Minister's VANS plans

South Africa’s communications minister, Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, is to appeal a recent court judgement which has given value added network service (VANS) operators the right to roll out their own telecoms networks. Earlier this month VANS licensee Altech won a long-running legal battle to allow it to deploy its own infrastructure. The ruling means that VANS operators are now eligible to receive individual electronics communications network services (I-ECNS) concessions, which have previously been reserved for major telcos such as Telkom, Neotel, Vodacom and MTN. The government is now looking to challenge the court ruling and amend legislation to make it clear that VANS licensees are not entitled to I-ECNS permits, local newspaper Business Report claims.