Section
2: fees and charges
Section 3: consumer protection issues
Section 4: throughput speeds
Section 5: port prioritization
Section 6: key performance indicators
Section 7: 24 hour ADSL service reset
Section 8: service level agreements
Section 9: repeal and amendment of regulations
The
full version of ICASA’s ADSL regulations are now available
Officially
termed the “regulations regarding the provision of asymmetrical digital
subscriber line (ADSL) services,” the opening page features ICASA chairperson
Paris Mashile’s signature under a paragraph stating that the following
determinations have been approved.
While
section one deals with the definition of terms, the regulations are covered in
sections two to nine.
2.1
– The structure of an ADSL tariff shall comprise of an installation and
bringing into service charge, a monthly rental for provisioning and maintenance
of ADSL lines and a bandwidth charge.
2.2
– The installation charge shall be levied once off at the inception of the
services.
Section
3: consumer protection issues
3.1
– Subscribers who enlisted for the ADSL service prior to the introduction of
the monthly cap shall have an election to abide by, terminate the contract for
the service upon notice to the Telkom, SNO or ISPs or vary the terms and
conditions in relation to the monthly cap.
3.2
– Subscribers that have reached the monthly cap shall be allowed to top-up
their monthly cap without the need to purchase a new user account. This
provision shall not in any way be used to prevent subscribers who choose to
purchase new accounts once their monthly cap has been reached from doing so,
should they wish to do so.
3.3
– Telkom, SNO and ISPs shall inform subscribers, at least on a weekly basis,
of their bandwidth usage until the monthly cap has been reached.
3.4
– Local bandwidth usage shall not be subject to the cap
3.5
– Telkom or SNO shall publish updated information on ADSL-enabled exchanges in
the white pages of the telephone directory or electronic directory
3.6
– Telkom or SNO shall install the ADSL service within thirty (30) working days
of receipt of an application if the applicant qualifies and resides within an
ADSL-enabled exchange area.
4.1
– Telkom, SNO and ISPs shall guarantee minimum broadband speeds for the ADSL
service in order to ensure that the service does not lose its broadband
character
4.2
– Any services provided with speeds lower than those defined as broadband
[minimum download speeds of 256Kbps] shall not be advertised as broadband
services.
Section
5: port prioritization
Telkom,
SNO and ISPs shall not be allowed to impose port prioritization on their
subscribers.
Section
6: key performance indicators
6.1
– Telkom, SNO and ISPs shall, on a quarterly basis, publish on its website the
contention ratio as a commitment to good business practice.
6.2
– Telkom, SNO and ISPs shall publish on its website, on a quarterly basis, key
performance indicators comprising of at least packet losses, average latency and
jitter for the provided ADSL service as a commitment top good business practice.
Section
7: 24 hour ADSL service reset
7.1
– Telkom, SNO and ISPs shall not periodically reset the ADSL service.
7.2
– Any reset required for the service maintenance shall be done with a prior
notification of at least seven (7) days to the subscribers and by notification
on the website.
Section
8: service level agreements
Telkom,
SNO and ISPs shall enter into service level agreements with subscribers. Such
agreements shall determine among others:
(i) complaint processes and procedure
(ii) dispute resolution
mechanisms
(iii) turn around time in
effecting repairs
(iv) penalties for failure to
effect repairs in time and issues related thereto
(v) guaranteed minimum
downstream data rate for local loop length of a given distance
The Authority may, at the request of any party wishing to conclude a service level agreement contemplated herein, intervene to resolve any dispute in instances where a service level agreement cannot be concluded within sixty (60) days.
Section
9: repeal and amendment of regulations
This
regulation shall not in any manner be construed to repeal and amend the price
cap regulation or any other regulation.