The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) has heeded requests for an extension for written submissions on its draft numbering plan regulations, moving the date from 19 to 26 July.
The public hearings will, therefore, be held on 17 and 18 August.
Tim Parle, senior telecoms consultant at BMI-TechKnowledge, explains that the regulations cover three phases, two of which are already complete.
The first phase was completed in 2007 and entailed changing the international dialling prefix used in SA from "09" to "00". This was in line with international norms and freed up the numbers with the second digit of 9, states Parle.
The most visible part of the second phase was the withdrawal of local calling, requiring South Africans to come to terms with dialling the prefix to local numbers and not just national, long-distance numbers, he continues. “For example, where we had to add 011 to all Johannesburg numbers regardless of whether we were calling from Sandton or Durban.”
The second phase introduced non-geographic numbers and short codes, needed to allow Neotel, and operators, to compete in the fixed market, he explains.
Parle notes that the third phase entails a more radical change. Here, the first digit dialled will change from "0" to "6" for geographic numbers and to "8" or "9" for non-geographic numbers. The aim is to provide more capacity for the long-term, he explains.
He notes that after the public hearings, implementation of the third phase can begin.
Related story:
Numbering regulations reach final phase
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