More spectrum transparency needed
The Open Spectrum Alliance (OSA) held their founding meeting yesterday, attracting 45 industry players and stakeholders. The OSA was founded with the aim of working towards greater efficiency in the allocation, assignment and use of radio frequency spectrum in South Africa.
According to the OSA broadband around the world is changing from a luxury to a key social and economic enabler, increasing the need for affordable and universal access in South Africa.
The Open Spectrum Alliance says it seeks to engage policy makers, regulators, industry and civil society in a dialogue on wireless spectrum and how the rapidly changing nature of wireless technologies opens up new possibilities for access for all.
At the inaugural OSA meeting it was agreed that transparency in the management and assignment of spectrum was essential to equitable and efficient strategic use of spectrum, and that expanded access to unlicensed spectrum and “lite” licensed spectrum opens up the potential for entrepreneurship and innovation in access delivery.
The Open Spectrum Alliance in South Africa has now committed to promote public awareness of the potential of open spectrum policies for expanding affordable access in South Africa, and further said that it will engage policy makers, regulators, industry, and civil society in a dialogue on the opportunity that technical and administrative innovations in spectrum management represents for South Africa.
The group will further promote the existing unlicensed use of the 5.8 GHz band but with expanded EIRP limits of 200W for point-to-point links and 4W for point-to-multipoint links, and seek to demonstrate a model of industry self-regulation through an application for licensed spectrum which might be shared among Open Spectrum Alliance partners.
Spectrum allocation and usage discussion
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