The cellular operators (Vodacom, Cell C, MTN and now Virgin Mobile) market has over 39-million mobile phone subscribers and the fixed operator (Telkom) has almost 5 million subscribers [13]. Although the telecommunication sector has been experiencing this significant growth (in terms of numbers), monopolisation of the local loop by Telkom has also resulted in communication prices that are not affordable to the majority of South Africans. The government of South Africa has identified cost of telecommunication services as one of the key initiatives that must be addressed to improve equal levels of access to ICT services in general. Local Loop Unbundling (or LLU for short) has been identified by the South African government as a tool that will minimise control that Telkom has over the copper cable connecting exchanges to customers whilst at the same time driving down the costs of Telecommunication in the country. Although some countries have successfully implemented local loop unbundling, some have not been so successful [3]. This dissertation proposes ICT Systems and processes South Africa needs to have in place to become one of the few success stories. The proposed model was validated against the different models adopted in countries like France, Portugal, United Kingdom and Austria. This dissertation develops a model for implementing local loop unbundling in the South African ICT sector. Local loop unbundling (in short LLU) has been successfully (and unsuccessfully) implemented in a number of countries around the world [3]. The model being proposed recommends best practices to be followed by all stakeholders to ensure successful deployment of local loop unbundling. The research takes a closer look at the South African ICT sector and makes recommendations on processes and systems that are necessary to ensure successful deployment of local loop unbundling in South Africa. The dissertation is written from the view of Telkom (The incumbent Operator), competitors (existing ones and new entrants) and the Regulator (ICASA) and focuses mainly on:  Technical Processes and Challenges that must be addressed  Regulatory Process and Challenges that must be addressed  Economic Challenges that must be addressed  Comparison to international ICT Markets and  Recommendations and Conclusions. The dissertation also covers the development of the Local loop unbundling model charter, Local Loop Management website and processes (Annexure A and B) developed (using HTML) used for the management of the unbundling process. Keywords: o Local loop o Caged Co-location / Thesis (M.Ing. (Development and Management Engineering)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

The cellular operators (Vodacom, Cell C, MTN and now Virgin Mobile) market has over 39-million mobile phone subscribers and the fixed operator (Telkom) has almost 5 million subscribers [13]. Although the telecommunication sector has been experiencing this significant growth (in terms of numbers), monopolisation of the local loop by Telkom has also resulted in communication prices that are not affordable to the majority of South Africans. The government of South Africa has identified cost of telecommunication services as one of the key initiatives that must be addressed to improve equal levels of access to ICT services in general. Local Loop Unbundling (or LLU for short) has been identified by the South African government as a tool that will minimise control that Telkom has over the copper cable connecting exchanges to customers whilst at the same time driving down the costs of Telecommunication in the country. Although some countries have successfully implemented local loop unbundling, some have not been so successful [3]. This dissertation proposes ICT Systems and processes South Africa needs to have in place to become one of the few success stories. The proposed model was validated against the different models adopted in countries like France, Portugal, United Kingdom and Austria. This dissertation develops a model for implementing local loop unbundling in the South African ICT sector. Local loop unbundling (in short LLU) has been successfully (and unsuccessfully) implemented in a number of countries around the world [3]. The model being proposed recommends best practices to be followed by all stakeholders to ensure successful deployment of local loop unbundling. The research takes a closer look at the South African ICT sector and makes recommendations on processes and systems that are necessary to ensure successful deployment of local loop unbundling in South Africa. The dissertation is written from the view of Telkom (The incumbent Operator), competitors (existing ones and new entrants) and the Regulator (ICASA) and focuses mainly on:  Technical Processes and Challenges that must be addressed  Regulatory Process and Challenges that must be addressed  Economic Challenges that must be addressed  Comparison to international ICT Markets and  Recommendations and Conclusions. The dissertation also covers the development of the Local loop unbundling model charter, Local Loop Management website and processes (Annexure A and B) developed (using HTML) used for the management of the unbundling process. Keywords: o Local loop o Caged Co-location / Thesis (M.Ing. (Development and Management Engineering)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

La cessation des paiements, c’est sans aucun doute l’une des notions clés du droit des procédures collectives. Pour s’en rendre compte, il suffit de vérifier le contentieux qui en la matière est très abondant. Légalement définie au sein du premier alinéa de l’article L. 631-1 du Code de commerce comme l’impossibilité pou un débiteur de faire face à son passif exigible avec son actif disponible, cette définition, a été, à l’origine, l’œuvre d’une décision de la Cour de cassation rendue le 14 février 1978. Sous l’empire des dispositions antérieures à la loi de sauvegarde des entreprises, la cessation des paiements est un « curseur » qui sert de ligne de démarcation entre les procédures amiables et les procédures judiciaires. Un tel système a été dénoncé car il manquait cruellement de souplesse et d’efficacité dans la lutte contre les défaillances des entreprises. La loi du 26 juillet 2005, dans l’optique d’anticiper le traitement des difficultés des entreprises a mis un terme au système de « la cessation-curseur » en instituant la procédure amiable de conciliation et la procédure collective de sauvegarde. Toutefois, lorsque les « digues » que constituent les outils de l’anticipation n’ont pas pu enrayer le risque de cessation des paiements, le chef d’entreprise qui se retrouve dans une telle situation doit, dans un délai de quarante-cinq jours, demander l’ouverture d’une procédure de redressement ou de liquidation judiciaire. Lorsqu’il ouvre l’une ou l’autre de ces deux procédures, le tribunal saisi doit fixer une date de cessation des paiements. Cette date sera décisive pour la détermination de la période suspecte. De plus, l’ouverture des procédures collectives aura une incidence sur l’entreprise, elle joue sa survie, sur les créanciers dont le recouvrement de la créance est menacé, sur les fournisseurs qui craignent pour leurs relations contractuelles avec le débiteur, sur les garants qui craignent d’être appelés et sur la personne du débiteur elle-même. Sa gestion antérieure de l’entreprise sera scrutée et s’il en résulte des fautes en relation plus ou moins directe avec la cessation des paiements, il encourt des sanctions ou des actions en responsabilité. / Cessation of payments is certainly one of the key concepts in the law on collective insolvency proceedings. This can be seen by checking the litigation, which is very abundant in this matter. Legally defined in the first paragraph of Article L. 631-1 of the Commercial Code as the inability of a debtor to meet its accrued liabilities with its quick assets, this definition originated in a decision of the Court of Cassation issued on February 14, 1978. Under the provisions prior to the insolvency act, cessation of payments is a "cursor" which serves as a line of demarcation between amicable proceedings and judicial proceedings. Such a system has been criticized for being sorely lacking in flexibility and effectiveness in preventing business failures. The law of July 26, 2005, with the objective of anticipating treatment of company difficulties, put an end to the "cessation-cursor" by instituting the amicable conciliation proceeding and the collective insolvency proceeding. However, when the "barriers" formed by the anticipation tools have not been able to halt the risk of cessation of payments, the company director in such a situation must, within a period of forty-five days, request the initiation of a receivership or court-supervised liquidation proceeding. When either of these proceedings is initiated, the court must fix a date of cessation of payments. This date will be final for the determination of the suspect period. Moreover, the initiation of collective insolvency proceedings will have an effect on the enterprise fighting for survival, on the creditors whose ability to collect their debt is threatened, on the suppliers worried about their contractual relations with the debtor, on the guarantors who fear being called upon and on the debtor itself. Prior management of the enterprise will be probed and if faults more or less closely connected to the cessation of payments are revealed, sanctions or tort actions may result.