South Africa’s telecom regulator ICASA has approved the latest interconnection agreement submitted by the three mobile operators on February 9.
ICASA approved the proposal after MTN, Vodacom and Cell C agreed to drop their original demand that ICASA…
South Africa’s telecom regulator ICASA has approved the latest interconnection agreement submitted by the three mobile operators on February 9.
ICASA approved the proposal after MTN, Vodacom and Cell C agreed to drop their original demand that ICASA should not review interconnection rates again before March 2013.
In a statement, the regulator adds that the three operators will be required to renegotiate their interconnection agreements with other operators as well, while making sure to pass on the lower rates to their customers.
A draft wholesale regulation on termination fees is scheduled for March, while a final plan is expected by the end of June.
As part of the operators’ proposal, peak rates will drop from R1.25 to R0.89 in March, further dropping to R0.85 in October 2011 and R0.80 in October 2012. Off-peak rates, meanwhile, will remain at their current levels until 2013.
