Moratorium on new licenses
ICASA recently announced that it is finalizing the conversion of all existing licenses in terms of the Electronic Communications Act (ECA). The regulator said that it is further finalizing regulations on license fees.
This task prompted ICASA to impose a moratorium on new license applications, and registrations and applications for license amendments, renewals and transfers.
This moratorium is effective as of 8 September 2008 until the license conversion process is finalized and license fee regulations are published.
The moratorium will not apply to applications for test, trial, temporary licenses, special event licenses and postal licenses.
VANS ruling
ICASA yesterday announced that it will not oppose the court ruling that VANS can self provide and therefore qualify for Individual ECNS licenses.
According to the judgment ICASA must convert value added network service (VANS) licences issued under the (now repealed) Telecommunications Act. The process of consideration of applications by VANS licensees for new licences thus falls away.
Before the High Court Judgment, it was ICASA’s view that VANS licensees would be issued with electronic communications services (ECS) licences. Only some VANS – like Internet Solutions, Verizon Business and Vox Telecom – would have been issued with electronic communications network services (ECNS) licences.
The Court has held that VANS licensees are entitled to be converted to having both individual ECS and individual ECNS licences.
“ICASA wishes to point out that VANS licensees should bear in mind that conversion will take place in accordance with section 93 of the Electronic Communications Act which, inter alia, provides that as part of the conversion process, ICASA may grant rights and impose obligations on the licensees in order to ensure that the existing licences comply with this Act, including the continuation of any obligations imposed upon existing licensees by virtue of a previous determination,” ICASA said.
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