Ivy backs down
FM Tech reported today that Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri has decided not to appeal the recent ruling that VANS can self provide and that they can hence receive I-ECNS licenses.
FM Tech quotes the minister as saying that she “has decided not to petition the supreme court of appeal in the Altech matter in the interest of the information and communications technology sector.”
After the previous unsuccessful appeal by the minister, Altech CEO Craig Venter said “We sincerely hope that the Minister of Communications is advised not to carry out this fight any further, and allows the industry and its regulator to get on with the business of lowering the South African consumer’s telecommunications tariffs”.
This has now come true, and paves the way for a big bang liberalization of the local telecoms space where VANS can be issued with the same licenses as Telkom, Neotel and the cellular providers.
The latest news delighted many observers. Comments like “sweet – done and dusted” and “time for a celebratory beer” dominated comments in a discussion regarding the news.
Financial Mail associate editor Duncan McLeod called for the immediate resignation of Matsepe-Casaburri: “The minister ought to resign in the wake of this debacle. If she refuses to go, she should be fired by the president. She has demonstrated she is singularly incapable of managing this critically important economic portfolio,” said McLeod.
The full statement from the communications minister is available on FMTech.
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