CONNECTIVITY
WORKSTREAM LEAD: Katharina Pillay / Suveer Ramdhani
Connectivity Positioning
- Telecommunications Networks are currently heavily constrained and global and local networks are experiencing increased traffic.
- The obvious solution is to boost capacity as demand for connectivity services rise.
- As people increasingly avoid public spaces and person-to-person meetings, the reliance on applications that allows real time connectivity to stay in contact with their co-workers, friends and family will drastically increase.
- As people spend more time at home, multimedia services and interactive content such as entertainment and gaming will place further strain on current networks. The impact of COVID19 will mean that people will increasingly turn to new ways to conduct their lives and jobs and businesses. Alternative methods for child education, tertiary education and other adult education will have to be accommodated. In addition people will increasingly turn to online shopping, banking, sorting out of administration through email correspondence, online entertainment including watching movies online, reading of online or digital magazines, newspapers, and staying abreast of matters via news sites), searching for, or exchange of information of suppliers, products and services, conducting online meetings and video conferences through the various available applications and being accessible to colleagues, clients and friends 24/7.
Key factors that influence provision of connectivity
Access to spectrum for capacity
Access to spectrum for capacity
Equipment & network improvement
Equipment & network improvement
Permitting additional sites and rapid deployment
Permitting additional sites and rapid deployment
Managing Power/energy
Managing Power/energy
Recommendations to enable remote connectivity:
| Recommendation | Solution Area |
|---|---|
| License available spectrum to all licensees able to boost capacity on an urgent basis. | Direct ICASA issue temporary spectrum licences. |
| Type approval Automated type approval based on applicants meeting predetermined criteria. a) Prior approvals and safety certification | Online real-time type approval for equipment already approved in region 1 |
| Deemed notifications for tariff notifications - submission and immediate implementation thereafter | Realtime tariff notification - deemed approvals |
| Automatic deemed approvals for wayleave applications once the completed application has been submitted | Realtime - deemed approvals across all municipalities |