The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) is awaiting a report from an external auditor on the various applications for underserviced area licences (USALs) before moving on to the next step in the licensing process.
The deadline for applications for the second round of USALs was initially extended from 21 February to 22 April by communications minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, to facilitate a series of road shows in the regions where they are due to be awarded, in order to make the people of the regions aware of what is planned.
The second round of USALs will be awarded in the following regions: two districts in each of the Limpopo, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and North West provinces, for a total of 14 municipalities.
According to ICASA councillor Phineas Moleele, project manager for USALs, the regulator expects the auditor`s report by next week at the latest.
"The auditors will study the bids in terms of the requirements laid down in the invitation to apply (ITA) and their report will highlight any challenges that have been picked up in the bids," he says.
"Once we have studied the report, ICASA will then make an announcement regarding the number of bids received and the number that qualify to apply for a USAL."
Moleele says that once the regulator has made this announcement, the next steps in the process will be to open the bids for public inspection and written comment, after which public hearings on the second round of bidding will be held.
Asked when the industry could expect to see these steps taking place, Moleele says: " I wouldn`t want to speculate on that until we know the exact number of qualifying bids.
"Also, people must remember that we have a limited number of resources at ICASA, and there are a number of other issues such as convergence that compete for our attention, but the important thing is that the process is moving forward and we are making progress."
The USALs form part of government`s commitment to a liberalised telecoms market, and will ultimately see small operators being established to serve a total of 27 areas with a very low penetration of telephones, of which six have so far been licensed.
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