By Natasha Odendaal.
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) has published the amendments to the 2014 Call Termination Regulations, setting a new three-year glide path for termination rates in the wholesale voice market.
This followed a review in 2021, the publication of the findings document in 2022, and extensive stakeholder engagements throughout 2023.
The amendments will see operators with more than a 20% share of total minutes terminated in the wholesale voice market reduce the charges for call termination to a fixed location to 5c from July 1, 2025; to 4c by July 1, 2026; and to 1c by July 1, 2027.
Call termination charges to a mobile location will be 7c from July 1, 2025; 5c by July 1, 2026; and 4c by July 1, 2027.
Smaller operators with 20% or less share of total minutes terminated in the wholesale voice market will be required to reduce their fixed location charges to 5c from July 1, 2025; to 4c by July 1, 2026; and to 1c from July 1, 2027.
Charges for terminating a call at a mobile location will now be 9c from July 2025; 5c from July 2026; and 4c from July 2027.
For new entrants into the wholesale voice market, termination rates to a fixed location will be 6c from July 1, 2025; decreasing to 5c in July 2026; and to 2c in July 2027, while the charges for terminating a call at a mobile location will be 9c from July 1, 2025; before reducing to 7c from July 1, 2026; and to 5c by July 2027.
New entrants will qualify for asymmetry for three years after entry into the market.