Social regulation, as applied specifically to the telecommunications sector, is a new phenomenon in most countries. It was only in the 1960s, with the establishment of regulatory agencies, that social regulation became important. The regulators are mandated by their country’s legislative and regulatory frameworks to meet social objectives. This study examined the extent to which ICASA protects consumers as it is mandated to do by the Electronic Communications Act 36 of 2005. The study found that ICASA has adopted mechanisms of protecting consumers, namely by conducting awareness campaigns, road shows and workshops in all the nine provinces of South Africa in order to educate and inform consumers about the procedures of lodging complaints and to make them aware of their rights. However, despite ICASA’s endeavours to ensure consumer protection, most consumers are neither aware of their rights and how to efficiently exercise them nor the procedures of lodging complaints. ICASA protects consumers to a reasonable extent but it can do more when the enduser and subscriber service charter regulations are finalised. / Communication Science / M. A. (International Communication)

Orientador: Ricardo Abid Castillo / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Geociencias / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-06T12:04:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Iozzi_FabiolaLana_M.pdf: 3910334 bytes, checksum: 3fa383241f2c0fd658f4072c67afb45b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Resumo: A quebra do monopólio estatal em 1995 e a privatização propriamente dita poucos anos mais tarde, constituem os principais marcos do processo de reestruturação do sistema brasileiro de telecomunicações. Essa mudança na natureza dos agentes prestadores dos serviços de telecomunicações, antes estatais e agora privados, demandou a criação de instrumentos regulatórios que visam garantir a universalização e continuidade no que diz respeito ao serviço de telefonia fixa. A proposta de universalização tem como objetivo assegurar a oferta desse serviço básico para qualquer pessoa independentemente de sua localização ou condição sócio-econômica. Assim, as metas de universalização surgiram como uma espécie de garantia para a população frente ao processo de privatização do sistema de telecomunicações brasileiro. ssa proposta, porém, é baseada somente na expansão do número de linhas telefônicas instaladas o que não significa dizer que essas linhas estejam realmente sendo utilizadas. O uso desse serviço é condicionado ao pagamento de altas tarifas, o que impede o acesso de parcela da população, que não possui potencial econômico suficiente para arcar com tais custos. O Estado concede o oferecimento de um serviço básico para agentes privados e se exime do planejamento de um segmento estratégico. Se o Estado deve ter o comprometimento com a totalidade do território, os agentes privados comprometem-se apenas com a busca pelo lucro, o que em um país que revela tantas desigualdades torna-se um dado perverso. Desse modo, procuramos, neste trabalho, desvendar essa contradição a partir da análise do território brasileiro, pois este revela as conseqüências das ações políticas e a coerência com a realidade na qual estas se dão. Essa discussão se fará por meio da análise das transformações técnicas e normativas em curso no sistema de telecomunicações brasileiro, na busca de contribuir para a identificação dos rumos da universalização proposta para o serviço de telefonia fixa no Brasil / Abstract: The break in the State monopoly in 1995 and a few years later, the privatization properly said, constitute the main bases of the process of restructure of the Brazilian telecommunication system. This change in the nature of the telecommunication services render agents, in the past, being from the State and now private, demanded the creation of regulatory instruments that aim to warranty the universalization and continuity in what concerns to the fixed telephone system service. The proposal of universalization has as an aim to ensure the offer of this basic service for every person independently from his or her localization or social-economic condition. Thus, the goals of universalization came up as a kind of guarantee for the population front to the process of privatization of the Brazilian telecommunication system. However, this proposal is based only in the expansion of the number of installed telephone lines, what doesn¿t mean that those lines are really being used. The use of this service depends on the payment of high tariffs, which impedes the access of part of the population that doesn¿t have enough economic potential to afford such costs. The State concedes the offering of a basic service for private agents and releases itself from the planning of a strategic segment. If the State must have the commitment to the totality of the territory, the private agents commit themselves only to the seek for the profit, which in a country that reveals so much inequality, it turns into a wicked date. In this way, we tempt, in this work, to unmask this contradiction, from the analysis of the Brazilian territory, because this reveals the consequences of the political actions and the coherence to the reality in which they occur. This discussion will be achieved through the analysis of the technical and normative transformations occurring in the Brazilian telecommunication system, in the search for the contribution to the identification of the ways the proposed universalization for the fixed telephone system service in Brazil / Mestrado / Mestre em Geografia

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Countries worldwide have reformed or are in the process of reforming their telecommunications industries. The reform process is characterised by new laws and policies, and the establishment of regulatory agencies to implement reforms in a new dynamic global environment. Regulatory reform has emerged as an important policy area worldwide. In South Africa, the regulatory environment is undergoing an overhaul to create a framework for vibrant competition and consequently affordable services. The aim of this study is to gain a deeper insight into the capability and state of readiness of the regulatory authority to implement its constitutional mandate: to regulate the industry, create conditions for competition, and to achieve socio-political objectives. The case study research design was used. The methodology include: in-depth interviews, qualitative content analysis and documentation. The report concludes that the regulator lacks behind global best practices in terms of crucial policy and regulatory aspects to successfully implement its mandate. / Communication Science / M. A. (International Communication)

全球行動電話用戶數於2002年達到12億，首度超過固定電話用戶數之11億；行動電話用戶數並於2008年達41億，為固定電話用戶數(13億)之3倍以上。行動電話相對於固定電話之主要優勢在於系統之建置成本低及佈建速度快；行動電話之快速普及已成為創新擴散研究之重要題材。 行動電話擴散之研究為選取一成長模型(例如Gompertz、Logistic或Bass模型)並類比該模型以求出擴散之參數(例如成長速率)，以進一步(1)了解相關驅動因子(例如技術創新、市場開放等)對擴散參數之影響，及(2)延伸擴散模型曲線以預測未來之成長。 惟成長模型之選取尚無原理原則可供遵循而具隨機性(ad hoc basis)。為找出模型選用之可能規律，以降低模型選用之隨機性並提高成長預測之準確度，本研究以十二個代表性國家(巴、中、法、德、印、日、韓、俄、星、台、英、美)至2007年之資料以比較三個最常用之成長模型之績效，即Gompertz、Logistic及Bass模型。模型績效逐年比較標準係採用rmse值，並輔以Friedman test檢測模型績效差異之顯著性，再對照模型之機制意涵，以進一步了解最適模型之選用原則。 此外，台灣行動電話普及率於2002年為108%居全球之冠，而中國自2001年起取代美國成為全球具最多行動電話用戶數之單一國家，台灣及中國屬行動電話擴散之重要個案，惟目前尚缺此二個案之實證研究。為補足此一缺口，本研究亦對台灣及中國行動電話擴散之驅動因子進行實證研究，以進一步了解擴散之關鍵驅動力。 研究發現由於目前統計軟體之進步，Gompertz、Logistic及Bass三模型均可獲致極佳之匹配度而難分軒輊，惟模型預測力(延伸曲線)則具差異性。12個模型選用樣本國家中之8個國家(巴、中、法、德、日、韓、英、美)係以Gompertz模型具較佳之預測力；依Gompertz模型機制意涵，代表行動電話擴散早期係受網路外部性(口耳相傳)影響，惟至擴散後期(例如過了擴散極大值之一半)則已不相關。此外，若因市場開放等重大變因造成行動電話之快速擴散，則Logistic模型具有較佳之績效，如台灣及俄羅斯屬之。依Logistic模型機制意涵，代表擴散係受網路外部性所影響。Bass模型應用於行動電擴散時，因該模型所算出之創新係數偏低，績效與Logistic模型相近，而Logistic模型為Bass模型之創新係數為0時之特例。 台灣及中國行動電話擴散之驅動因子研究發現(1)價格下降及(2)預付卡之推行對加速擴散具顯著性，兩者均對低階市場之採用具影響力。鑑於高階市場將先飽和，爰未來加速行動電話擴散之關鍵驅動因子應係與推動低階市場採用具密切相關性。以中國為例，未來市場開放競爭造成價格再度大幅下降，將進一步促低階市場採用，加速中國行動電話之普及。 / The number of mobile telephone subscriptions reached 1.2 billion globally in 2002, exceeding fixed-line telephony subscriptions (1.1 billion) for the first time. The number of mobile telephone subscriptions reached 4.1 billion globally in 2008, over three times the number of fixed-line telephone subscriptions (1.3 billion). The main advantages of mobile telephony over fixed-line are low cost and rapid facility deployment. The rapid diffusion of mobile telephony has become an important topic in innovation diffusion. The conventional approach to studying mobile telephony diffusion is to analogize a single growth model, such as the Gompertz, Logistic or Bass model, and calculate the model parameters, for example growth rate. The significance of certain selected driving forces, such as technology innovation or market competition, to the studied parameters, such as growth rate, is then estimated. The diffusion growth can also be forecast by extrapolating the diffusion curve. Utilizing the growth model analogy is the first step in analyzing mobile telephony diffusion. However, no principles or rules exit for selecting a growth model. To identify rules for model selection to reduce randomness and increase forecast accuracy, this work uses 12 sample countries, namely Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, the UK and the USA, employing data prior to 2008 to compare the performance of three most commonly used models, namely the Gompertz, Logistic and Bass models. The root mean square error (rmse) is chosen as the criterion for measuring annual model performance. The work uses the Friedman test to examine the significance of differences in performance between models. The implications of model mechanisms are emphasized to investigate the selection rule for the most appropriate model. The penetration of mobile telephony in Taiwan was 108% in 2002, ranking first in the world. Furthermore, in 2001 the number of mobile telephony in China replaced the United States as number one in the world. Both Taiwan and China are important examples for mobile telephony diffusion. However, no empirical investigation has been performed in these two cases. To fill this gap, this work estimated the driving forces for mobile telephony diffusion in Taiwan and China to learn about the critical drivers of the mobile telephony diffusion. Empirical results indicate that due to improvements in statistical software, providing good fitness for all three models, namely the Gompertz, Logistic and Bass models, distinguishing which has the best fitness is difficult. However, the performance of the three models is distinguishable when forecasting based on extrapolating the diffusion curve. In eight of the 12 examples, namely Brazil, China, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, the UK and the USA, the Gompertz model is the most appropriate model for forecasting. The mechanism of the Gompertz model means that during the initial stage the diffusion is correlated with network externalities (namely word of mouth), however, this correlation reduces during the later stages (such as pass one half of the maximum potential). Moreover, the cases of Taiwan and Russia demonstrated that the Logistic model performs well provided some significant driver of the diffusion exists. The mechanism of the Logistic model means that the diffusion is correlated with network externalities throughout the whole diffusion. Furthermore, using Chinese data, when the Bass model is applied, because of its low innovation coefficient, it performs similarly to the Logistic model, which is a special case of the Bass model in which the innovation coefficient equals zero. Empirical results for the critical driving forces of mobile telephony diffusion in Taiwan and China indicate that (1) reducing prices and (2) the launch of pre-paid services are crucial to mobile telephony diffusion. Both factors are essential to mobile telephony adoption in low-end markets. The high-end market is the first to be saturated by mobile telephony adoption, future drivers of the mobile telephony diffusion should be highly correlated with low-end market demand. Taking China as an example, the opening of the market to further reduce tariffs will attract mobile telephony adoption in the low-end market, facilitating the mobile telephony diffusion.

Countries worldwide have reformed or are in the process of reforming their telecommunications industries. The reform process is characterised by new laws and policies, and the establishment of regulatory agencies to implement reforms in a new dynamic global environment. Regulatory reform has emerged as an important policy area worldwide. In South Africa, the regulatory environment is undergoing an overhaul to create a framework for vibrant competition and consequently affordable services. The aim of this study is to gain a deeper insight into the capability and state of readiness of the regulatory authority to implement its constitutional mandate: to regulate the industry, create conditions for competition, and to achieve socio-political objectives. The case study research design was used. The methodology include: in-depth interviews, qualitative content analysis and documentation. The report concludes that the regulator lacks behind global best practices in terms of crucial policy and regulatory aspects to successfully implement its mandate. / Communication Science / M. A. (International Communication)

The privatisation and liberalisation of telecommunications throughout the world has resulted in the growing involvement of competition authorities in telecommunications regulation, alongside telecommunications sector-specific regulators. The existence of both sector specific rules and competition rules has brought about a critical institutional challenge. The increased role of competition authorities in the telecommunications sector raises the issue of inconsistent jurisdiction in the sector. Conflicts are therefore inevitable in the absence of clear delineation of jurisdiction. The South African model for regulation in the telecommunications sector entails a sharing of jurisdiction between the sector-specific regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), and the competition-wide regulator, the Competition Commission. The study thus determines the interplay between the Competition Commission and ICASA as well as the competitiveness of South African telecommunications. / Communication Science / M.A. (International Communication))

This study investigates the use of telecentres for educational purposes in telecommunications under-serviced regions of South Africa. The problem addressed by this research has both equity and efficiency aspects. In particular, the thesis examines the impact of telecentres on the formal and non-formal education outcomes of recipient communities - four telecentres, two in townships and two in rural areas. The urban telecentres are Siyabonga in Orange Farm near Johannesburg and Mamelodi Communication and Information Services (MACIS), in Mamelodi township, near Pretoria in Gauteng Province. The rural telecentres are Tombo near Port St Johns in the Eastern Cape Province and Hoxani near Bushbuckridge on the Mpumalanga-Limpopo Province border. The main aim of the research is to conduct a quantitative survey of the telecentre users’ use of telecentres in the above mentioned locations. On the basis of this, the thesis seeks to come to some conclusions about the use and effectiveness of the South African telecentre program. The quantitative analysis of users is supported by a qualitative report and analysis of data gathered through personal interviews of telecentre operators and employees. The thesis reports on the outputs of the centres, limitations in their function, inhibitors to their economic performance, and recommendations for improving their operations. Some of the findings are that telecentres established through public-private partnership (PPP) funding are more effective and successful, computer literacy is a major resource offered, Hoxani telecentre offers outcomes-based education management skills training for local teachers, while Tombo, MACIS and Siyabonga telecentres offer additional business and electronic courses. The thesis also reviews the South African telecentre program against the background of similar programs in selected Asian and Latin American countries, Australia, Canada, and Europe and against the background of an analysis of South African post-apartheid telecommunications sector reforms (1996 to 2007). Insights into the unique nature of challenges facing geographically located telecentres as well as a new model for understanding telecentre operations in South Africa are offered. / Communication Science / D.Litt. et Phil.(Communication Science)

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The privatisation and liberalisation of telecommunications throughout the world has resulted in the growing involvement of competition authorities in telecommunications regulation, alongside telecommunications sector-specific regulators. The existence of both sector specific rules and competition rules has brought about a critical institutional challenge. The increased role of competition authorities in the telecommunications sector raises the issue of inconsistent jurisdiction in the sector. Conflicts are therefore inevitable in the absence of clear delineation of jurisdiction. The South African model for regulation in the telecommunications sector entails a sharing of jurisdiction between the sector-specific regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), and the competition-wide regulator, the Competition Commission. The study thus determines the interplay between the Competition Commission and ICASA as well as the competitiveness of South African telecommunications. / Communication Science / M.A. (International Communication))