Icasa said late on Friday that it is nearing a “settlement breakthrough” with telecommunications operators that will allow a planned spectrum auction to proceed.
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The president has encouraged mobile operators, Icasa and the department of communications to engage in mediation to get South Africa’s spectrum auction back on track.
When the Internet Service Providers’ Association was founded 25 years ago, its principal raison d’être was fighting Telkom’s monopoly. Now the company has been accepted as a member.
President Cyril Ramaphosa hit out at telecommunications companies for bringing legal action against plans to issue more broadband spectrum, urging them to resolve the matter.
At face value, Telkom reported good full-year numbers. However, there are some worrying signs hidden in the numbers.
Communications regulator Icasa on Thursday decided to extend the emergency allocation of temporary spectrum under the Covid-19 state of disaster regulations until the end of August.
Telkom is open to reaching an out-of-court settlement with communications regulator Icasa over the spectrum auction, though little progress has been made in any talks.
The number of copper fixed lines in service at Telkom has plunged yet again. At the end of March, the company had fewer than 1.3 million customers using copper, down 20% from 1.6 million a year ago.
The digital dividend will be released to telecommunications operators on a province-by-province basis, communications minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams said in parliament.
Investors pushed Telkom’s share price more than 5% higher on Tuesday morning after the telecoms operator said it would report a bounce in full-year headline earnings.