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South African Wireless Information Service Providers' Association To Launch |
A South
African Wireless
Information
Service Providers' Association
representing players in the mobile industry in South Africa is set for
Launch on August 26th 2004 The
huge growth in subscribers and services over public mobile networks in South
Africa has
set
new challenges of
establishing
technical and ethical standards for provision of services as
well as
ensuring compliance with regulations that directly
apply to
the
mobile
industry. "The
formation
of an industry association
that represents players in the mobile industry
has been
identified
as one method of meeting these challenges as well as
providing
a framework for interaction between major players on matters
of common commercial interest",
says Leon Perlman, who along with Mike Silber & Ant Brooks is spearheading the formation
of the industry association.
Perlman runs www.cellular.co.za A
pressing regulatory need
for the formation of an industry association
has also
been identified, that being the legal indemnities offered by
Chapter 11 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act of 2002
which indemnifies mobile carriers and WISPs
– together known under the Act as “Service Providers” - from the civil and
criminal liability of having merely carried inappropriate content, if they
inter alia belong to a
representative industry association with its own code of
conduct.
"Both
the industry association and its code of conduct must be recognized by the
South African Communications Minister
for members to enjoy any benefits available under Chapter 11," says Perlman.
Those WASPs which fall into the provisions of the ECT act and
which belong to
a recognised
WISPA
and
subscribe to its code of conduct
may be
offered this indemnity.
Those
who do not join do not enjoy the indemnities offered
under the Act.
WISPA
as an
organisation will apply to the authorities for recognition as a
representative industry body, and will interact with regulatory authorities
and any public mobile network associations to further the aims of the
organisation.