Channel 65 hearings start next week

By Damaria Senne, ITWeb senior journalist

Johannesburg, 28 Apr 2006

The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) hearings on the proposed use of channel 65 (spectrum 822-830MHz) for non-broadcasting purposes will be held on 3 and 4 May at ICASA`s premises in Sandton, the authority says.

Stakeholders scheduled to present include the second national operator (SNO), M-Net, Orbicom, the South African Broadcasting Corporation, Telkom and Sentech. Two underserviced area licensees (USALs) are also scheduled to present, ICASA says.

The SNO says it is not necessary for broadcasters to migrate out of channel 65, as the spectrum can be shared with telecoms operators without degrading quality of transmissions. In instances where channel 65 is already occupied by a broadcaster in a certain geographic region, ICASA could allocate spectrum in channel 66 to telecoms operators, a spokesperson says.

Daniel Moalusi, a project officer with the National Community Radio Forum, says the use of channel 65 is concentrated in urban areas, with M-Net and some channels of the SABC being potentially affected by the reassignment. There will be no impact on rural broadcasters if the spectrum is reallocated, he says.

USALs view the possible reassignment of the spectrum as a positive step for their cause.

"It is sad that ICASA could grant us such a beautiful licence on the one hand and fail to award us appropriate spectrum on the other hand," says Vusi Ndlovu, CEO of Kingdom Communications, a KZN-based USAL holder.

Bule Mhlongo, CEO of Thinta Thinta, has previously noted that the sooner USALs are allocated spectrum, the sooner they can raise the much-needed capital that will allow them to build their own telecoms infrastructure.

Moalusi says broadcasters can use the spectrum to bridge the gap between converged services and broadcast telecoms services.

"The spectrum can carry broadcasting services such as Internet radio, Internet protocol TV and digital video broadcasting via a handheld (DVBH), which could allow broadcasters new opportunities," he says.