The public hearings into the underserviced area licences (USALs) will take place from 21 January to 26 February.
The hearings are to be conducted by the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) in each of the regions where the licences are to be awarded, enabling the people concerned to attend.
The USALs form part of the government`s ongoing liberalisation of the telecommunications market, with the aim being to license small operators to serve certain areas with low penetration of telephones.
The regulator has received a total of 14 applications for the 10 USALs that are presently up for grabs.
The hearings are set to kick off in Dalmada in Limpopo, with ICASA hearing representations from the consortiums bidding for the licences in this region from 21 to 23 January.
They will then move to KwaZulu-Natal, where the hearings will take place in Ulundi and Kapenta Bay. These hearings will run from 28 to 30 January.
The Eastern Cape hearings will take place in East London and Umtata (4 to 6 February), Sasolburg and Welkom in the Free State are next (11 and 12 February), and the North West Province will be the final region to be dealt with.
The hearings in this province will take place in Mmabatho on 18 and 19 February, while the Vryburg hearings will occur on the 25th and 26th of the month.
"Once the hearings are complete, ICASA will consolidate and consider the various representations that have been made," says Phineas Moleele, ICASA`s USAL project manager.
"If further clarification is required, ICASA will ask the consortiums involved to provide it, after which we hope to make our recommendations to the communications minister."
He says that while it is impossible to set a date in stone, due to the many factors that could still affect the process, ICASA hopes there will be a ministerial decision on the USALs by the end of April.
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