Christof Maletsky
7 January 2003
The Media Institute of Southern Africa has expressed concern over Government's decision to launch the process of licensing a second cellular phone operator before the reform of the country's communications sector has been debated in Parliament.
Misa issued a statement after the Namibian Communications Commission (NCC) announced the appointment of German consultancy firm DETECON International to oversee the bidding for a second cellular phone license.
"As it is, Misa takes issue with many aspects of the draft Communications Bill, which we believe falls short of international standards - notably the SADC Protocol on Information, Culture and Sport adopted by Namibia's National Assembly earlier in the year - governing broadcasting and the regulation of communications in general," Misa said.
The Communications Bill, which will establish a new communications regulator, the Communications Authority of Namibia (CAN), to regulate private telecommunications, broadcasting and postal services, will be presented in Cabinet only this year, after which the Bill will be debated in Parliament.
In terms of the draft Bill, all private broadcasters, telecommunications operators, and postal service companies will be regulated by CAN.
However, Namibia's national broadcaster, the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), will not fall under CAN's jurisdiction in terms of the draft Bill, and presumably will continue to be regulated by Government directly.
The draft Bill states that CAN will be an "independent" regulator.
However, in terms of the draft Bill, the authority's decision-making board of directors will be appointed by the Minister responsible for Information and Broadcasting.
Currently, President Sam Nujoma runs the portfolio.
Misa said there appeared to be similarities between the licensing of the second cellphone company, and the deregulation of broadcasting back in the early 1990s.
"Then Namibia's first commercial television broadcaster, M-Net, started broadcasting before the relevant legislation had been passed. The business arm of the ruling Swapo Party, Kalahari Holdings, was - and remains - the majority shareholder in Multichoice Namibia, the company which launched M-Net," Misa said.
The NCC said the liberalisation of the airwaves would create "vast opportunities" for the telecommunications industry.
Initially, a sub-committee had shortlisted DETECON International and Global Engineering Telecom to "assist in the granting of the second cellular licence as directed by Cabinet.
The German consultancy that outbid other firms from Britain, France, South Africa and Namibia, would invite tenders from prospective companies.
Tenders for this exercise closed in June 2002 and were opened in public view on June 24.
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