Cell C CEO Jose Dos Santos said on Tuesday that the mobile operator is likely to challenge communications regulator Icasa’s final call termination rates, published on Monday, though it has not disclosed on what legal basis it intends fighting the regulations.
The mobile operator is “disappointed” that Icasa has significantly reduced the level of asymmetry for smaller mobile operators from the rates that had applied in the six months ended 30 September.
Although Cell C will continue to benefit from “asymmetry” in the rates for the next four years — it will pay bigger rivals MTN and Vodacom less than they pay it to carry calls between their networks — the level of that asymmetry will be reduced dramatically under Icasa’s final rates.
Dos Santos previously expressed disappointment in the draft regulations, accusing Icasa of making a “dramatic U-turn” in its approach to remedying what he called the “current market failure”.
He said in Midrand on Tuesday that Icasa had “gone back” on asymmetry. “From where we sit … we are not left with too much choice but to take this as a legal challenge. It is what it is. We are still reviewing [the regulations but] we will probably have a legal challenge on our hands in the coming days and weeks.” — (c) 2014 NewsCentral Media
- See also: Icasa less aggressive in final rate cuts