ICASA Spectrum Auction
Telkom & ICASA Settle Lawsuit Out of Court
Sourced from PC Mag South African semi-private telco group Telkom and the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) today reached an out-of-court settlement bringing an end to the high court litigation over the licensing of the high-demand spectrum. According to the settlement agreement, ICASA will commence with the licensing of the spectrum that remains unassigned in the auction by no later than 30 June 2022 with the licensing process set to be concluded within ICASA’s current financial year. According to a press release, ICASA has undertaken that it will have regard for the outcomes of the recently completed auction, in its licensing of the unassigned 800 MHz. According to Telkom Group CEO, Serame Taukobong, the settlement addresses Telkom’s principal complaints: the r...
4 Important Things You Need to Know About ICASA’s Auction Tomorrow
After several years of delays, cancellations, court cases and the setting of further and further deadlines, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) is finally set to auction access to SA’s much-coveted spectrum for mobile broadband services. Two auctions will be held – one on 8 March and another on 10 March. The second auction is considered the “main” auction. Here are 4 things you need to know about tomorrow’s ICASA auction: The Opt-In Phase Auction The first highly-anticipated auction will be held on Tuesday 8 March with every big name telecom in the country lining up to take a seat at the table. For the last several weeks, ICASA has conducted mock auctions and a bidder seminar to ensure that potential participants are comfortable with the bidding process. Accord...
ICASA Sets New Deadline for Controversial Spectrum Auction
Sourced from PC Mag Last month, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), the country’s communications regulator, announced that it would not be publishing invitations to apply (ITA) to participate in the highly anticipated auction of high-demand spectrum in South Africa, effectively postponing the auction. ICASA said that the move was made to avoid lengthy court battles against several litigators that had issues with how ICASA was handling the auction. The regulator likewise withdrew an ITA for the licensing of the planned wholesale open-access network (WOAN). Now, following more than a decade of delays and legal issues, ICASA has announced a new timetable for the auction of its high-demand spectrum in the country. According to Media24, SA’s high data prices (some ...
Benefits & Challenges of Harnessing 5G in South Africa
Fifth-generation (5G) wireless broadband is no longer a future technology – it’s here and is already available in limited key metropolitan areas in South Africa. The country, with its limited Internet access and infrastructure, high data costs and ailing economy, can benefit in multiple ways from 5G. However, there are also some issues that South Africa needs to deal with as communication service providers (CSPs) gear themselves for the 5G era and maximise the value the technology can bring. A recent study by IT services and consulting company Accenture, titled The Future Home in the 5G Era, opens a window into consumer lives in a 5G world and offers a roadmap for service providers to make hyperconnected 5G living a reality when we need it most. Globally, the value of access to information...
ICASA Cancels Spectrum Auction in Attempt to Avoid Lengthy Court Battle
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), the country’s communications regulator, has announced that it will not be publishing invitations to apply (ITA) to participate in the long-awaited auction of high-demand spectrum in South Africa. ICASA says that the move was made to avoid a lengthy court battle against several litigators that had issues with how ICASA was handling the auction. The regulator is likewise withdrawing an ITA for the licensing of the planned wholesale open-access network (WOAN), pending court approval. “ICASA has now decided to consent to an order setting aside its decision to publish the invitations to apply (ITAs) in order to avoid a long, drawn-out litigation, the effect of which would only be to delay further the licensing of high-demand spec...
South Africa’s Spectrum Debacle – What is Going On?
Sourced from Business Tech Recently, MTN issued a warning that the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA)’s decision to take back the emergency temporary radio frequency spectrum it opened to the country’s telecoms in April 2020 at the onset of the pandemic would lead to a “digital load shedding” in SA. ICASA is currently planning to close off the spectrum on 30 November 2021. The authority initially released the spectrum in emergency conditions last year to meet a spike in demand for broadband services in the country stemming from the Level 5 total lockdown implemented to curb COVID-19 infections. As more people were required to work from home, more spectrum was necessary to accommodate the switch. Now, according to Jacqui O’Sullivan, MTN SA’s executive for corporate...
