ICASA awards cellular spectrum
November 30, 2021
By Chris Forrester
South Africa’s telecoms regulator ICASA has made a number of provisional cellular spectrum awards.
The licences are only good for seven months (starting on December 1st) and reflect the challenges created by the pandemic and the recommendation that people work from home.
The provisional licences are until June 30th 2022, or three months after the end of the national sate of disaster, whichever comes first. Local reports suggest the intention is for the licences to be in force until ICASA conducts a wider spectrum auction – promised for March 2022 – that will license access to the bands permanently.
“By the closing date on 17 November, the authority had received six applications — from Rain Networks, Vodacom, Cell C, Telkom, Liquid Intelligence Technologies and MTN,” ICASA said.
The 700 MHz licences are:
1. MTN: 10MHz
2. Telkom: 20MHz
3. Vodacom: 10MHz
4. Rain: 20MHz
The 800 MHz licences are:
1. MTN: 10MHz
2. Telkom: 20MHz
3. Vodacom: 10MHz
4. Cell C: 20MHz
The 2.3 GHz licence was for:
1: Telkom: 40 MHz
The 2.6 GHz licences are:
1. Telkom: 10MHz
2. MTN: 40MHz
3. Vodacom: 40MHz
4. Rain: 60MHz
5. Cell C: 20MHz
The 3.5 GHz licences are:
1. Telkom: 12MHz
2. MTN: 40MHz
3. Vodacom: 40MHz;
4. Liquid Tech.: 4MHz
5. Cell C: 20MHz