)

Research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Graduate School of Public and Development Management, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Master of Management in the field of ICT Policy and Regulation, University of the Witwatersrand, 2012.
Universal Service Obligations (USOs) have been used, for over a decade, as a regulatory mechanism to bridge the digital divide in South Africa. For USOs to be effective and efficient in bridging the digital divide, it requires close coordination between various impacted and interested stakeholders, such as mobile network operators (MNOs), the ICT regulatory authority (the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa), and the Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa in order to extend the number of beneficiaries of the USOs. Furthermore, this requires stakeholders to understand the full impact, as well as the costs and benefits (financial and non financial) before imposing the USOs. The evidence from this research confirms that there was no monitoring and evaluation of USOs for MNOs during their implementation. More importantly, the Regulatory Impact Assessment (as a regulatory tool) was never used by ICASA in respect of the USOs initiative. This led to the failure of the initiative in achieving most of its objectives. Such failure can be attributed to lack of understanding by ICASA of the general impact of imposing the USOs upon MNOs, given that no impact assessment was done before such imposition. Recommendations arising from the research include the need for a shared vision on the USOs initiative, the need for clearly identified and defined roles for all stakeholders with an interest in the initiative, the need for a properly analysed and know ICT access gap, the need to balance the use of market and non market mechanisms in respect of USOs, the to ensure a proper funding mechanisms for USOs, and the need to identify effective regulatory governance in respect of USOs.

The privatisation and liberalisation of telecommunications throughout the world has resulted in the growing involvement of competition authorities in telecommunications regulation, alongside telecommunications sector-specific regulators. The existence of both sector specific rules and competition rules has brought about a critical institutional challenge. The increased role of competition authorities in the telecommunications sector raises the issue of inconsistent jurisdiction in the sector. Conflicts are therefore inevitable in the absence of clear delineation of jurisdiction. The South African model for regulation in the telecommunications sector entails a sharing of jurisdiction between the sector-specific regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), and the competition-wide regulator, the Competition Commission. The study thus determines the interplay between the Competition Commission and ICASA as well as the competitiveness of South African telecommunications.
Communication Science
M.A. (International Communication))

A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, in ICT Policy and Regulation, University of the Witwatersrand, 2016
There is a common opinion among researchers and experts that efficient management of radio spectrum plays a vital role in ensuring universal access to telecommunications services. The objective of this study was to identify radio spectrum reforms and their associated effects on market liberalisation. It was postulated that appropriate radio spectrum reforms would be catalysts for market liberalisation. The evolution of command-and-control approaches in relation to market-based approaches was assessed. The research involved literature critique, review of policies as that relates to history of radio spectrum management in South Africa and across the world, and radio spectrum regulations analysis in South Africa. Interviews of radio spectrum industry experts and documents study of the evolution of telecommunications regulatory environment with respect to radio spectrum management and market liberalisation were also used as main sources of research. The purpose of the literature critique, review of policies, regulations and documents was to identify hints of radio spectrum reforms and measure qualitatively the extent of market liberalisation. While interviews of radio spectrum industry experts were used to ascertain industry response to strides made as far as radio spectrum and market liberalisation in South Africa. It was observed that initially, in most parts of the world and in South Africa, market liberalisation progressed quickly despite appreciable correlation with radio spectrum reforms. Early radio spectrum reforms, such as the establishment of an independent regulator of the industry and radio spectrum, had contributed to some level of market liberalisation with creation of oligopolistic telecommunication market, and had increased to radio spectrum by Vodacom, MTN and Cell C having access to both 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands. However, perpetual practise of command-and-control, an efficient radio spectrum management encouraged hoarding. The literature review and interview provided seven main contributions of reforms in the form of strides. These strides formed the basis for the research framework: 1) establishment of an independent regulator of the industry and radio spectrum, 2) increased access to radio spectrum, 3) service and technology neutrality on radio spectrum, 4) essential facilities to enable sharing, 5) market-based approaches radio spectrum pricing: AIP, 6) service-based competition versus infrastructure-based competition, and 7) non-rival, non-exclusive usage of radio spectrum. The conclusion is that increasing access to radio spectrum and the independent regulator were not primary determinants of market liberalisation. An analytic framework has been used to show that market liberalisation reached a plateau phase, with a few incumbents becoming dominant and creating an oligopolistic market structure. It is at this point that further market liberalisation could be stimulated by additional radio spectrum reforms. The command-and-control approach remains the main bottleneck source for access and efficiency in radio spectrum management, which encourages rival and exclusive use of radio spectrum. It has been observed that market-based radio spectrum reforms have also entrenched rivalry and exclusivity in the use of radio spectrum. Radio spectrum reforms that encourage non-rivalry and non-exclusivity, such as open-access to radio spectrum, are highly recommended in this research.
GR2016

This study investigates the use of telecentres for educational purposes in telecommunications under-serviced regions of South Africa. The problem addressed by this research has both equity and efficiency aspects. In particular, the thesis examines the impact of telecentres on the formal and non-formal education outcomes of recipient communities - four telecentres, two in townships and two in rural areas. The urban telecentres are Siyabonga in Orange Farm near Johannesburg and Mamelodi Communication and Information Services (MACIS), in Mamelodi township, near Pretoria in Gauteng Province. The rural telecentres are Tombo near Port St Johns in the Eastern Cape Province and Hoxani near Bushbuckridge on the Mpumalanga-Limpopo Province border. The main aim of the research is to conduct a quantitative survey of the telecentre users’ use of telecentres in the above mentioned locations. On the basis of this, the thesis seeks to come to some conclusions about the use and effectiveness of the South African telecentre program. The quantitative analysis of users is supported by a qualitative report and analysis of data gathered through personal interviews of telecentre operators and employees. The thesis reports on the outputs of the centres, limitations in their function, inhibitors to their economic performance, and recommendations for improving their operations. Some of the findings are that telecentres established through public-private partnership (PPP) funding are more effective and successful, computer literacy is a major resource offered, Hoxani telecentre offers outcomes-based education management skills training for local teachers, while Tombo, MACIS and Siyabonga telecentres offer additional business and electronic courses. The thesis also reviews the South African telecentre program against the background of similar programs in selected Asian and Latin American countries, Australia, Canada, and Europe and against the background of an analysis of South African post-apartheid telecommunications sector reforms (1996 to 2007). Insights into the unique nature of challenges facing geographically located telecentres as well as a new model for understanding telecentre operations in South Africa are offered.
Communication Science
D.Litt. et Phil.(Communication Science)

This thesis presents a case study of Canada’s first Black owned radio station, FLOW 93.5 FM, to demonstrate how official multiculturalism, in its formulation and implementation, negates Canada’s history of slavery and racial inequality. As a response to diversity, multiculturalism shifts the focus away from racial inequality to cultural difference. Consequently, Black self-determination is unauthorized. By investigating FLOW’s radio license applications, programming and advertisements, this thesis reveals just how the vision of a Black focus radio station dissolved in order to fit the practical and ideological framework of multiculturalism so that Blackness could be easily commodified. This thesis concludes that FLOW is not a Black radio station but instead is a multicultural radio station – one that specifically markets a de-politicized Blackness. As a result, multiculturalism poses serious consequences for imagining and engaging with Blackness as a politics that may address the needs of Black communities in Canada.