regulations.
The opportunity comes after the authority granted stakeholders until 9 July to make further written submissions to clarify concerns raised at the public hearings hosted by ICASA from 28 to 30 June.
Stakeholders raised a multitude of concerns, chiefly around the proposed glide-path of the proposed interconnect rate decrease and how this may negatively affect their businesses.
These concerns were raised mainly by Vodacom, MTN, Cell C and Nashua. Counter to this, however, was the desired result of enhanced competition that would ultimately benefit consumers through a reduction in retail prices, notes ICASA.
Now Neotel, Vodacom, Telkom, Nashua Mobile, Cell C and MTN have requested and have been granted another opportunity to meet privately with ICASA to discuss specific confidential matters relating to the debate around call termination.
The draft regulations initially called for a rate cut to 65c a minute from 1 July, to 50c in 2011, and to 40c from July 2012.
Further deliberation will delay the implementation date, and ultimately delay the benefit to the consumer.
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