Icasa bandwidth snub for ISPs

Internet service providers had hoped that an onerous process of updating every telecoms licence to comply with the new Electronic Communications Act was a chance to end their dependence on the larger players such as Telkom and Neotel. But Icasa is issuing only a handful of the highly-prized licences that let operators build their own networks. Those licences will go to the companies already able to do so, including Telkom, Sentech, Neotel, iBurst and the cellular operators. Every other player is being offered a far less flexible licence that lets them provide only electronic communications services over a network leased from the larger players. Full Business Day report