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Certificate in Telecomms Policy, Regulation and Management

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The Certificate in Telecommunications Policy, Regulation and Management is offered by the LINK Centre, School of Public and Development Management, University of the Witwatersrand  -  Southern Africa’s leading research and training body in the field of information and communications technology  policy, regulation and management.  It provides an essential background to the understanding the regulatory and policy issues and challenges in the rapidly changing telecommunications and broadcasting sector.

 

Spread over three week-long sessions between May and July 2008, skilled and experienced staff at the LINK Centre, School of Public & Development Management, University of Witwatersrand, supported by an extensive panel of guest lecturers, each an expert in their field, will help you map the telecommunications landscape.

 

Significance

The course is designed to address the constantly evolving issues and concerns inherent in the dynamic and fast-paced nature of the telecommunications sector in South Africa. These changes - driven by rapidly developing technologies, by the evolving legal and regulatory environment and by the emergence of new markets, services and applications - give rise to increased demands for training and information. The advent of convergence and globalisation intensifies the ongoing challenge on people in these sectors to remain informed of local developments and international trends and practices.

 

Who should attend?

Decision-makers and senior policy-makers in the Department of Communications, ICASA and the USA, managers and regulatory staff in industry (manufacturers, service providers and fixed and mobile operators), bidders for PSTN licences, broadcasters, lawyers, consultants, journalists, union officials and NGOs involved in the sector.

 

Objectives

By the end of the course, the successful student will be able to:

·        demonstrate an understanding of the policy and regulatory environment for the telecommunications and broadcasting industries in South Africa;

·        demonstrate an understanding of information and communications technologies and the policy implications of these technologies;

·        describe the structure and process of policy formulation, regulatory oversight and licensing procedures in South Africa;

·        critically compare the South African telecommunications environment with international models and best practice benchmarks;

·        explain the approaches to telecommunications policy and regulation adopted in SADC, Africa and globally;

·        demonstrate an understanding of telecommunications reform and its implications for South Africa;

·        understand the essential drivers of reform locally and internationally, including the impact of globalisation and convergence.

 

Content Overview

A Certificate in Telecommunications Policy, Regulation and Management is awarded to candidates who attend the following three modules (120 hours) and who successfully complete the required individual and syndicate assignments.

 

Module 1: ICT Technologies and Markets

·        Basic concepts of telecommunications networks: the PSTN and its underlying technologies, digitisation, transmission, switching;

·        Wireless communications: WLL, satellite, mobile wireless, GSM, 3G;

·        Call traffic and its implications;

·        Spectrum, its planning and management, and the assignment of frequency;

·        Numbering and numbering plans, number portability, carrier pre-select, eNum;

·        The telecommunications market in SA: status, performance and trends;

·        Signal distribution, and broadcasting technologies;

·        The broadcasting market and the impact of digital broadcasting;

·        The Internet, VoIP, VANS and VPNs;

·        Convergence, broadband, multimedia and the future.

 

Module 2: International ICT Trends, Organisations & Developments

·        Globalisation and the information age;

·        Global trends in regulatory reform: liberalisation, privatisation, regulation in a converging environment;

·        Global e-governance: structures, institutions and global obligations (ITU, WTO, GATS, ICANN);

·        Regional developments in telecommunications regulation: SATCC, CRASA, ATU, NEPAD;

·        National responses to the global information economy: e-commerce in South Africa;

·        ICT and labour;

·        ICT and gender;

·        Information and communications technologies and development (the digital divide, ISAD, GK, dotForce, UN ICT TT, WSIS);

·        Universal access and universal service.

 

Module 3: Telecommunications and Broadcasting Policy, Law and Regulation

·        The SA Constitution and administrative law;

·        Telecommunications sector regulation: rationales, principles and practices;

·        Competition law, and the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors in SA;

·        ICT sector reform in SA: overview;

·        Legislative, regulatory and licensing framework for telecommunications in SA: agencies, structure and procedures;

·        Policy and legislative reform, the regulatory and licensing framework for broadcasting in SA;

·        Interconnection and facilities sharing: principles, law and regulation;

·        Licensing: the objectives, typology, procedures, content and monitoring of licences;

·        Pricing and tariffs;

·        Quality of service and consumer protection.

 

About LINK

The LINK Centre is the leading public policy, regulation and management educational body in the area of information and communication in Southern Africa.

 

LINK focuses on capacity building in the public sector and development arenas through quality training, applied research and consultancy services necessary to maximise the benefits of the Information Society and the Knowledge Economy.

 

Methodology

An interactive and intensive teaching methodology is used, comprised of several learning methods, including lectures, syndicate work, case studies, structured learning group discussions and presentations from local and international experts in the field. In this way participants will develop a strong practical focus directly applicable to their own organisations.

 

The course is evaluated via one individual and two syndicate assignments. Syndicate assignments are professionally presented to the group and external examiners drawn from government, industry or academia.

 

Schedule 2008

TPRM 2008 is a block release course divided into three modules, each running for one week per month.  Participants may attend individual modules as stand-alone executive courses.

 

 

Fees

R 17 250 (plus VAT) per participant for the full three-week course.

 

Individual modules may be taken on their own as executive courses (for which a certificate of attendance is issued) at a fee of R 7 500 (plus VAT) per participant. A small fee discount is available for bulk enrolments.

 

Venue

All lectures are held at the Graduate School of Public and Development Management campus, 2 St David's Place, Parktown.   Lectures run daily from 08:30 to 17:00 with breaks for lunch and teas.

 

Convenor

Charley Lewis + 27 + 11 + 717-3784 or charley.lewis@wits.ac.za

 

Information

The course web page is available at http://link.wits.ac.za/training/tc1.html.

 

Registration can be done online, using the course code WE/TPRMGM/07/01, via http://www.wits.ac.za/enterprise/courses/register.html.

 

Contact Tennyson Mashiloane + 27 + 11 + 717-4595 or via  Tennyson.Mashiloane@wits.ac.za for more information or to enrol.

 

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Charley Lewis

Senior Lecturer, LINK Centre

 

Tel:                  + 27 11-717-3784

Fax:                  + 27 11-717-3910

Mobile:              + 27 83-539-5242

Post (personal): Box 81185, Parkhurst, 2120, SOUTH AFRICA

Skype:              charley.lewis

URL:                 http://link.wits.ac.za

Mwalimu House, School of Public & Development Management, University of the Witwatersrand

2 St David's Place, Parktown, 2193, SOUTH AFRICA

 

è Master of Management in ICT Policy & Regulation:  http://link.wits.ac.za/training/training4.html

è Certificate in Telecomms Policy, Regulation & Management:  http://link.wits.ac.za/training/tc1.html