Posted by LA Thornton on Monday, January 6, 2020,
The Minister of Communications announced several new initiatives and provided updates on others, in support of its readiness to lead the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) in South Africa.
1. The appointment (and later withdrawal) of an administrator (of a repurposed universal service agency) to implement digital migration, and repurposing the universal service fund to a 4IR fund
2. The appointment of an administrator (of a new technology company) to oversee government IT spend
3. The pending...
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Posted by LA Thornton on Wednesday, July 31, 2019,
The Minister of Communications, on 26 July 2019, published policy on high demand spectrum and a policy direction issued to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) for the licensing of a wireless open access network.
The spectrum policy provides for preferential treatment for assignment of spectrum to WOAN in the 700 MHz, 800 MHz, and 2600 MHz bands. The assignment of high demand spectrum to others must meet certain conditions, including that the other licensee must pr...
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Posted by LA Thornton on Wednesday, March 30, 2016,
ICASA has released a slew of government notices from March-April 2016, which include the following.
- South African Music Regulations, 23 March 2016
- South African Local Content Reasons Document - March 2016
- Local Television Content Regulations, 23 March 2016
- Increased fees associated with spectrum licences effective 1 April 2016
- Amendment to the Guidelines Relating to Type Approval Framework to extend the time for ICASA to process type approval applications from 15 to 30 working days
- Increased admin...
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Posted by LA Thornton on Thursday, September 10, 2015,
ICASA published a Discussion Document for comment due 27 November 2015, in respect of licensing options for the V band (57-66 GHz band) and the E band (71-76 paired with 81-86 GHz bands).
ICASA proposes licence exempt status for the V band and a light licensing approach for the E band.
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Posted by LA Thornton on Thursday, September 10, 2015,
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa issued an invitation to apply for Multiplexer 3 (MUX 3) Radio Frequency Spectrum Licence to Provide Commercial Television Broadcasting Services on 1 September 2015 (and again on 10 September 2015). The process will proceed in two stages. The first is a prequalification stage. The second is a sealed bid stage. Prequalification documents are due 30 November 2015. In order to prequalify, an entity must be a broadcasting licensee and ...
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Posted by LA Thornton on Thursday, December 18, 2014,
ICASA has published a notice of hearings to be held in the proposed transaction between Neotel and Vodacom on 15-16 January 2015. This notice follows a call for written comment on the proposed transaction in September 2014.
It is not certain whether these hearings concern only the service licences of Neotel or both the service and spectrum licences, as neither notice mentions provisions of the EC Act concerning spectrum.
It is also not certain under what authority the proceedings are taking...
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Posted by LA Thornton on Wednesday, August 8, 2012,
The Minister of Communications has published the Electronic Communications Amendment Bill, 2012 for comment due 29 August 2012.
Two classes of individual ECNS licences?
In the Memorandum on the objects of the Bill, one is led to believe that the amendment to section 20 of the Act would limit the rights of certain individual ECNS licensees in respect of gaining rights of way. However, upon examination of the proposed amendment, it appears that this would not be the result. The proposed amendme...
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Posted by LA Thornton on Tuesday, April 12, 2011,
ICASA has finally replaced the old Radio Regulations made prior to the Telecommunications Act, with the Radio Frequency Spectrum Regulations published on 31 March 2011. The Regulations set out application procedures (standard and extended) and forms and application fees. They also incorporate the spectrum licence exemption regulations and set out special provisions for services such as amateur radio, communal repeaters, burlar alarms, and citizen band services. It would appear that these "...
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Posted by LA Thornton on Tuesday, June 1, 2010,
Update: ICASA withdrew the invitation on 29 July 2010.
ICASA issued an invitation to apply for spectrum in the
2.6 GHz and
3.5 GHz bands in separate notices dated 28 May 2010. The applications are due to be filed with ICASA by
25 June 2010. ICASA also published a
Reasons Document and
Regulations on the procedures and criteria for granting licences where there are competing applications.
The ITA for the 3.5 GHz band is to class electronic communications network service licensees for the purpo...
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Posted by LA Thornton on Monday, November 30, 2009,
In 2009, the Altech litigation concluded, resulting in the licensing by ICASA of hundreds of potential competitors to the dominant incumbents, Telkom, Vodacom and MTN.
Real competitiveness however relies on more than new licences. It requires an effective legislative and regulatory framework, among other things. I would like to take the opportunity of the year end to offer my thoughts on some regulatory priorities for 2010.
Key aspects of an effective regulatory framework include effectiv...
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