Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      Listed: All the MVNOs in South Africa – 2025 edition

      19 June 2025

      TCS | Tech, townships and tenacity: Spar’s plan to win with Spar2U

      19 June 2025

      WhatsApp founders hated ads – Meta is adding them anyway

      19 June 2025

      China’s car factories run cold as price war masks deep overcapacity

      19 June 2025

      Yellow Card, Visa in deal to hasten stablecoin uptake in Africa

      19 June 2025
    • World

      Watch | Starship rocket explodes in setback to Musk’s Mars mission

      19 June 2025

      Trump Mobile dials into politics, profit and patriarchy

      17 June 2025

      Samsung plots health data hub to link users and doctors in real time

      17 June 2025

      Beijing’s chip champions blacklisted by Taiwan

      16 June 2025

      China is behind in AI chips – but for how much longer?

      13 June 2025
    • In-depth

      Meta bets $72-billion on AI – and investors love it

      17 June 2025

      MultiChoice may unbundle SuperSport from DStv

      12 June 2025

      Grok promised bias-free chat. Then came the edits

      2 June 2025

      Digital fortress: We go inside JB5, Teraco’s giant new AI-ready data centre

      30 May 2025

      Sam Altman and Jony Ive’s big bet to out-Apple Apple

      22 May 2025
    • TCS

      TCS+ | AfriGIS’s Helen Hulett on how tech can help resolve South Africa’s water crisis

      18 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E2: South Africa’s digital battlefield

      16 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E1: Starlink, BEE and a new leader at Vodacom

      8 June 2025

      TCS+ | The future of mobile money, with MTN’s Kagiso Mothibi

      6 June 2025

      TCS+ | AI is more than hype: Workday execs unpack real human impact

      4 June 2025
    • Opinion

      South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

      17 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025

      Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

      13 June 2025

      Beyond the box: why IT distribution depends on real partnerships

      2 June 2025

      South Africa’s next crisis? Being offline in an AI-driven world

      2 June 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » News » Cwele vows ‘no delay’ in releasing 5G spectrum

    Cwele vows ‘no delay’ in releasing 5G spectrum

    By Duncan McLeod11 October 2018
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp
    Telecoms minister Siyabonga Cwele. Image c/o ITU

    Government will move with haste to ensure that spectrum suitable for building 5G wireless broadband networks is released to operators and has vowed to avoid repeating the delays in licensing spectrum for 4G network infrastructure.

    Despite being deployed commercially around the world more than eight years ago, South Africa has not officially licensed spectrum suitable for 4G, forcing local operators to use older spectrum assignments by reallocating radio assignments meant for 2G and 3G for 4G/LTE.

    Speaking to journalists in Sandton on Thursday, Cwele said he has the full support of President Cyril Ramaphosa, whom he described as technologically savvy, in ensuring that spectrum is released as soon as possible to attract more investment in the ICT sector in South Africa. He said he will soon be in a position to announce names of companies interested in investing in a planned wholesale open-access network (Woan). He hinted that international investors are interested in the spectrum licensing process.

    Government will provide Icasa with background support and national treasury will provide support to expedite the process

    Cwele made the remarks following a meeting with industry leaders, where a range of issues were discussed, including a draft policy direction to communications regulator Icasa on the licensing of radio frequency spectrum to the Woan and the commercial operators.

    He said the cabinet has deliberated about how 4G and 5G spectrum should be released and government is comfortable if Icasa uses the mechanism of a spectrum auction. An auction model will not be used for allocation to the Woan, however, he said. The auction for 4G spectrum should take place by 31 March 2019, while 5G spectrum is likely to be released in 2020, after finalisation of the standards at the World Radiocommunication conference next year.

    The minister emphasised that government won’t interfere with Icasa’s licensing responsibilities, and that the model it chooses for releasing the spectrum is up to it to determine. However, he said government will provide Icasa with “background support and national treasury will provide support to expedite the process”. National treasury has voiced its support in the past for an auction, which is likely to raise of billions of rand for the national fiscus.

    ‘No delay’

    Cwele added that government, Icasa and the industry will have “continuous engagements” to ensure that with 5G “there is no delay like we had with (the release of) 4G spectrum”.

    Icasa councillor Paris Mashile, speaking to the media at the same press conference, said government and the regulator “have really come to see eye to eye regarding the challenges we have”.

    “We have agreed on a hybrid model (with spectrum being licensed to the Woan and commercial operators). There will be an auction and a beauty contest for the smaller operators,” Mashile said. “A lot of things will come out of it. We will have to license as soon as possible.”

    He said Icasa will finalise its plan for licensing 4G-suitable spectrum by 31 December 2018. However, he said Icasa would be irresponsible to rush into licensing 5G until the standards have been ratified. He said the bands Icasa is likely to make available for 5G are at 700MHz and 3.4-3.7GHz as well as the so-called millimetre-wave frequencies above 26GHz.

    Mashile declined to say whether the 4G spectrum auction will be run by a specialist auctioneer — this will be decided in the coming months. He said Icasa will license spectrum for the commercial operators and the planned Woan at the same time.

    Cwele, meanwhile, said Thursday’s meeting with stakeholders also discussed the so-called fourth Industrial Revolution and the impact it will have on jobs in South Africa; skills development; and Ramaphosa’s investment conference taking place later this month.  — © 2018 NewsCentral Media



    Cyril Ramaphosa Icasa Paris Mashile Siyabonga Cwele top Woan
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleMicrosoft a growing contender in PC hardware
    Next Article Global payment firms hold first cyber war game

    Related Posts

    Up to Icasa whether Starlink gets a licence: Malatsi

    11 June 2025

    Karoo collision: Starlink vs science in South African skies

    9 June 2025

    TechCentral Nexus S0E1: Starlink, BEE and a new leader at Vodacom

    8 June 2025
    Company News

    Why parents choose CambriLearn for online education

    19 June 2025

    Disrupt first, ask questions later – the uncomfortable truth about incident response

    18 June 2025

    Sage brings together HR leaders to explore the future of payroll and people management

    18 June 2025
    Opinion

    South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

    17 June 2025

    AI and the future of ICT distribution

    16 June 2025

    Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

    13 June 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.