Are telecom companies window-dressing with certification to avoid thorough audits?

The time has come for South African telecommunication companies to face greater scrutiny.

With data prices higher in South Africa than in many other African states, these companies should be more accountable to their customers. Yet this is not happening.

It has become clear that some companies prefer vendors to stay in the system despite performing poorly. The problem is that vendor and contract management auditing is lax, with contracts under a specific value not even going through the auditing process.

Many telecom firms maintain divisions dedicated to managing SHEQ (safety, health, environment, and quality) alongside their IT systems. However, ensuring robust consequence management and accountability often requires more effective implementation. One key challenge is that auditors may hesitate to question the practices of prominent brands.

In many cases, auditors lack sufficient industry knowledge and are reluctant to issue non-conformance rulings, particularly to larger telecom entities. Consequently, these companies may evade accountability for non-conformance and substandard work.

Furthermore, inexperienced or incompetent industry consultants may struggle to produce the necessary documentation or effectively integrate it to mitigate risks.

This raises concerns about whether the conformance certificates issued serve merely as superficial “window dressing.”

Ideally, competent auditors should not be swayed by intimidation and should be empowered to issue major non-conformances. They should also require companies to present action plans within a strict timeframe, such as ten days. Failure to demonstrate a commitment to improving conformance should result in suspension.

Further, its suspension must be publicised on its website, and contractually, the telecoms company must communicate, with evidence, the suspension to all its clients.  

It is worth noting that these are standard requirements for certification bodies managed by accreditation bodies like the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).

The change must come from the top if companies want to move away from dubious practices.

It needs strong leadership that understands the values of standards and best practices and ensures that these values filter through to every level of the organisation.

Furthermore, there’s a pressing need to foster a culture of accountability among staff. Individuals who fail to adhere to standards or resort to shortcuts should face disciplinary action, including potential dismissal.

Crucially, automating the procurement process can mitigate risks associated with employee interference.

All these objectives can be attained through rigorous adherence to ISO standards.

Considering the blatant disregard for processes in South Africa’s telecom sector, adherence to ISO standards emerges as the most viable solution. Failure to do so may drive international investors away, particularly given existing concerns about the country’s high crime rates, corruption, and energy crisis.

Countries like Singapore and the United Arab Emirates serve as prime examples of the positive outcomes of standardization.

The paramount benefit of ISO standards lies in their ability to ensure consistency in delivering products and services without making unrealistic promises. ISO management systems employ a risk-based approach to guide both capital and operational expenditure decisions, thereby enhancing business operations and customer service offerings.

• ISO 9001:2015 QMS – Control of processes and client satisfaction.
• ISO/IEC 27001:2022 ISMS – Control of IT and information-related assets and preservation of confidentiality, integrity and availability of information.
• ISO/IEC 20 000-1:2018 IT-SMS – Focus on IT server management.
• ISO 22301:2019 – Business Continuity.  Contingencies for people, processes, and technologies, as well as a roadmap for improving processes.
• ISO 50 001:2018 EnMS – Energy optimisation and performance at telecoms companies.
• ISO 37001:2016 Anti-bribery management systems.