ICT Policies of Namibia

ICT POLICIES OF NAMIBIA
VISION To transform Namibia into a knowledge-based, highly competitive, industrialised and eco-friendly nation, with sustainable economic growth and high quality of life by 2030. MISSION To ensure that every citizen and resident shall have affordable access to high quality information and communication services.

TELECOM & IT OBJECTIVES To enhance the market and regulatory structures of ICT in Namibia, and to fully liberalise all telecommunications services To establish streamlined, efficient and effective regulation of the ICT industry on a fully transparent, technology neutral and competitively balanced basis To provide universal access to information and communication facilities in Namibia for all To enable affordable prices for telecommunications services, particularly low income groups To enable profitable investment opportunities in all segments of the market To successfully implement Government ICT initiatives in education and training and successfully implement egovernment initiatives To establish Namibia as a first class regional ICT hub that will contribute towards job creation.

BROADCASTING OBJECTIVES Entrench freedom of expression, pluralism, diversity and competition Protect media users, and particularly the vulnerable, against unwanted and involuntary exposure to offensive and harmful material Foster provision of services to all Namibians in appropriate languages Foster economic development of the electronic media and tradable information sectors. POSTAL OBJECTIVES Ensure high quality postal services are offered at reasonable prices and a universal service, with uniform tariffs, is provided Sustain and further enhance postal services which satisfy the needs of business and individual consumers at affordable prices Create a postal service, which is able to succeed in increasingly demanding national and international markets Re-regulation and partial liberalisation of the postal market.

MAJOR POLICY INITIATIVES Universal access
International bandwidth costs Internet access Education and training Information security and privacy Electronic Government (egovernment) Electronic connectivity (e-connectivity) Foreign ICT skills Reduction of ICT emission levels Control of ICT waste

TELECOMS Interconnection
Individual licensees must allow any other licensee to interconnect its services and network. The party providing interconnection and / or facility leasing must provide services that are sufficiently unbundled. The Regulatory Authority may prescribe benchmark charges for interconnection. Facility and network licensees must upon request lease facilities to other licensed network operators. Shared access is required from all facility licensees unless such a request is technically or financially infeasible. The Government promotes the utilisation of all telecommunications sites and backbone networks in the development of the telecommunications sector.

TELECOMS
Numbering The Regulatory Authority must review the numbering plan in the interest of making more numbers available to duly licensed operators. An end user has the right to keep the same telephone number. The Regulatory Authority is required to introduce a numbering regime that: Increases consumer choice and competition Supports international standards.

TELECOMS
Universal service All telecommunications providers are required to contribute to the provision of universal service. The Government will establish a Universal Service Fund (USF) to fund the provision of services to unprofitable areas. Operators are encouraged to roll out services to high cost areas and qualifying public institutions. The Government leads initiatives to increase broadband penetration to provide Internet access in Namibia.

TELECOMS
Internet The Government aims to stimulate the market for bundled personal computer and telecommunications services to increase uptake through access to funds from the USF. Government promotes the mass market roll out of Internet services, through a price review of the pricing components.

TELECOMS
IP telephony Government recognises IP telephonically (e.g. VoIP) as a complementary service to public service telephony. An IP telephony distinction is made between technology that transports information and a specific service that sells voice.

TELECOMS
International bandwidth The Government creates a market structure that facilitates the reduction of international bandwidth prices through the establishment of competition in the telecommunications sector. Government funding and incentives The Government will assist with the funding of ICT projects and programmes that will contribute to ICT access, skills development, international bandwidth and local content development.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Competition The Government will create an equitable, fair, just and competitive environment based on the principles of the free market and open unfettered access to products and services. Consumer protection and standards The Government promotes efficient and reliable services that conform to international technical and quality standards. The Government promotes professional standards and ethical practices in the Namibian ICT industry through self regulation.

Foreign participation and skills Foreign investors are encouraged to enter and assist in building and developing the Namibian ICT industry. The Government actively seeks to facilitate the acquisition of ICT skills from outside Namibia. Small and medium enterprises The Government recognises entrepreneurship and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as important contributors to economic growth and job creation. The Government will therefore support new ventures and SMEs.

Electronic transactions and electronic commerce Namibia embraces electronic transactions and electronic commerce (e - commerce) as mechanisms to participate in the increasingly global information society. Information security and privacy The Government promotes legislation for information security, data protection and the protection of privacy. ICT and telecommunications licensees have an obligation to protect subscriber privacy and comply with international standards.

Fair Use and Creative Commons licensing The Namibian law will be investigated to create more fair use in copyright laws. Creative Commons licenses by non profit and public sector bodies grant baseline rights such as the right to distributed copyrighted work. Electronic Government (egovernment) The Government promotes the use of electronic means to facilitate interaction between Government and public, as well as to improve the Governments own internal operations to enhance service delivery and democratic participation. Government services will be accessed free of charge through established Information Kiosks within integrated Multi - Purpose Regional Community Parks.

Electronic connectivity (e-connectivity) The Government subscribes to the provision of a reliable, realtime, secure two way interactive connection with its constituents and within Government internally. Information and infrastructure sharing The Government promotes the sharing of information and infrastructure between Government Ministries, Regional and Local Authorities for the purposes of national planning, coordination and development.

Open Source software The Namibian Government supports all operating system platforms. The Government promotes access to Open Source (FLOSS) and proprietary operating systems in schools in Namibia. .na Top Level Domain (ccTLD) Top level domain administration (.na) must be administered by a central institution established or recognised by an Act of Parliament. No person may update a repository or administer a second level domain unless such a person is licensed to do so by the Association.

Education The Government will stimulate the development of the ICT skills through the establishment of ICT Centres of Excellence at centres of further learning. The Government will include IT training as part of the educational curricula, starting from primary school level. The Government aims to facilitate the establishment of institutions of ICT learning in smaller towns. Skills development The Government will provide tax incentives for ICT skills development by the private sector.

Reduction of ICT emission levels The Government determines safe levels for emission and ensures that emissions do not exceed a limit beyond which exposure becomes harmful to the population. Reduction of ICT emission levels The Government determines safe levels for emission and ensures that emissions do not exceed a limit beyond which exposure becomes harmful to the population. The Government appreciates foreign assistance in developing the use of ICT in Namibia. However

BROADCASTING
Competition The Government will create an equitable, fair, just and competitive environment based on the principles of the free market and open unfettered access to products and services. Consumer protection and standards The Government promotes efficient, reliable and ethical services that conform to international technical and quality standards. Ownership and foreign participation The Namibian Government encourages foreign participation in the broadcasting sector.

BROADCASTING
Cross media ownership The Government of Namibia accepts cross - media ownership within defined checks and balances which include defined cross media limitations, licence area limits, directorship limitations, limitations on controland ownership by foreign persons; sale of public shares; and other qualifications (as required). Pluralism and diversity Namibia aims to establish a broadcasting and content regime that ensures the objectives defined in the African Charter on Broadcasting and inform the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression in Africa underpin Namibian broadcasting policy.

BROADCASTING
Positive and negative regulation The Government will implement a regulatory framework which distinguishes between positive and negative regulation. Regulation for push and pull media Regulation will distinguish between the measures appropriate for content and services consciously sought out and chosen by users (pull media) and those where choice and control cannot be exercised so effectively (push media). Content regulation All content providers will be subject to relevant Namibian law. The Government of Namibia encourages local programming content such as news, local affairs and listener participation.

BROADCASTING
Self-regulation Namibian broadcasters, in conjunction with the Regulatory Authority, will be responsible for developing self - regulatory codes. To give effect to Namibias policy on self - regulation, the Regulatory Authority will receive and adjudicate complaints that have not been resolved by the push broadcaster to the satisfaction of the complainant. Self-regulatory agency Government encourages broadcasters and media to establish a self - regulatory agency to formulate, revise and update codes and to undertake adjudication of complaints.

BROADCASTING
Media ombudsmen To give effect to Namibias policy on self - regulation, the primary responsibility for the implementation of self regulation rests with broadcasters. Independent spokespersons, often called readers editors or media ombudsmen, need to be appointed to advance the interests of users. Legacy radio frequency spectrum users and grandfathering The Government distinguishes between services and spectrum licence ownership. Established legacy users of Namibias radio frequencies will be licensed on a grandfathered basis for a period of five years for radio and eight for television licences after which the spectrum will revert to the Namibian State.

BROADCASTING
Facility sharing, co-location and rights of way Facility and network licensees, in the interests of making efficient use of facilities or networks, must upon request lease facilities (for example poles, ducts) to other licensed network operators. Shared access is required from all facility licensees unless such a request is technically or financially infeasible. Facility licensees must obtain rights of way, servitudes and / or way leaves to dig trenches or plant poles for cable systems and place facility infrastructure over land owned by another. Digital switchover The Regulatory Authority, in consultation with broadcasters and other interested parties, will develop and implement an analogue / digital television switchover plan.

BROADCASTING
Support for national content The Government will establish a Universal Service Fund (USF) to, inter alia, assist with content production by local broadcasters in Namibia. The Government will incentivise both local and foreign productions using Namibia as a location through tax rebates. The Government will continue to support the Film Development Fund, which aims to develop local film production. Two thirds of the Public Broadcasters content is required to be of Namibian origin. National provision of services The Public Broadcaster is obliged to provide services to all parts of Namibia.

BROADCASTING
Skills development The Government will stimulate the development of the content production skills through the establishment of Centres of Excellence at centres of further learning. Government will allocate funds toward the development of study centres at tertiary level. Where possible, Government will form partnerships with industry to develop content production skills in Namibia. The commitment to the development of local skills will be a condition to tax rebates for both local and foreign productions using Namibia as a location.

BROADCASTING
Public broadcasting The Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) will enhance its capacity to be a public service broadcaster, charged with editorial independence and with providing Namibians with a diverse range of high quality programmes with a suitable proportion of local content. Commercial and community broadcasting sectors The Government will continue to encourage commercial and community broadcasting.

POSTAL SECTOR Competition The Government will create an equitable, fair, just and
competitive environment based on the principles of the free market and open, unfettered access to products and services. All postal operators will be subject to a licence fee payable annually. In addition, a once off market entry fee will be levied. Government recognises that the growth in electronic telecommunications has expanded the communications market, reducing the postal services percentage of market share drastically and threatening the volumes of the current postal services

POSTAL SECTOR
Customer protection and standards The Government promotes efficient and reliable services that conform to international technical and quality standards. The Regulatory Authority will establish service standards and product definitions for the designated postal operator that ensure harmonisation of national mail systems with international networks. Regulatory framework The regulatory framework will focus on the reregulation of the postal sector, i.e. tight regulations (where required) combined with a generally less prescriptive and efficient framework avoiding over regulation and avoiding the creation of administrative burdens.

POSTAL SECTOR
Investment in the postal sector The development and sustainability of the postal sector depends, to a large extent, on the availability of funding and investments. Ownership and foreign participation The Namibian Government encourages foreign participation in the postal sector. Universal postal service The Government has a fundamental obligation to ensure that a universal postal service, particularly within the rural areas, exist even though these services may not be commercially viable. The Regulatory Authority will issue a licence to the designated postal operator with set terms on which a Universal Service Obligation (USO) is imposed.

POSTAL SECTOR
Universal postal service The Government will subsidise loss making services resulting from the designated postal operators universal service obligation. The Government promotes more effective utilisation of postal infrastructure to serve as points of access to the global information society and will utilise this infrastructure post offices as MultiPurpose Community Centres for ICT services where deemed necessary. Reserved services The Government realises that the designated postal operator is faced with both direct and indirect competition and needs to be protected to deliver a universal service.

POSTAL SECTOR
Reserved services In order to ensure the provision of universal service, the Government will give the universal service provider exclusive or monopoly protection in reserved services of the postal markets. The tariffs applicable to reserved postal services shall be set by the designated postal operator according to the guidelines established by the Regulatory Authority.

POSTAL SECTOR
Reserved services The designated postal operator shall not cross-subsidise the prices of any service it offers in the market for un-reserved postal services from the sales revenue of reserved postal services. Only the designated postal operator is allowed to issue postage stamps. This includes definitive, commemorative, special and electronic stamps. The Regulatory Authority will set standards for the universal service provider, and impose conditions through a licence agreement, for reserved services. The designated postal operator will be subject to a performance contract that specifies the scope and standards of the service, and penalties for not providing the universal postal products and services to these standards.

POSTAL SECTOR
Interconnection The Government promotes the provision of interconnection facilities for mail presented by other licensed operators on commercial terms so as to provide a seamless postal service to all locations in Namibia. Interconnection applies to linking with operators who provide postal networks or services in order to allow the users of one operator to deliver services to the users of another operator and to access services provided by another operator, where specific commitments are undertaken. Any postal network should be fully accessible to any other postal operator in a non-discriminatory manner, while protecting the privacy of both parties.

POSTAL SECTOR
Mail house operators and mail consolidators Mail house operators and mail consolidators shall comply with Universal Postal Union guidelines on remailing, be subject to monitoring by the Regulator with regard to trading practices and agreed-to service standards; be subject to licensing by the Regulator in order to operate within Namibia; and honour the reserved benefits conferred on the public postal operator. Extra Territorial Offices of Exchange (ETOEs) Mail house operators, mail consolidators and extra territorial offices of exchange shall comply with Universal Postal Union guidelines on remailing, be subject to monitoring by the Regulator with regard to trading practices and agreed-to service standards; be subject to licensing by the Regulator in order to operate within Namibia; and honour the reserved benefits conferred on the designated postal operator.

POSTAL SECTOR
Postal security The Government will develop and adopt specific postal laws, regulations
and measures to ensure the security and integrity of the postal system. The designated postal operator will ensure the integrity of mail and protect employees, property, business interests and clients against criminal activities. This will enhance the quality of service and image of the designated postal operator. The designated postal operator will develop a crime prevention and investigation strategy in consultation with all stakeholders in the postal service. Postal articles may be subjected to examination without opening through the use of detection devices. This will be in line with applicable national legislation and will therefore not involve a breach of privacy.

POSTAL SECTOR
Licensing regime The Regulatory Authority will issue a concession to delegate public postal operations. This will grant the designated postal operator exclusive privileges for a determined period of time. At the end of the stipulated period, the concession agreement and conditions will be reviewed. All new entrants into the postal market will be subject to licensing conditions as set by the Regulatory Authority. Postal service impact of technological advances The Government recognises technological innovation and the application of new technology in the postal market as indirect

POSTAL SECTOR
Postal service impact of technological advances The Government recognises Hybrid Electronic Services (e.g. Volume Electronic Mail VEM, Hybrid Data Interchange service and Electronic Document Interchange - EDI) as complementary services to postal services. International postal relations The Government aims to ensure the smooth functioning of the vast global postal networks, and a close cooperation between different countries in the international postal sector.

POSTAL SECTOR
Cooperation and interaction among stakeholders The Government aims to strengthen and broaden cooperation and interaction among the stakeholders of the postal sector. Skills development The Government will provide incentives for ICT skills development by the private sector. Postal services and the environment The Government is committed to environmental development and sustainability, and will thus ensure that all responsibilities and duties within the postal sector will be implemented with the least possible impact on the environment.

POSTAL SECTOR
Postal services and the environment In the Governments efforts to protect the environment, the Government promotes the implementation of an environmental policy in the postal sector. The policy will be aligned with 'Beijing Declaration on Environmental Protection.
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ICT POLICIES OF NAMIBIA