The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) will pronounce its licensing framework for satellite-based internet services in 2025.
This, as space technology is increasingly being used as a platform to complement connectivity in under-served areas, says ICASA chairperson Mothibi Ramusi.
Ramusi was speaking to ITWeb following the 2024 “Connecting the World from the Skies Global Forum”, co-organised by the International Telecommunication Union and the Communications, Space and Technology Commission of Saudi Arabia.
In terms of a policy framework, the communications regulator has always embraced satellite communications in South Africa, he revealed. “We went out on an inquiry this financial year, to look at a new licensing framework. This is mainly…because new emerging technologies may require a totally different licensing framework.
“We are coming from an era where it used to be one way with geostationary satellites. For example, a school or clinic would receive information just like DStv at home. Nowadays, there are other frequencies that allow models like the Ka band, which provide bi-directional transmission – you can receive and transmit.”
Even if its policy says the country is technology-neutral, ICASA engaged with the public, professionals and academia for the regulatory framework of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, according to Ramusi.
“We have since received inputs, and are going through those inputs and submissions, to assess and determine the type of new ways of doing things. We will be pronouncing our final finding document in 2025.”
ICASA embraces the concept of connecting the public through the skies, he added. “There’s nothing that we’re going to change other than just tightening, but not doing anything that will cause harm to some of our new LEO providers.
“At the end of the day, as ICASA, we embrace change. Hence the need for us to come up with agile regulations that should stimulate appetite for new investors. For us, connecting the public from the skies is something we are going to embrace, but it [the policy] must consider issues of cost and standards.”
SA is still eagerly awaiting Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service in the country. With Starlink already launching in SA’s Southern African peers, there’s been a lot of questions around why the satellite-based internet service has yet to be launched in the tech billionaire's country of birth.
Starlink is an LEO satellite internet constellation operated by Musk’s SpaceX, providing satellite internet access coverage to over 60 countries. SpaceX began launching Starlink satellites in 2019.
Although Starlink is available in Botswana, Mozambique, Nigeria and Zambia, South Africans have been waiting for the service since 2021. Starlink's online coverage map shows the date for the service’s availability in the country as “unknown”.
Global engagement
Ramusi represented ICASA and SA’s interests at the global forum, held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event brought together regulators, policymakers, industry leaders and technical experts to discuss the evolution of non-terrestrial and terrestrial connectivity.
He told ITWeb that ICASA’s role at the international conference was to establish if there are any new techniques or new strategies the regulator should be considering, especially for non-terrestrial networks.
“When nations talk about the future, emphasis has always been that regulators need to create an enabling environment through regulation, so that we can facilitate a digitally-enabled country.
“With the emergence of LEO satellites − whose focus in the past was on Earth observation, but is now on communications in the form of voice, data and broadcasting − ICASA was there to determine how we prepare ourselves to usher in the new non-terrestrial networks that have been identified.”
Ramusi noted that several companies in SA are using geostationary satellites to interconnect their sites, especially in terms of backhauling.
“Nowadays, people talk of LEOs and there’s this big hype, but…it’s not new; it’s something that we need to embrace through our regulations.”
He explained that geostationary satellites have mainly been providing broadcasting services, telecoms and backhauling, but satellite technology is becoming one of the platforms nations use to provide connectivity in under-served areas.
“This is because in these areas, it is sometimes challenging to do proper radio frequency planning because of the typology of the area. For example, in an area like Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape, or somewhere in Venda, you’ll find that the terrain is quite challenging when it comes to radio planners. When it comes to the design of the network, you’ll find you need many base stations to interconnect, or make sure services are provided.
“With satellite services, the prospects are that we can use it to close some of those patches of under-served, or what people call rural areas.”
There’s always talk that satellite connectivity is ideal for rural, but it can also be used for navigation, maritime, tracing and tracking, Ramusi pointed out.
“In SA, it’s not only the rural areas, but it can still be used in urban, townships and even the cities. The advantage of satellite is that it can be a blanket that can cover a bigger space, but it doesn’t come cheap, it comes at a cost.”
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