South Africa’s government plans to step-up efforts to close broadband coverage gaps, a move Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Solly Malatsi branded essential to empowering its people and fuelling economic growth.

The Minister today (4 October) detailed a two-phase plan, focused initially on boosting connectivity itself, but which will ultimately also seek to address the affordability of 4G- and 5G-compatible devices.

Minister Malatsi intends to instruct South African regulator ICASA to oversee work to clarify his department’s “position on the recognition of equity equivalent programmes”, based on current communications legislation.

South Africa’s Department of Trade, Industry and Competition explains equity equivalents enable multinationals which cannot comply with ownership elements of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment programme to gain recognition for contributions made in other ways.

Minister Malatsi aims to unlock the economic potential of better broadband coverage, which he explained makes it easier for people to start and run businesses, find jobs, market goods and services, and work remotely.

“Giving millions of South Africans access to broadband would therefore constitute one of the biggest empowerment programmes the South African government has ever undertaken,” he added.

There will be opportunities for broader industry comment on any strategy developed by ICASA.

After initially focusing on lowering “regulatory hurdles to investment in cheap, reliable broadband”, the government intends to seek ways to “lower the price of the smart devices needed” to access mobile data.

Minister Malatsi said details of the second element will “follow in due course”.