MPS COULD END SPTC GATEWAY MONOPOLY

LOBAMBA – The Swaziland Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (SPTC) could within 14 days lose its monopoly in being the only backbone infrastructure (gateway) provider in the electronic communications industry.

This follows a motion that was passed by the House of Assembly calling upon the Minister of Information, Communication and Technology, Dumisani Ndlangamandla, to within 14 days bring an Amendment Bill on the Electronic Communications Act of 2013, particularly Section 53, which gives SPTC monopoly in the provision of backbone infrastructure.

The motion was moved by Mangcongco MP Patrick Motsa, who said all players in the communications industry must have a level playing field. He said in Swaziland, SPTC was the one in charge of the backbone infrastructure, which was not fair as it made the provision of services such as data and internet very expensive.

He said Swaziland was the second most expensive communications provider in Africa with the most expensive being South Sudan.
He said according to research, countries like Botswana were very cheap because in that country, a megabyte sold for about P1 500 (Pula). “In Swaziland this cost is at a shocking E15 000, which makes it clear that communications will always be expensive in the country,” said Motsa. He said the expensive cost was pushing away foreign direct investment as investors always chose other countries.

He was supported by Mhlume MP Sifiso Pitso Magagula who said other service providers must be allowed to go and purchase the infrastructure from other wholesalers instead of SPTC being the only entity that could provide such. “They just mustn’t be forced to go to SPTC,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mayiwane MP Eric Matsebula said the country had been saved by the introduction of Swazi Mobile in the reduction of cellphone communications rate. “Sisitwe ngumzala Swazi Mobile who brought in competition,” said Matsebula referring to the new mobile company as a cousin.

Matsebula said it was critical that the Act was amended because the SPTC monopoly ensured that everything, including bank services became expensive because of this gateway.
“These companies are forced to go to one place and that is why when we experience network blackouts, the whole country is in trouble,” he said.

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