Telkom Signals Major Spectrum Shake-Up with ICASA’s New Licensing Plans
ICASA prepares to license 280 MHz of spectrum while a court case over spectrum sharing could impact South Africa’s telecom landscape.
Telkom has provided an update on developments surrounding South Africa’s high-demand spectrum licensing in its third-quarter trading report for the period ending 31 December 2024.
In their report, they published the following:
It is anticipated that ICASA will commence with preparing for the next high demand spectrum licensing process during the current year. The first step in ICASA’s project plan is to consider the competition issues relevant to the licensing of additional high-demand spectrum, including the impact of direct and indirect access to spectrum. The outcome of this first step will inform the licensing process to be followed by ICASA. It is anticipated that around 280 MHz of additional spectrum, including spectrum in the sub 1 GHz and mid-range bands will be made available for licensing.
A mobile network operator launched a review application regarding ICASA’s approval of spectrum sharing/pooling arrangements between three mobile operators. The outcome of this application may also have a bearing on the design of the spectrum licensing process. The application will be heard by the High Court on 13 and 14 February 2025. Most of the mobile operators are participating in the legal proceedings along with ICASA.
