Cape Town — Hopes for cheaper telecommunications for South Africa have been raised by President Thabo Mbeki, who declared in his State of the Nation address that it was “unacceptable” that some fixed line rates were 10 times those of developed countries.

Speaking in the South African Parliament, Mbeki blamed “legal processes which are beyond government’s control” for delaying the setting up of a “second national operator” in addition to the country’s state-controlled fixed line operator, Telkom.

“Bold steps have been taken further to liberalise the telecommunications industry,” Mbeki said. The government believed the high rates “will soon become a thing of the past” and hoped that delays in approving a rival operator “will be resolved in due course, and as soon as possible.”

At present domestic broadband internet connections in South Africa cost four times as much as a comparable service in the United States.

For the full text of President Mbeki's speech click here.