The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) has invited bids for a service provider to assist it to draw up regulations for the unbundling of the local loop.
The service provider will also assist ICASA in implementing recommendations that came out of the consultative process the regulator engaged in with stakeholders with regard to the unbundling of the local loop.
According to ICASA, bidders are to respond by 17 June and no late bids will be considered.
In March, ICASA announced plans to consult with ICT stakeholders with a view to forming a committee that will oversee the overall local loop unbundling process.
This morning, ICASA spokesman Sekgoela Sekgoela was unable to provide further input as to whether the stakeholder consultation process was completed and the coordinating committee formed.
He was also unable to comment on the progress made by the subcommittees which were to look at policy, legal and regulatory matters, technical and engineering processes, financial and costing models, as well as economic and competition matters.
ICASA had said the subcommittees would develop plans that would be consolidated into a local loop unbundling project plan.
Government and ICT stakeholders previously noted the unbundling of the local loop will allow local operators access to the last mile of the telecoms infrastructure, increasing competition and substantially decreasing costs for customers.
President Thabo Mbeki and communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri also said the local loop should be unbundled as a matter of high priority.
Unbundling key to SMEs
Speaking at ITWeb's ICT for SMEs conference this morning, Department of Communications (DOC) deputy DG of finance and ICT enterprise development Harry Mathabathe reiterated this commitment to the acceleration of fixed-line telecoms.
"Our research identified the availability and cost of ICT infrastructure as a must for the small business. To foster the availability of access, the local loop unbundling needs to be accelerated."
Mathabathe said the DOC conducted local analysis and comparisons with other emerging markets to determine factors which influence the strong growth of the SME sector. Countries that were reviewed included Morocco, Tunisia, Malaysia, South Korea and Brazil, he said.
The Department of Trade and Industry is implementing the recommendations made from this analysis.
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