As a result, a licence for a second cellular provider could not be issued, while Telecom continued to enjoy its monopoly over telecommunication services in Namibia. In the absence of competition, communication tariffs remained high, despite new and cheaper technologies such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP). Telecom, furthermore, threatened legal action against companies providing telecommunication services, such as VOIP, which enjoy protection under archaic legislation. Hopes that the government ban on advertisements in The Namibian might be lifted were dashed and at year-end the ban was still in place. Despite the ban imposed in December 2002 and a 2001 ban on the purchase of the newspaper with state money, The Namibian’s circulation figures continued to increase. So This Is Democracy? 2005 -91- Media Institute of Southern Africa