The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has invited bidders to submit applications for the appointment of a service provider to assist it in the drawing up of regulations and implementation of the consultative process for the introduction of Local Loop Unbundling (LLU). <\/p>\n
In her 2006 budget vote speech communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri appointed Tshilidzi Marwala to chair the Local Loop Unbundling Committee (LLUC). The LLUC’s task was to oversee the development and the implementation of LLU and to make appropriate recommendations.<\/p>\n
In May last year Matsepe-Casaburri received the report from the committee, and said that she had “taken the policy decision that, given the complexity of local loop unbundling on the one hand and the urgency for South Africa to enable licensed operators to have access to the local loop on the other, the unbundling process in South Africa should be urgently implemented”.<\/p>\n
The report was however plagued by plagiarism allegations. The LLUC said, however, that the report was “flawless”.<\/p>\n
According to Business Day, Marwala said in May last year that Telkom should begin to give other operators access to its telephone lines (the local loop) by January 2008, and that the LLU process should be 80% complete by 2011.<\/p>\n
So far there has not been much progress in the LLU arena and with ICASA only starting the tendering process now for the drawing up of LLU regulations it is unlikely to happen any time soon.<\/p>\n
The closing date for tenders is 17 June 2008.<\/p>\n