STAATSKOERANT, 24 JANUARIE 2014 No. 37261 service obligations, community service obligations, network rollout obligations, community service telephones and broadcasting obligations. 9.2.5 Other measures There have been initiatives by provincial government and municipalites to increase access to services, such as the erstwhile Gauteng Online project and the deployment of fibre optic networks by various municipalities. According to the SADC guidelines, as Internet and broadband access begin to fall within the scope of universal access definitions and targets, public-private partnerships are moving beyond just network operators and government to include equipment suppliers, vendors, manufacturers, academics, civil society and communities. 9.3 Current Institutional Arrangements Driving Universal Service and Access The responsibility for universal access and service is currently shared among different government agencies. The Department of Communications is responsible for the policy framework and has played a critical role in the community radio space as indicated in the chapter on broadcasting. ICASA, USAASA and the MDDA are the main players in terms of implementing government policy and legislation on UAS. The roles of each of these institutions are explained in more detail in Chapter 12. 9.4 Access gap analysis An important step in extending universal access to under-serviced areas is identifying access gaps at national, provincial and local government level. In 2013, USAASA undertook an access gap study to inform a national strategy on UAS. With regard to basic 2G mobile voice telephony, the study found that existing gaps are quite small, and the areas that appear to be outside the market frontier are limited to a few provinces. The analysis indicates that commercial operators should be able to expand their coverage to reach a large majority of those locations and population centres where 2G service is not yet fully available. Moreover, where there are other non-economic barriers that have impeded network development they should be addressed on a case-by-case basis. The study further found that in areas where there are significant access gaps in the 2G mobile market, the main factor driving these gaps is a combination of the income level of the local population and a reluctance of operators to roll out their network to areas they deem unviable. Such areas include various small settlements, dispersed population groups, and sparsely settled areas that may not have mobile network coverage. Insofar as 3G mobile broadband is concerned, the market has been able to deliver services to a greater section of the population and continues to do so. The picture for public broadband access on the other hand is one with challenges and opportunities. Current coverage of broadband network access at the local level is in the range of about 50% of the country. According to USAASA, the exact number of towns and villages in which some form of public broadband is available - whether in schools, in Multi-Purpose Community Centres (MPCCs) or other public centres - is difficult to specify, but it appears likely that some such facilities are available in about half the population centres of the country, at least at the local municipality level. Moreover, it appears that there is room for the market to expand such public broadband coverage to at least another 25% of the country. The study observes that in examining the underlying factors influencing the size and cost of these gaps, it is evident that backbone network connectivity has the most significant influence on the market status. To deliver any broadband level service at the local municipal level requires a high capacity backbone connection into each location. Where fibre optic 71 This gazette is also available free online at www.gpwonline.co.za 75