Telecom Reform:
Regulatory Strategies for Effective Policy Execution
Johannesburg, South Africa, 5 - 10 November, 2001

Focus:

Designed for decision-makers at executive level, including senior staff from government policy bodies, regulatory authorities, regulatory divisions of telecom operators, and user organisations, with emphasis on issues that are central to the process of effective execution of telecom policy through strategic regulation.

Course Convenors:

LIRNE.NET: Prof. Dr. William H. Melody Editor of Telecom Reform: Principles and Prof. Dr. Rohan Samarajiva, former Director General, Sri Lanka Telecom Regulatory Commission and both of Delft University of Technology, Netherlands

LINK Centre: Alison Gillwald, Director and former Councillor at the South African Telecommunications Regulatory Authority and Peter Benjamin, network development and universal service authority.

Additional lecturers on the South Africa course team include:

• Professor Dr. Jens Arnbak, Chairman, OPTA (Telecom and Post Regulatory Authority) Netherlands, and Delft University of Technology;

• Anthony Brooks, Co-ordinator, Internet Service Providers Association of South Africa;

• Maev Sullivan, CEO, TeleConsult, London, UK.

Course Objectives:

To enhance understanding of the basic principles, concepts, methods, data sources and strategies necessary to develop and implement sound policies for institutional reform of national telecom sectors. The course will also equip participants to deal with current issues such as licensing, interconnection, different forms of competition, alternate dispute resolution, spectrum management, rights of way, tariffing (prices, costs and quality), international revenue settlements, international benchmarking, IP telephony and other new technologies, e-commerce and other new network services, the digital divide and more:

• Distinguished international lecturers with practical experience;

• Structured interactions with experts and colleagues from other countries;

• Limited enrolment for optimal discussion opportunities;

• The course fee includes all course materials, meals and refreshments at the Course Conference Centre for the duration of the Course, from Monday evening (5 November) until Saturday lunch (10 November) - travel and accommodation are not included;

• The course design includes small-group discussion and an opportunity for continued interactions over the Internet until 15 December. The course convenors will participate in these exchanges on the LIRNE.NET web site;

• The course is held in the week prior to the meeting of ITU African Telecom 2001 to be held in Johannesburg.

Course Programme:

Monday, 5 November
Afternoon game drive / safari
16:00	Registration
18:00	Reception
19:00	Welcome, Introductions; Review of Course Objectives Chair William H. Melody, Managing Director, LIRNE.NET and World Dialogue on Regulation for Network Economies (WDR); Prof., Delft University of Technology, Netherlands; and Center for Tele-Information (CTI), Technical University of Denmark; Editor, TelecomReform Welcome Alison Gillwald, Director, LINK Centre, Graduate School of Public and Development Management, Witwatersrand University; former Councillor at the South African Telecommunications Regulatory Authority Overview of the Programme Rohan Samarajiva, Director of External Programmes, LIRNE.NET and WDR; Visiting Prof., Delft University of Technology; Senior International Specialist, National Regulatory Research Inst. (NRRI), USA; DG, Sri Lanka Telecom Regulatory Commission (1998-99) Opening Presentation Institutional Challenges of Convergence Mandla Langa, Chairperson, Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA)
20:00	Dinner
Tuesday, 6 November
09:00 - 09:30	Introduction to the Course and its Management William Melody, LIRNE.NET
09:30 - 10:30	Current Issues in Telecom Regulation Alison Gillwald, LINK Centre
11:00 - 12:30	Economics of Convergence Networks: Principles of Competition, Reality of Participation William Melody, LIRNE.NET
14:00 - 15:30	Governance and Legitimacy: Independence in Theory and Practice Rohan Samarajiva, LIRNE.NET
16:00 - 17:30	Legislation and Licensing Rohan Samarajiva, LIRNE.NET
19:30	Dinner Neva Makgetla, COSATU / Communications Workers Union The Case for Returning to National Telecom Monopoly
Wednesday, 7 November
09:00 - 10:00	Discovering and Developing Consumer Demand William Melody, LIRNE.NET
10:00 - 11:00	Incumbent Operator Strategies: South Africa Robert Pasley, Director of Corporate Strategy, Vodacom South Africa
11:30 - 12:30	New Entrant Strategies: South Africa Norman Ober, Senior Advisor to CEO, Cell C
14:00 - 15:30	Challenges and Opportunities of the Internet Anthony Brooks, Future Foundation
16:00 - 17:30	Interconnection: Fixed, Mobile, IP Issues Rohan Samarajiva, LIRNE.NET
19:30	Dinner Joe Okpaku, Okpaku Communications Creating an Enabling Environment of Equipment Suppliers in African Countries
Thursday, 8 November
09:00 - 10:30	Universal Access, Universal Service and the Digital Divide William Melody, LIRNE.NET; Peter Benjamin, LINK Centre
11:00 - 12:30	Alternative Regulatory Procedures Alternative Dispute Resolution Rohan Samarajiva, LIRNE.NET
14:00 - 15:30	Requirements for a Conducive Investment Environment in Southern Africa Gillian Marcelle, JP Morgan
16:00 - 17:30	Strategy for Relations with External Institutions (including Media) Rohan Samarajiva, LIRNE.NET
19:30	Dinner
Friday, 9 November
09:00 - 10:30	Management of Scarce Resources: Spectrum, Rights of Way, Numbers & Domain Names William Melody, LIRNE.NET
11:00 - 12:30	Consumer Relations in the Context of Rebalancing Rohan Samarajiva, LIRNE.NET
14:00 - 15:30	Performance Indicators: Measurement and Interpretation William Melody, LIRNE.NET
16:00 - 17:30	The Next Step in Regulation: ICT Convergence or Multi - sector Utility Regulation Rohan Samarajiva, LIRNE.NET
19:30	Course Banquet ITU Programmes to Support NRAs Hamadoun I. Touré, Director, ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau Word of congratulations to candidates from Vodacom (graduation dinner sponsors) Dinner Award Certificates
Saturday, 10 November
09:00 - 10:30	Cost Concepts, Cost - based Pricing and Tariff Regulation in a Convergence Environment William Melody, LIRNE.NET
11:00 - 12:30	Regulatory Aspects of Disaster Preparedness and Management Rohan Samarajiva, LIRNE.NET
12:30 - 1300	Summary and Feedback
	Lunch
Close of formal portion of the Course. Internet dialogue continues until 15 December
Afternoon game drive / safari

Fees (excluding travel and accommodation):

• US$ 2 900 for participants from the public sector and regulatory agencies;

• US$ 3 900 for participants from the corporate sector;

• A limited number of reduced fee fellowships will be available to applicants from academic and non-profit organisations.

Venue:

The course will be held at the Aloe Ridge Hotel (P.O. Box 3040, Honeydew, 2040, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa), which is situated less than an hour from Johannesburg in a small game reserve where hippo, rhino, buffalo and wildebeest can be found. Recreational facilities include a heated indoor and outdoor swimming pool, floodlit, tennis court, trout fishing, cycling track and river walk. Other attractions include a highly advanced and amateur observatory and an authentic Zulu village.

When making reservations, be sure to mention you are a participant in the LIRNE training course to ensure you are charged the discount price. The accommodation fee for the course of 2 500 Rand (approx $ 275) per person covers room and full board from Monday dinner (5 November) through Saturday lunch (10 November). For participants who live in Johannesburg area and wish to commute, the day delegate fee for the course is 1 000 Rand.

Reservations can be made by fax: + 27 + 11 + 659-0709 or phone + 27 + 11 + 659-0605.

The hotel can be contacted directly by fax + 27 + 11 + 957-2017 or phone + 27 + 11 + 957-2070 or e-mail: aloeridge@pixie.co.za. The contact person is Cynette Wessels.

Upon registration, detailed information about how best to get to the Aloe Ridge Hotel will be provided.

For further information for visitors to South Africa, click on one of the following links:
        Satour;    SA Venues;    Travel Southern Africa.

For further information regarding local organisation, contact the LINK Centre, Witwatersrand University, Att: Felicia Currie, fax: + 27 11 717-3910 or phone: 27 11 717- 3914.

Registration:

To participate in the course, please download, print and fill out the form you will find by clicking here.

Reference Material:

The following background reading for the course is available online:

• Telecom Reform: Principles, Policies and Regulatory Practices - ed William H. Melody
• Telecommunications Regulation Handbook - ed Hank Intven & McCarthy Titrault

Contact the LINK Centre for more information.

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