In brief: ICASA’s online platform for managing telephone number resources is part of a broader evolution in South Africa’s numbering plan administration. For telecoms resellers, understanding how number portability and number management works is increasingly important when migrating clients between providers.
ICASA and South Africa’s Telephone Numbering Plan
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) is the regulator responsible for managing South Africa’s telephone number resources under the Electronic Communications Act. This includes the allocation of number blocks to licensed operators, the administration of number portability, and the licensing of the Number Portability Central Office (NPCO).
In 2023, ICASA announced the launch of an online platform to manage telephone numbers in South Africa — a shift from manual, paper-based processes to a digital system designed to improve transparency and efficiency in number administration. This platform enables licensed operators to apply for number blocks, track allocations, and manage their number resources online.
Number Portability in South Africa: The Current State
South Africa has had mobile number portability (MNP) since 2006, allowing users to keep their mobile number when switching between Vodacom, MTN, Cell C, Telkom Mobile, and smaller MVNOs. Fixed-line number portability has been more complex, partly because of the legacy infrastructure tied to geographic number ranges.
For VoIP and hosted PBX deployments, number portability is a critical consideration. Clients who want to move their existing phone numbers from Telkom (or another carrier) to a hosted VoIP provider need the porting process to work smoothly. In practice, this process has improved significantly since the early days of VoIP in SA, but it still requires careful management:
Porting timelines: Geographic number ports (0xx numbers) can take 5–15 business days. Mobile number ports typically complete within 3 business days. Both require documentation including proof of current account, RICA documentation for the new provider, and a Letter of Authority (LOA) from the client authorising the port.
Service continuity: During a porting event, there is typically a brief period where calls may route intermittently. Scheduling major ports for a Friday afternoon or weekend, when call volumes are lower, reduces business disruption.
Number block management: Resellers who have their own ITSP (Internet Telephony Service Provider) licence can apply for number blocks directly from ICASA. Others provision numbers through their upstream SIP trunk provider (Euphoria Telecom, Voxtelecom, CallCentric, etc.).
SA Numbering Plan Basics for Resellers
Understanding South Africa’s numbering plan helps resellers advise clients on the right number format for their business:
Geographic numbers (0xx): 10-digit numbers starting with 010, 011, 012, 021, 031, etc. associated with specific geographic areas. Johannesburg is 011, Cape Town is 021, Pretoria is 012. These convey local presence and are preferred by businesses wanting to signal a physical location.
Non-geographic numbers (087, 086): Not tied to a geographic location. 087 numbers are popular for VoIP businesses, call centres, and companies with distributed workforces. 086 numbers (iFax) were traditionally associated with fax-to-email services.
Toll-free numbers (080): Cost-free for callers, billed to the called party. Popular for customer service lines. Available from major carriers.
Premium rate numbers (090): High per-minute charges to callers. Used for information lines and adult services. Typically not relevant to business telecoms resellers.
Mobile numbers (06x, 07x, 08x): Managed by mobile network operators. Resellers with MVNO arrangements can provision mobile numbers, but this is niche for most resellers.
The Impact of ICASA’s Online Platform on Resellers
ICASA’s move to an online platform for number management benefits the industry in several ways:
Faster allocations: Digital processing of number block applications reduces wait times compared to manual processes. Licensed operators (ITSPs) can expect faster turnaround on number resource requests.
Greater transparency: The platform provides operators with visibility into their allocated number ranges, utilisation rates, and renewal requirements. This makes compliance management easier.
Audit trail: Online systems create verifiable records of allocations and transactions, reducing disputes between operators about which numbers belong to which provider.
For resellers who operate through a licensed ITSP upstream provider rather than holding their own licence, the direct impact is indirect — their SIP trunk provider will benefit from the platform, and that should translate into smoother number provisioning and porting experiences downstream.
Number Porting Best Practices for Resellers
When migrating a client to a new hosted PBX system, number porting is often the most stressful part of the project. These practices will help:
- Verify porting eligibility early — not all numbers can be ported (some legacy Telkom numbers on old contracts have porting restrictions)
- Collect LOA and RICA documentation before ordering — waiting for documentation after ordering the port wastes time
- Order a test number first — for large migrations, port one number first to validate the process with your carrier before porting the full block
- Communicate the timeline to clients — clients often expect porting to happen the same day; setting realistic expectations prevents frustration
- Keep the old line active until the port completes — never cancel the losing carrier’s service before confirming the port has succeeded
- Test incoming calls immediately after porting — verify that calls to the ported number reach the new destination before informing the client the migration is complete
What This Means for SA Telecoms Resellers
ICASA’s investment in modernising number management infrastructure is a positive development for the industry. As the regulator continues to improve digital processes, the administrative burden on licensed operators should decrease, and the porting experience for end users should improve.
For resellers who regularly handle number migrations, staying informed about ICASA’s numbering plan decisions — including changes to number block allocations, portability rules, and new number ranges — is worth the time investment. ICASA publishes guidelines and consultations on its website at icasa.org.za.
Understanding the numbering landscape also helps you have more informed conversations with clients about their number strategy. Should they use geographic numbers to signal local presence, or non-geographic numbers that work regardless of where their staff are located? As South African businesses become more distributed, the answer increasingly favours non-geographic 087 numbers hosted on flexible cloud PBX platforms.
About the Author
Mechelle Gindra
Mechelle Gindra is the managing editor and lead content strategist at Telecoms-Channel, South Africa's dedicated intelligence platform for telecoms resellers, ICT distributors, and channel partners. She oversees the editorial team's AI-assisted content production pipeline, ensuring vendor news, market analysis, and regulatory updates are accurate, timely, and actionable for the SA telecoms channel community. With deep expertise in the South African telecoms reseller ecosystem, Mechelle directs coverage of vendor partner programmes, ICASA regulatory developments, wholesale market dynamics, and channel business strategy. She is responsible for maintaining Telecoms-Channel's editorial standards, fact-checking processes, and corrections policy.
