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Draft Numbering Plan Regulations (updated)

Updated 20100813: Public hearings in respect of these regulations will be held on 17 and 18 August 2010 at ICASA.

Public Hearings Schedule (doc)

The following written submissions were received in response to the draft regulations:
Cell C
ECN
ISPA
Neotel
MTN
Smile (doc)
Telkom
Vodacom

ICASA has published draft Numbering Plan Regulations which are open for comment by the public. This marks the first review of the Numbering Plan and numbering management since the coming into force of the Electronic Communications Act in July 2006, i.e. it is long overdue.

Draft Numbering Plan Regulations June 2010

Explanatory Memorandum: Draft Numbering Plan Regulations

The closing date for comments is 19 July 2010.

Numbering audit

If you are the holder of numbers assigned to you by ICASA from the National Numbering Plan then ICASA has requested that you provide information to it relating to the manner in which you are using these numbers and your future plans for them.

Call for Number Audit April 2009

The deadline for the provision of the required information is 4 August 2009.

This is a straightforward exercise best done in excel / equivalent (the report is required to be submitted in excel).

For example, the following information is required for allocations of numbers being used:
a. The current use of the allocation; e.g. non-Geographic
b. The utilisation percentage of numbers that have been Allocated to end-users* in use;
c. Percentage (%) of numbers not in use but not available for allocation e.g. numbers used for network purposes; and
d. Numbers remaining for future use.

*bear in mind that the term “end-users” would includes other licensees that you may have sub-allocated numbers to

Information must also be submitted in respect of unused numbers, reserved numbers and predicted further requirements for the next three years.

Number portability between Telkom and Neotel

After more than a year of testing Telkom and Neotel – the two largest fixed line providers in South Africa – have agreed on the porting of numbers between their networks. For Neotel this is a significant step forward in acquiring customers as the inability to keep their numbers is a major factor in preventing business from changing provider due to the high costs and customer loss involved.

ICASA gave its blessing to this arrangement in a media release – ICASA implements the geographic number portability process.

The opportunity to port will initially only be available to large business customers as only blocks of 1 000 and 10 000 numbers will be able to be ported. ICASA says that it anticipates the process being opened up to consumers within the next 10 months.

comment:
this is obviously to be welcomed but it does leave open the question: what about everyone else? since licence conversion proper commenced in January 2009 a number of other licensees have obtained geographic numbers and it is a little puzzling that they have not been consulted at all.

rather ICASA has indicated to the Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) that it only intends finalising a regulatory framework for geographic number portability during the 2010/2011 regulatory year.

Numberless SIMs

It has been well-known in industry circles that there is currently a squeeze on the numbering range which is available for non-geographic use – particularly numbers available for cellular service provision. In order to “promote efficient use of numbers by operators and to eliminate potential misuse of numbers in the distribution channel such as retail stores”, ICASA, after due consultation with affected licensees, has decided to introduce a requirement for the provision of numberless or MSISDNless SIM starter packs.

Licensees will be required to implement this new requirement from 15 May 2009, which will also be the termination date for the production and distribution of traditional SIM starter packs with numbers printed on them. MSISDNless SIM starter packs will apply to all newly allocated number ranges as well as recycled numbers.

ICASA requires that all licensees should apply “suitable mechanisms to ensure that disruptions to the public are kept at a minimum during the implementation of the MSISDNless SIM starter packs processes”.

Introduction of numberless MSISDNless SIM starter packs 20090506

ICASA commences review of the Numbering Plan

ICASA has contracted external consultants and begun informal discussions around a review of the National Numbering Plan. The primary purpose of the review will be to align the numbering plan with the Electronic Communications Act and the review will also need to take into account an anticipated increase in the number of applications for fixed number ranges as a result of the number of new individual electronic communications service licensees who were previously restricted to the 087 range.

Numbering regulation is not particularly glamorous, but numbers have an important role to play in markets which are introducing competition (very much the case in South Africa). Not only must a new entrant have access to all numbering ranges (representing different types of service such as fixed, mobile, toll-free, premium-rate etc) but consumers must be able to port their number if they want to move to a new provider. If they can’t, they probably won’t.

Although ICASA have indicated that they wish to finish the review before tackling the more thorny issue of fixed number portability, it is to be hoped that they will heed the pleas from new entrants that the two processes be dealt with simultaneously.

All of which will make for very confusing times for consumers. Mobile number portability has already made avoiding interconnection charges between the mobile companies an uncertain endeavour: fixed number portability will up the ante considerably.

Draft regulations: functional specification for geographic number portability.

Download ICASA’s Draft Regulations on the Functional Specification for Geographic Number Portability published 6 March 2006.

Numbering

ICASA Numbering Plan Regulations (Government Notice R455, GG 28839, 15 May 2006)

ICASA Application Form for 087 numbers (November 2006)

ICASA Guide to VoIP numbers applicant (version 1.4)

Review of the numbering regulations & number portability

ICASA have issued an Invitation to Bid for the provision of support in developing and reviewing the numbering plan regulations. Bid Number ICASA 41/2008, closing on 18 November 2008, is for a period of 7 months indicating that a draft review document should be released in the first 3 months of next year. Once this is completed ICASA will focus on the implementation of geographic number portability (which has already been succesfully tested as between Telkom and Neotel – see mydigitallife site for further detail).

The review will need to bring the numbering plan in line with the new licensing framework introduced by the Electronic Communications Act of 2005. Crucially this will involve recognising that licensing is now done on a technology-neutral basis meaning that licensees cannot be restricted to any particular class of numbers such as geographic, non-geographic or 087.

It will also be interesting to see how ICASA deals with the cost of applying for numbers and ensuring that they are efficiently used. Currently applications for numbers are processed at no cost to the applicant but this position is unlikely to be sustained.


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