Telecoms regulator the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) is looking for more consultations on three key spectrum bands before it goes ahead with the auction process.
The regulator yesterday published, for further public consultation, three second draft Radio Frequency Spectrum Assignment Plans (RFSAPs) for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) systems.
The authority previously published 10 RFSAPs for public consultation in Government Gazette No 46160 on 31 March 2022.
In light of the submissions made by stakeholders, the authority determined that three of the 10 bands require a further round of consultation. These have now been published in Government Gazette No 48078.
The three bands are:
- 450MHz to 470MHz
- 825MHz to 830MHz and 870MHz to 875MHz
- 1 427MHz to 1 518MHz
In March last year, ICASA raised R14.4 billion from the country’s historic spectrum auction process.
The auction involved six qualified bidders: Cell C, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, MTN, Rain Networks, Telkom and Vodacom.
ICASA had set itself a target of R8 billion from the proceeds of the auction, which had been up in the air for some years.
The allocation of high-demand spectrum by means of an auction is key among government’s economic structural reforms, as the state looks to boost the fiscus.
“It is in the interest of the sector to delay the finalisation of the three RFSAPs in question, and to engage in a second round of consultation to establish all the factors to be considered in order to ensure the spectrum can be awarded to the most valuable user in the near future,” says councillor Charley Lewis, chairperson of the council committee.
“Two of the bands in question have incumbents that have to be migrated, while most stakeholders argued for the third RFSAP to be extended to cover the full band – hence the necessity for further consultation,” Lewis adds.
According to ICASA, RFSAPs like these formalise the rules and spectrum arrangements for the spectrum in question.
It notes these assignment plans are aimed at identifying new high-demand spectrum that the authority intends to make available for IMT services in the near future.
Together, the 10 RFSAPs will achieve a 215% increase in high-demand spectrum available for licensing through a competitive process, it adds.
“These three bands are an addition to the seven RFSAPs published last year. We are confident the additional bands will provide licensees with greater capacity to meet the demand faced by the sector, improve access to data services and reduce the cost to communicate,” says Lewis.
Stakeholder representations must be made by no later than Monday, 6 March, at 16h00. Written representations, responses and other correspondence in terms of the published notice must be directed to Manyaapelo Richard Makgotlho, project leader of the radio frequency migration plan council committee, via e-mail at rmakgotlho@icasa.org.za.
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