{"id":{"repo_id":"cape-town","oai_identifier":"oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/15975"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/cape-town/oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/15975","repository":{"repo_id":"cape-town","name":"University of Cape Town","base_url":"https://open.uct.ac.za/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Telkom and the South African economy : achieving the optimal relationship","abstract":"South Africa needs a modern, sophisticated telecommunications network to ensure economic development and political stability. The same network must also provide affordable and reliable service to a great percentage of the population. The telecommunications industry is currently monopolised by Telkom, a state-owned business enterprise (SBE), and does not appear capable of meeting these basic requirements. The purpose of this paper is to present a case for restructuring Telkom and liberalising the telecommunications industry to best serve the needs of the South African economy. The objective for restructuring the telecommunications industry must be to maximise long-term consumer welfare for all South Africans. This paper argues that consumer welfare will be maximised only by dismantling the statutory monopoly structure and moving toward a highly competitive, privately owned telecommunications industry. The economic issues, of course, cannot be discussed realistically without reference to political, social and historical variables, all of which are also considered. By focusing primarily on economic issues, however, this paper strives to avoid the ideological disputes which usually surround discussions of state ownership. This paper focuses on the telecommunications industry because it represents the single most important infrastructural component in a modern economy. It also presents a unique opportunity if managed well, and a grave danger if allowed to continue in its current structure.","abstract_html":"South Africa needs a modern, sophisticated telecommunications network to ensure economic development and political stability. The same network must also provide affordable and reliable service to a great percentage of the population. The telecommunications industry is currently monopolised by Telkom, a state-owned business enterprise (SBE), and does not appear capable of meeting these basic requirements. The purpose of this paper is to present a case for restructuring Telkom and liberalising the telecommunications industry to best serve the needs of the South African economy. The objective for restructuring the telecommunications industry must be to maximise long-term consumer welfare for all South Africans. This paper argues that consumer welfare will be maximised only by dismantling the statutory monopoly structure and moving toward a highly competitive, privately owned telecommunications industry. The economic issues, of course, cannot be discussed realistically without reference to political, social and historical variables, all of which are also considered. By focusing primarily on economic issues, however, this paper strives to avoid the ideological disputes which usually surround discussions of state ownership. This paper focuses on the telecommunications industry because it represents the single most important infrastructural component in a modern economy. It also presents a unique opportunity if managed well, and a grave danger if allowed to continue in its current structure.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Baird, Peter Walther Orgell"],"institution":"School of Economics","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Black, Philip"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":1995,"date_issued":"1995","date_published":"1995","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:23:12Z","subjects":[],"languages":["eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/11427/15975","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Black, Philip"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Baird, Peter Walther Orgell"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2015-12-28T06:06:08Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2015-12-28T06:06:08Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["1995"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.department","label":"Dc Publisher Department","values":["School of Economics"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.institution","label":"Dc Publisher Institution","values":["University of Cape Town"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Master Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["Masters"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationname","label":"Dc Type Qualificationname","values":["MA"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["eng"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/11427/15975"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Includes bibliography."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["South Africa needs a modern, sophisticated telecommunications network to ensure economic development and political stability. The same network must also provide affordable and reliable service to a great percentage of the population. The telecommunications industry is currently monopolised by Telkom, a state-owned business enterprise (SBE), and does not appear capable of meeting these basic requirements. The purpose of this paper is to present a case for restructuring Telkom and liberalising the telecommunications industry to best serve the needs of the South African economy. The objective for restructuring the telecommunications industry must be to maximise long-term consumer welfare for all South Africans. This paper argues that consumer welfare will be maximised only by dismantling the statutory monopoly structure and moving toward a highly competitive, privately owned telecommunications industry. The economic issues, of course, cannot be discussed realistically without reference to political, social and historical variables, all of which are also considered. By focusing primarily on economic issues, however, this paper strives to avoid the ideological disputes which usually surround discussions of state ownership. This paper focuses on the telecommunications industry because it represents the single most important infrastructural component in a modern economy. It also presents a unique opportunity if managed well, and a grave danger if allowed to continue in its current structure."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Telkom and the South African economy : achieving the optimal relationship"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Black, Philip"],"dc:creator":["Baird, Peter Walther Orgell"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2015-12-28T06:06:08Z"],"dc:date.available":["2015-12-28T06:06:08Z"],"dc:date.issued":["1995"],"dc:description":["Includes bibliography."],"dc:description.abstract":["South Africa needs a modern, sophisticated telecommunications network to ensure economic development and political stability. The same network must also provide affordable and reliable service to a great percentage of the population. The telecommunications industry is currently monopolised by Telkom, a state-owned business enterprise (SBE), and does not appear capable of meeting these basic requirements. The purpose of this paper is to present a case for restructuring Telkom and liberalising the telecommunications industry to best serve the needs of the South African economy. The objective for restructuring the telecommunications industry must be to maximise long-term consumer welfare for all South Africans. This paper argues that consumer welfare will be maximised only by dismantling the statutory monopoly structure and moving toward a highly competitive, privately owned telecommunications industry. The economic issues, of course, cannot be discussed realistically without reference to political, social and historical variables, all of which are also considered. By focusing primarily on economic issues, however, this paper strives to avoid the ideological disputes which usually surround discussions of state ownership. This paper focuses on the telecommunications industry because it represents the single most important infrastructural component in a modern economy. It also presents a unique opportunity if managed well, and a grave danger if allowed to continue in its current structure."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/11427/15975"],"dc:language.iso":["eng"],"dc:publisher.department":["School of Economics"],"dc:publisher.institution":["University of Cape Town"],"dc:title":["Telkom and the South African economy : achieving the optimal relationship"],"dc:type":["Master Thesis"],"dc:type.qualificationlevel":["Masters"],"dc:type.qualificationname":["MA"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:23:12Z"}