South Africa will have a ''findings” and “framework” document on local loop unbundling (LLU) by the end of this month, and not the initially-expected regulations.
The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) says it will publish a document containing the results of stakeholder input by the end of the month, which will then be forwarded to communications minister Dina Pule.
However, in June, when ICASA issued the discussion document on the issue, it said it was committed to having regulations in place by November. The document includes former minister Roy Padayachie's directive that “the unbundling process in SA should be urgently completed and implemented in 2011”.
Councillor Thabo Makhakhe told the public hearing on the document that the authority was in a regulatory-making process and planned to have final regulations in place by this month. He said the regulations would enable the unbundling of the local loop.
ICASA spokesman Paseka Maleka says the authority will not issue regulations by next Wednesday, but rather a findings and framework document based on stakeholder input. Last month, ICASA held public hearings and has also consulted individually with several stakeholders.
Maleka says, once the framework is established, it will then take some time for regulations to be put in place. This process could take another year to unfold.
However, despite the fact that the industry was expecting final regulations, Maleka says “we are not running behind the deadline”. He explains that the discussion document does not refer to regulations, but rather a framework as to how unbundling should happen.
The authority would, on the basis of input, set up working groups to consider access and pricing concerns.
LLU has been on the cards for the past decade and is seen as vital to stimulate competition, aid economic growth and reduce the cost of communications.
Industry commentators previously questioned whether the November deadline is realistic, and Telkom has warned it cannot be met, as there are too many variables to take into account.
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