MEDIA STATEMENT MINISTER MALATSI ISSUES POLICY DIRECTION FOR SIMPLER AND FASTER DEPLOYMENT OF ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS The Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Mr Solly Malatsi, has issued a Policy Direction to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) regarding the deployment of electronic communications networks throughout the country. It was published in Government Gazette No. 55609 on 20 October, 2026. “The Policy Direction is ultimately aimed at reducing the cost of broadband communication, and ensuring all South Africans enjoy meaningful connectivity by eliminating cumbersome and fragmented administrative compliances which affect the pace of infrastructure building. This will introduce an environment in which the rollout of digital infrastructure is simpler, faster and more consistent. Delays in building and extending networks remain one of the main obstacles to affordable, high-speed connectivity in South Africa, and this policy direction is part of our reform programme to achieve this,” said Minister Malatsi. The Policy Direction is issued under section 3(2) of the Electronic Communications Act, 2005. It builds on the National Policy on the Rapid Deployment of Electronic Communications Networks and Facilities of 2023 and supplements it. It provides further policy guidance to ICASA as it develops the regulatory framework for network deployment and infrastructure sharing. Review of the Facilities Leasing Regulations The Policy Direction requests that ICASA review the Facilities Leasing Regulations, 2010. These regulations govern how operators lease infrastructure such as towers and ducts from one another. Since 2010, the Act has been amended, and the courts have handed down important judgments, so the regulations need to be updated. The Policy Direction also asks ICASA to consider the list of essential facilities, wholesale rates, improved timeframes for concluding and implementing leasing agreements, and stronger monitoring and enforcement. Principles for the Rapid Deployment Regulations The Policy Direction sets out principles for ICASA to take into account in developing a framework for new Rapid Deployment Regulations. It discourages unnecessary duplication where existing facilities are available, while recognising that additional infrastructure may be justified for commercial reasons, including network resilience, quality of service and service differentiation. ICASA is requested to establish a central geographic information system (GIS) database of the country’s electronic communications infrastructure. The database will give planners, regulators and operators a clearer picture of what has been built and where. It will be aligned with the national spatial data infrastructure framework, and access will be regulated to protect sensitive information. ICASA is further requested to provide a process for resolving disputes between licensees and landowners who choose to use it. It is also asked to report annually to the Minister on progress, with the first report due within twelve months. The draft Policy Direction was published for public comment on 12 March 2026, and sixteen written submissions were received. The majority of the submissions were supportive of the policy directions and informed several changes to the final text. The Policy Direction is available here: gpwonline.co.za/government-g…

Together with Sentech, I launched a cyberlab at Soutpan Primary School in Nelson Mandela Bay. I was once again joined by Deputy Higher Education Minister Yunus Cassim, who hails from the areas of the cyberlab launches here in Nelson Mandela Bay. The skills learners and teachers will learn will empower them to meaningfully use the internet to find out more about coding, robotics, graphic design and web development. Today’s gathering was bigger than the opening of a computer lab. This was about access, inclusion and opportunity for hundreds of children, teachers and community members.

I launched a mobile digital lab at Fontein Full-Service School in Nelson Mandela Bay today, in partnership with Liquid Intelligent Technologies and Microsoft. The lab will empower over 800 children to access the tools they need to learn, connect, access information on the internet and adopt much needed digital skills. The true measure of every cyberlab launch will be the number of lives of young people it changes for the better. I am grateful to the Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Yusuf Cassim, for championing the plight of the school.