ISPA Welcomes ICASA’s Spectrum Allocation Boost for WiFi Connectivity in South Africa

The Internet Service Providers’ Association of SA (ISPA) has expressed its support for the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa’s (ICASA) decision to allocate additional spectrum for WiFi in the lower 6GHz band. This move, according to ISPA, has effectively tripled the spectrum available for in-vehicle and in-building WiFi connectivity, offering significant benefits to users who upgrade to WiFi 6E routers.

ISPA describes this development as fantastic news for consumers, highlighting ICASA’s Amendment to Annexure B of the Radio Frequency Spectrum Regulations (2015) as the catalyst for this expansion. The lower 6GHz frequency band, ranging from 5,925MHz to 6,425MHz, has now been made available for WiFi provision, greatly enhancing availability and facilitating faster data communication, reduced latency, and improved efficiency.

The regulatory advisor for ISPA, Dominic Cull, emphasizes the positive impact of this move, particularly for home, small office/home office (SOHO), and SME users. The amendments to the radio regulations significantly increase the spectrum allocation for WiFi applications, allowing for more connected devices and denser wireless networks. This is especially beneficial in high-density and multi-level buildings where contention and stability can pose challenges.

ISPA also highlights that the combination of the revised regulations and the introduction of WiFi 6/6E and 7 will lead to faster speeds for supported devices in home and SOHO environments. The advancements in WiFi technology will address bottlenecks experienced by users, enabling them to fully leverage the high-speed fiber-optic cable infrastructure being deployed across South Africa.

Looking ahead, ISPA encourages ICASA to continue opening up more of the 6GHz band to further enhance WiFi connectivity, fostering continued innovation and improved internet experiences for users in the country.

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