ICASA clean, USAASA needs work

By Candice Jones for USAASA
Johannesburg, 28 Nov 2008

A panel discussion at yesterday's 2008 MyBroadband Conference revealed local telecommunications players are training their attention on the Universal Service and Access Agency of SA (USAASA).

Roelf Diedericks, CTO of Neology, said the concern for the telecoms providers for 2008 was that the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) had been problematic. “They are now on track with publishing regulation. The Altech case recently proved that.”

ICASA had originally been involved in the legal action between Altech and the Department of Communications (DOC) over whether VANs should be allowed to self-provide. However, the authority stepped aside and allowed the communications minister to continue the battle alone.

More recently, the authority notified VANs that those due a conversion to the individual-electronic communications network services (I-ECNS) licence would be converted.

This action, said Diedericks, showed ICASA was indeed independent of the DOC. He added that the telecoms players would now like to see a turnaround of USAASA, which he believes has done nothing with the finances taken from providers as something of a universal service “tax”.

“We have paid millions into the fund and it is now just languishing there,” he said.

Dominic Cull, director of Ellipsis Regulatory Affairs, a member of the panel, said the problem with USAASA actually lies with the DOC, since it has created no policy around the issue. However, he says the Altech-DOC case will impact the universal service.

“The Altech case has taken telecoms out of the hands of politics and the provisioning will allow the smaller players to start making a difference. Companies like Smile will come into the under-serviced market and start to make an impact there.”