The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa will extend the validity of existing radio frequency spectrum licences due to South Africa’s Covid-19 lockdown.
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Icasa will make additional radio frequency spectrum available to operators to ensure networks can cope with increased demand during the lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Communications regulator Icasa is “engaging the sector on possible ways of radio frequency spectrum relief” during the national state of disaster declared by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Communications regulator Icasa has suspended all public hearings until further notice due to the worsening coronavirus outbreak in South Africa.
All eyes are on MTN South Africa and Telkom, which have failed to reach an agreement with the Competition Commission to lower data prices within the specified deadline.
Even when South Africa has completed the switch-off of analogue television broadcasting signals as part of the long-delayed broadcasting digital migration project, the spectrum may still not be available for broadband operators.
Remgro’s CIVH has made it crystal clear that it wants to be a major player in South Africa’s planned wholesale open-access network and has lobbied communications regulator Icasa to provide strong support to the new entity.
Vodacom’s agreement with Liquid Telecom to roll out a national 5G network using the latter’s spectrum will entrench the dominance of the country’s biggest mobile operator, Telkom warned has warned.
The communications regulator has received more than 40 written submissions on the licensing of broadband spectrum suitable for building 4G/LTE and 5G networks in South Africa.
Liquid Telecom on Monday confirmed that it will launch a wholesale 5G network “early in 2020”. Vodacom is set to be one of the first customers to use it.