The new ECS and ECNS license fees levied by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) may have a negative impact on broadband in South Africa.

When a telecommunications company wants to set up shop and operate in South Africa to provide Internet and telephony services to consumers, it needs to acquire specific licences from the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), which handles all the regulation for the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors in the country. This rule applies to voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) providers as well. 'The licences for electronic communications are issued under the Electronic Communications Act (ECA) and the available service licences can basically be divided into two categories: Electronic Communications Network Service (ECNS) licences, and Electronic Communications Service (ECS),' explains Mitchell Barker, CEO of, a directory site featuring a comprehensive list of VOIP providers in South Africa. 'An ECNS licence allows a company to deploy and operate a physical network. It doesn't matter whether the network infrastructure consists of fibre-optic cables, copper-based lines, switches, or even radio equipment for running a wireless network.

An ECS licence is mostly for providers only, as it enables its holders to provide electronic communications services to customers over its own or via another company's network.' Using South Africa's major fixed-line operator, Telkom, as an example to highlight the differences between the two, Ellipsis - a niche consultancy providing specialist regulatory and compliance advice to the electronic communications industry - says since Telkom has an extensive telephone and voice network which covers most of South Africa, the operator needs an ECNS to licence that infrastructure. In conjunction with that, it also needs an ECS licence to provide voice and Internet services to consumers. Windows Xp Sp3 Game Edition 2009 Aao Sata Ssd Drivers. On the other hand, Internet service providers and even VOIP providers which might own some of their own hardware, but which mainly make use of and rely on other companies' networks to provide their services, only require an ECS licence.

Those licences are then further divided into two subcategories each: the Individual ECNS (IECNS), which allows holders to roll-out their own networks across a province or the entire country, and the Class ECNS (CECNS) for rolling out a network in a district or local municipality, allowing holders to provide services to consumers in that area. ECS is also subcategorised to Individual ECS (IECS) for providing services to customers over an ECNS licensee's network. 'This is the kind of licence used by VOIP providers providing their customers with numbers taken from the National Numbering Plan,' Barker explains.

'It can also be used by ISPs for providing services such as Internet access, e-mail and virtual private networks (VPNs). Blackberry Enterprise Server Activation Password. ' The second subcategory is the Class ECS (CECS) licence, which allows providers to offer all of the same services offered by IECS holders, except for voice services that require numbers from the National Numbering Plan. IECNS and IECS licences are issued for 20 years, and Class ECNS and ECS licences are issued for 10 years and are renewable by paying an annual renewal fee.