112 PECC 'on track'

By Leon Engelbrecht, ITWeb senior writer

Johannesburg, 28 Jul 2008

SA is still "on track" to have a single national toll-free emergency contact number in place by the last quarter of next year.

The 112 number will replace the gamut of numbers currently in place to summon the police, fire brigade or ambulance services.

The number will link all callers to one of two Public Emergency Contact Centres (PECCs) that will direct the call to the appropriate authority for action.

The centres will be run as a public private partnership (PPP) involving the Department of Communication (DOC) and the vendor chosen by the former to establish and run the PECCs.

A call for bids ended earlier this year and the DOC is currently appraising the results, says spokesman Albi Modise.

"Yes, the department is on track in terms of the PPP procurement process for the 112 Emergency Call Centre," he says.

"Vendors have been short-listed and will undergo an evaluation process between August and September.

Modise says the process is time consuming as "the PPP process is a long process" that involves long-term contracting "and, as such, a meticulous procurement process needs to be followed to ensure a smooth process".

The PECCs are being established in terms of the Electronic Communications Act that requires the DOC to establish the capability and the Independent Communications Authority of SA to issue the requisite regulations, which it recently did.

The country's telecommunications companies are still studying these and, while supporting the initiative, have expressed some reservations over the cost impact of the regulations, especially those that might require them to acquire new technology at their own cost to better locate mobile handsets.