20 December 2007
The authority would like to thank all who have co-operated with the licence
Conversion Committee in order to advance the licence conversion process.
The standard terms and conditions applicable to individual and class
licences have been finalised in Government Gazettes No 30530 and No 30512
respectively. The licence exemption regulations will be finalised in January
2008.
The licence fees regulations will be finalised once the authority has
completed all the necessary consultations and required research. The
finalisation of the licence fees regulations will then allow the authority to
proceed with publication of the finalised procedures and process
regulations.
The authority is currently drafting the specific terms and conditions
applicable to individual licensees. Once they have been drafted they will be
sent to those who are entitled to an individual licence for comment, before
they are published for public comment and input.
Further, the authority has carefully considered all the submissions received
in response to Government Gazettes No 30438 and No 30352, and has decided that
value-added network services (VANs) will in the first instance be converted to
Electronic Communication Services (ECS) and that a competitive process will be
followed in respect of granting VANS the right to acquire Electronic
Communications Network Services (ECNS) as per the Ministerial Directive. An
Invitation To Apply (ITA) to this effect will be issued in January 2008.
Consequently a separate matrix for VANS (ECNS applications) will be
published once interested parties have responded to the ITA and submissions
have been evaluated. The authority will hold public hearings in March 2008 in
order to fast track this process.
Meanwhile, the authority will shortly publish a conversion matrix for each
of the following categories of licences:
* broadcasting
* telecommunications
* VANS (Class and Individual ECS).
Issued by: Independent Communications Authority of South Africa
20 December 2007
