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ICASA releases Findings on Local Loop Unbundling Framework

david — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:47:57 +0000

ICASA has released their findings on the recently ended Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) hearings.

In general the outcome of the process is disappointing and seems to be in the form of meeting obstacles to LLU raised by Telkom as opposed to using the available tools to achieve LLU. Given the expectations of the industry after the hearings, this is indeed an opportunity to make material inroads into this particular issue gone wanting. We have little faith in ICASA’s abilities to meet the further deadlines which it has imposed on itself (from years of consistent disappointment in meeting its own targets and sector expectations) .

Given the concerns raised during the hearings it is difficult to understand why it should require until November 2012 to make the bitstream product available to the market; as it is common knowledge that Telkom presently has the capability of rolling out such a solution. It appears that the findings document is the result of a compromise solution hammered out between ICASA and Telkom – Telkom has agreed to look at IPC pricing and bitstream in exchange for ICASA initiating a process looking at unbundling wireless access networks.

Update: ICASA has had its Findings Note published in the Government Gazette.

ICASA LLU Findings Note