“The
Ministry for Finance and Planning needs to collect revenue”
Phillip Paulwell, the
Minister of Science Technology Energy and Mining, during a forum in Kingston on
Tuesday December 2nd 2014
Looks
like all this price-dropping may actually have to do with some good news that
the Telecom Providers had received.
More
of it is set to come by the way; I spoke to a LIME representative today and she
told me that they plan to have their 50 sale again this weekend as I’d reported
in my blog
article entitled “JA$2999+GCT
Huawei Ascend Y330 Sale at @limejamaica - Digicel DL750, DL800 Sale makes
JA$6,907.92+GCT per month Samsung Galaxy Note 4 a Steal”.
Everybody
loves a sale! But onto the main news!
The
Government of Jamaica has apparently agreed with the Telecom Provider that VoIP
Providers can no longer terminate calls for free on their Networks as reported
in the article “Telecoms
Triumph In VoIP Stand-Off”, published Wednesday December 3, 2014, Avia
Collinder, Business Reporter, The Jamaica
Gleaner.
Minister
of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Phillip Paulwell has stated that
regulations for VoIP Providers are coming with the intention to tax them like
regular Telecom Providers as I’d argued in my blog article entitled
“Telecom
Providers await OUR’s Judgement on VoIP Bypass – Viber is on the rebound but
USF Revenue for GOJ means they’ll win”.
VoIP Providers to be
registered to terminate – IXP Deadline means WhatsApp may be disconnected
Effectively,
it’ll mean that any Jamaican entrepreneur that wants to become a VoIP Providers
will have to go through the same registration process as a typical Telecom
Provider.
This
was the very same argument put forward by Minister Phillip Paulwell at the 30th
Annual Conference of CANTO that began on Monday August 11th 2014 in
Nassau, Bahamas as reported in my blog article
entitled “VoIP
Talks at 30th Annual Conference of CANTO - How VoIP robs Telecoms as Not All
Traffic is Equal as Caribbean VoIP Operators needed”.
And
since the local IXP (Internet Exchange Point) is to come on-stream by Thursday January
1st 2014 as detailed in my blog article
entitled “Jamaica's
Local Internet Exchange Point - IXP Lower Routings, Web Hosting and Websites
Loading on smartphones as Jamaican Domain Name Registration and MNP, LNP
Approaches”, it suggests all VoIP Providers and Telecom Provider who are
not complaint can be legally disconnected by the Telecom Providers Digicel and
LIME.
They
appear to the happiest of all. First Telecom Provider LIME parent CWC (Cable
and Wireless Communications), who appear to be relieved about the announcement,
quote: “Cable and Wireless
Communications welcomes Minister Paulwell's pronouncement today in relation to
permitting charges for making calls using Voice over Internet Protocol. We have
long maintained that VoIP Operators have been utilizing the network of Telecoms
providers without any commensurate compensation for this service. In doing so,
they are also depriving the government of tax revenue”.
Telecom
Provider Digicel, responding by email to the Jamaica gleaner, was a bit more
reserved, quote: “The dynamism of the Telecommunications industry requires
responsive policymakers. So, while we were not aware of the regulations
mentioned by the Minister, we do welcome the proactive response to the issues
related to VoIP calls”.
Folks,
your days on WhatsApp may be numbered! Either that, of they’ll have to charging
for the use of their services by encouraging subscribers to purchase a monthly
account!
VoIP Providers as
regular Telecom Providers – IXP by Thursday January 1st 2015, MNP/LNP
by Sunday May 31th 2015
Minister
Paulwell, as I’d suspected, is of the view that they must contribute to the USF
(Universal Service Fund) like any other Telecom Provider, funds for which now
stands at some JA$12 billion.
In
addition to making the termination of Internet access through the IXP
mandatory, both VoIP Providers and Telecom
Providers will have to connect to the NPA
(Numbering Portability Administrator) by Sunday May 31th 2014
to enable MNP (Mobile Number Portability) and LNP (Landline Number Portability)
as described in my blog article
entitled “OUR
issues TPPR for a Number Portability Administrator in Jamaica - How Number
Portability will get us NANP's NPA and Third 4G Competitor”.
Failure
to comply will result in a revocation of their Telecoms license, to quote
Minister Paulwell: “The chief parliamentary counsel has finalized all
regulations dealing with portability. We have gazetted all the rules. The
companies which are not ready will feel the full brunt of the law”.
By
January 2015, there will be a new ICT (Internet and Computing Technology)
Regulator, effectively taking up the administrate role jointly being handled by
Office of Utilities Regulation, Spectrum Authority, Fair Trading Commission and
the Broadcasting Commission, to again quote Minister Phillip Paulwell:
“Currently, we are completing the drafting instructions for a new ICT law. By
the second week in January we will have, therefore, a new set of proposals
ready for Cabinet”.
IXP
by Thursday January 1st 2015, MNP/LNP by Sunday May 31th
2015; Telecoms finally making progress in Jamaica as VoIP Operators fall in
line!
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