The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa has approved the revised interconnection agreements that were filed by Vodacom, MTN and Cell C.
The revised agreements were filed with the authority on 9 February 2010. The agreements provide for interconnection rates to drop from R1,25 to 89 cents, during peak period, as from 1 March 2010. The rate for off-peak period remains unchanged at 77 cents.
The agreements have no suspense resolution conditions that bind the authority or its processes. The authority holds that this reduction in interconnection rates will be passed through to the consumers. However, the authority has informed the three mobile operators that they are obliged to renegotiate all interconnection agreements they have with other licensees based on the non-discrimination principle in clause eight of the interconnection guidelines of 2000.
Once these had been re-negotiated, such interconnection agreements must still be filed with the authority for approval. Whilst these measures are being implemented, the authority will continue with its processes of introducing competition in the wholesale call termination market with the intent of lowering the costs of communications in South Africa.
To this end, the authority will release draft wholesale call termination regulations in March 2010 and subject these to public and stakeholder input before it publishes the final regulations by the end of June 2010.
Contact:
Jubie Matlou
Cell: 082 376 0015
Issued by: Independent Communications Authority of South Africa
10 February 2010
Source: Independent Communications Authority of South Africa
(http://www.icasa.org.za/)
