Cellular network operator MTN kicked off public hearings on local-loop unbundling in Sandton on Tuesday, arguing strongly against proposals that the regulatory intervention be extended to the wireless local loop.
The Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) is holding three days of hearings this week to solicit input from industry players and members of the public about the most appropriate way to provide competitors with access to Telkom’s “last mile” of copper-cable infrastructure into businesses and homes.
The intervention is being considered as a way of accelerating competition in the telecommunications industry and driving down prices, with the authority mulling four models for unbundling.
In its presentation to the Icasa council, MTN argued strongly against extending unbundling to the wireless local loop. The company said the authority should not “conflate” fixed-line local-loop unbundling and mobile communications. It argued that the mobile industry was already sufficiently competitive and intervention by Icasa was therefore not necessary. — Duncan McLeod, TechCentral
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