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Mauritius: Government to Establish a Universal Service Fund Print E-mail
Tuesday, 07 October 2008
The government of Mauritius is establishing a Universal Service Fund (USF) to improve ICT access.

The rules governing the fund, under the ICT Act of 2001, have been established and the fund is expected to become operational within several weeks. Operators with licenses for local or international service will be required to contribute to the fund.

The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA) and the Ministry of ICT consulted with the operators over contributions earlier in 2008. It is expected that operators will be allowed to choose to contribute a percentage of revenues or a percentage of the price of every incoming call.

The ICTA will manage the fund. The USF will generate around US$ 2.5 million per year. The ICTA intends to use the fund to assist public institutions work together to reduce the cost of Internet access, as well as to boost the speed of broadband access. The fund may also cover the financing of community access, in order to increase the availability of affordable Internet access.

Source: PC World - WDR/Intelecon Regulatory News.