Johannesburg – The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (the Authority) has completed the process to review the 2014 Call Termination Regulations and will publish the final 2018 Call Termination Regulations (the final Regulations) in the government gazette on 28 September 2018.

The final Regulations are a culmination of an extensive consultative process that started over ten (10) months ago. The final Regulations amend the 2014 Call Termination Regulations by revising the wholesale voice call termination rates as follows:

1. for operators with more than a 20% share of total minutes terminated in the wholesale voice market, a glide path period–
   1. where a charge for terminating a call at a fixed location would be 0.09c from October 2018 to September 2019; 0.07c for the period October 2019 to September 2020; and 0.06c from October 2020 onwards.
   2. where a charge for terminating a call at a mobile location would be 0.12c from October 2018 to September 2019; 0.10c for the period October 2019 to September 2020; and 0.09c from October 2020 onwards.
2. for operators with 20% or less share of total minutes terminated in the wholesale voice market, a glide path period–
   1. where a charge for terminating a call at a mobile location would be 0.18c from October 2018 to September 2019; 0.16c for the period October 2019 to September 2020; and 0.13c from October 2020 onwards.
   2. where a charge for terminating a call at a fixed location would be 0.10c from October 2018 to September 2019; 0.08c for the period October 2019 to September 2020; 0.06c from October 2020 onwards.

These regulations are part of the broader measures to reduce the cost to communicate and will be applicable from 01 October 2018.

"The cost models formed part of the Authority’s multi-input process that helped inform the Authority on the appropriate level of wholesale call termination rates operators should be able to charge. We do hope that the call termination regulations will enhance an effectively competitive ICT environment," says ICASA’s Councillor Mashile.

The Authority believes that the wholesale call termination rates as contained in the final Regulations will aid in transitioning the market towards a more competitive landscape as contemplated in the objects of the Electronic Communications Act, 2005.

Ends

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