[Kictanet] CCK issues guidelines on provision of VOIP services

[Wainaina Mungai]

SOURCE.: CCK's revamped website:.
http://www.cck.go.ke/html/news.asp?newsid=132
<http://www.cck.go.ke/html/news.asp?newsid=132&area=new> &area=new 
 
10-August-05 
CCK issues guidelines on provision of VOIP services 
 
The Commission has issued guidelines on the provision of Voice over
Internet Protocol (VoIP) services in Kenya.
 
Releasing the guidelines today, CCK Director-General Eng. John Waweru
said the guidelines had incorporated stakeholder views gathered during a
two-month public consultation process carried out early this year.  The
Commission also carried out an international benchmark on the situation
obtaining in selected countries and in different parts of the world. 
 
The Director-General said the guidelines would be published in the Kenya
Gazette on 12th of this month in keeping with statutory requirements to
provide a 60-day period within which stakeholders and the public could
make representations to the Commission on the guidelines. 
 
The new guidelines allow:
 
.  Registered telecentres and cyber cafes connected to licensed ISPs to
commercially provide VoIP services to end-users.  ISPs shall on
quarterly basis file returns to the Commission, indicating the details
of connected cyber cafes and telecentres, in terms of bandwidth
provided, utilization and connected number of terminals.
 
.  Corporate organizations and other closed user groups to utilize VoIP
for interconnectivity between branch offices using telecommunication
networks of licensed operators, without seeking a separate licence from
the Commission.  However, VoIP users in this category shall be required
to type approve their equipment and install call logging capabilities
within their equipment.  Corporate organizations using this service are
prohibited from providing the same to third parties.
 
.  Licensed national operators to use Internet Protocol (IP) or managed
VoIP backbones or networks in place of the existing Public Switched
Telecommunications Network (PSTN).  For interconnection to the IP
network, the user's terminal equipment will be normally connected via a
VoIP gateway.   This type of VoIP shall require no further licensing and
can be deployed by licensed national operators. The existing
requirements contained in the licences of these operators shall remain
applicable. 
 
.  Licensed network operators to facilitate the provision of voice
services over the public internet utilizing publicly available
infrastructure including dial up and leased lines or access networks.
Network operators shall be required to submit details and specifications
of the proposed gateway to the Commission for approval.  Exchange of
voice traffic between operators shall be governed by the existing
regulations of interconnection, and the existing licence conditions
including quality of service requirements contained in the respective
licences of these operators shall remain applicable. 
 
Eng. Waweru said network operators and service providers who may wish to
provide VoIP services will be required to meet certain obligations such
as provision of emergency services, universal service, quality of
service requirements, and billing accuracy. 
 
They will also be required to subscribe to the national numbering plan
as prescribed by the Commission, and to avoid engaging in
anti-competitive and unfair trading practices that may distort a level
playing field.  
 
The Director-General said the guidelines were in line with the draft ICT
policy, and were geared towards further liberalization of the ICT
sector.   He said the expiry of Telkom Kenya's exclusivity had witnessed
the issuing of 39 licences in various categories including local loop,
private data network, commercial VSAT, and Internet backbone and gateway
operators. 
 
Click here to view the Director-General's full press statement 
 
Click here to view the guidelines on provision of VoIP services.
 
Click here to view the published comments on the consultative process
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/pipermail/kictanet/attachments/20050810/83af2769/attachment.htm>