Pretoria – The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA/the Authority) published the Information Memorandum (the IM) on the process for the assignment of the International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) spectrum (what is also referred to as high demand spectrum) on 1 November 2019. The closing date for written representations on the Information Memorandum was today, Friday 31st January 2020 no later than 16h00. As of the deadline, the Authority had received over forty (40) written representations from a broad range of stakeholders.

The Authority would like to thank all stakeholders for making written representations. ICASA will make all written representations available on the website (www.icasa.org.za) and in the library before the end of next week, following a confidentiality assessment thereof.

The release of high demand spectrum is the most seminal licensing process for the future of the sector. The Authority is therefore mindful of the far-reaching consequential implications of this process – not just for the Authority but for the wider South African economy.

The Authority will thoroughly consider all the representations that have been received prior to embarking on the next steps of the licensing process. “It is of critical importance that we embark on a legally sound process; underpinned by solid forward-looking technical and economic considerations, all in the public interest. It is in this spirit that we engage with the submissions and all other related processes to ensure alignment with the broader government objective of ensuring universal access to broadband services for all”, says Dr. Keabetswe Modimoeng, ICASA Acting Chairperson.

In the context of considering representations received, the Authority is also engaging with the recommendations proposed by the Competition Commission in its Final Report on Data Services Market Inquiry (dated 2 December 2019) insofar as the said recommendations pertain to the assignment of high demand spectrum.

Furthermore, the Authority will carefully manage the ‘possible’ inter-dependencies between this process and its other regulatory processes (such as the Mobile Broadband Services Market Inquiry, and the process for the issuing of the individual electronic network services licence to the Wireless Open Access Network, WOAN). This approach will be in the spirit of ensuring consistency and certainty in regulatory outcomes.

The next milestone in the licensing process is scheduled for first quarter of the 2020/21 financial year starting in April this year, when the Authority will, informed by analysis of the representations received on the IM, outline in detail the process that will ensue and the likely date for assignment of the high demand spectrum. This relates to both the auction and WOAN licensing processes.

“The Authority remains unequivocally committed to efforts of lowering the cost to communicate (particularly data), ensuring good quality of service whilst sustaining the clarion call of making South Africa an attractive investment destination,” concludes Dr. Modimoeng.
Ends

For all media enquiries please contact:
Paseka Maleka
Tel : 012 568 3455
Cell : 079 509 0702
Email: pmaleka@icasa.org.za