Amid extended delays in the finalisation of South Africa’s information and communications technology (ICT) policy and a legal dispute over the auctioning of broadband spectrum, Cabinet has announced the formation of a ‘Broadband War Room’ to address the uncertainty.

Minister in The Presidency for Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Jeff Radebe indicated that the August 16 to 19 Cabinet lekgotla recognised the urgency of resolving the current constraints in a sector that had the potential to contribute a further 1.4% to South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Speaking at a post-lekgotla briefing in Pretoria on Monday, Radebe said all “relevant Ministers that are part of the ICT Cluster would be part of the war room”.

The structure has been tasked with finalising the ICT Policy, “which would be coming before Cabinet soon”.

In addition, it would deal with the contentious issue of spectrum licensing, which is the subject of a legal dispute between Telecommunications and Postal Services Minister Siyabonga Cwele and the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa).

Cwele is objecting to an Icasa invitation for applicants to apply for 700 MHz, 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz spectrum licences, the release of which will reportedly boost the roll-out of faster communications. It has been reported that a reserve price of R3-billion has been set for those wishing to bid.

However, Cwele is arguing that Icasa’s auction is premature and irrational, owing to an absence of regulation to govern such a process. Some commentators have also warned that Icasa’s move could threaten transformation in the industry, as it would favour incumbent telecoms firms.

Radebe indicated that he hoped the issue could be resolved outside the courts, but admitted that such resolution would require the “wisdom of Solomon”.

Besides dealing with the spectrum dispute, the war room has been tasked with expediting policies that would support growth in the ICT sector.

“We are told that, if we are able to resolve issues around the spectrum, its contribution to GDP can be as big as 1.4%. So it is of critical importance that we move with speed in accelerating the usage and deployment of ICT for broader economic goals.”