Hooters for Neuters

I realise this isn't the standard subject matter, buy the irony is too compelling.

1) The NY Times (re-printing AP) has an article on a planned bikini contest to raise money for spaying pets.

2) Various people (City controller, councilwoman) complain about degradation of women.

3) The complaining City controller's surname is Chick.

Future numbering plans

(thanks Financial Mail)
The basics
ICASA's future numbering plans include a whole bunch of things - 10 digit dialling, prefix definitions, etc. The prefixes will be:

01x-05x	Geographical areas
06x	Reserved
07x	Mobile cellular and "future non-geographic services"
08x	Mobile cellular, paging, inbound call services and future nongeographic services
09	To be replaced by 00 for international dialling

Hidden nugget
M-Web has been allocated the 0877 prefix for its VoIP customers. Telkom will not terminate calls on (i.e. won't route to) 0877. International telcos will.

This means you can call an M-Web customer from overseas, but not from next-door.

Perhaps ICASA should determine whether being granted a portion of the limited numberspace should come with the cost of being forced to terminate on other licensees portions/prefixes (as a licence condition)? This is not directly analogous with IPv4 routing, as the only licensing effective is the RIRs selling IP space to whomever wants it (e.g. ARIN's fee schedule).

MNP scheduled for 18 September

The basics
ICASA's statement confirms the multiple delays (although does not mention the suspended fines for missing the December 2005 deadline), and gushes about consumer choice, improved quality of service, and lower prices.


Hidden nugget

Number Portability in practice
We remind all that number portability will also apply to fixed line operators currently Telkom and the SNO and that processes are at an advanced stage to see that through later. Of course their co-operation with regard to mobile number portability is also required, e.g. for call termination on their networks where the number is ported or is in that process.

So there is already involvement of the fixed-line operators. The eventual portability of non-mobile numbers was pretty much a given, but it's nice that ICASA has spelled it out.