Question paper no: 18
Ms L D Mazibuko (DA) to ask the Minister of Communications:
Whether any (a) regulations and (b) draft regulations relating to (i) cellular phone tariffs and (ii) cellular phone call termination rates have been gazetted by Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) since its establishment in July 2000; if not, why not; if so, (aa) how many and (bb) what are the further relevant details in each case?
Reply:
I was informed by ICASA as follows:
(a) and (b)
(i) and (ii) No regulations or draft regulations with respect to cellular phone tariffs or with respect to cellular phone call termination rates have been gazetted by ICASA since its establishment in July 2000.
The reasons for this are as follows:
(a) Cellular phone tariffs were regulated by Consumer Price Index (CPI), i.e. in terms of the licence that cellular operators held, they were not allowed to increase their tariffs by more than CPI year on year.
(b) Call termination or interconnection fees were commercially negotiated between operators. As of 2001, cellular operators were not allowed to increase call termination rates by more than two cents or CPI.
Issued by: Department of Communications
7 October 2009
