Big BEE push with SA’s spectrum
The Department of Communications (DoC) said that universal service and access, competition, black economic empowerment, and affordability are the main principles for the allocation of the radio frequency spectrum for broadband in South Africa.
Speaking at the DoC’s broadband policy workshop, Norman Munzhelele drew the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa’s (ICASA’s) attention to the principles for handing out spectrum, adding that “we cannot perpetuate what we see today”.
Munzhelele focused strongly on the requirement of black economic empowerment (BEE) for gaining spectrum, explaining that South Africa needs a BEE company to provide telecoms and broadband services.
“We have allowed the market to dictate what needs to happen since 1993, but the market has not delivered to the majority of the people. We need to think differently if we are to deliver broadband to all people,” said Munzhelele.
Drawn out spectrum process part of bigger plan?
Dina Pule and Stella Ndabeni
Many telecoms operators have been begging for spectrum to roll out faster and more affordable broadband services in South Africa, but there is no clear indication when this valuable resource will be given to people who can use it.
According to one industry expert, who asked to remain anonymous because of his standing in the telecoms community, the bigger plan of the DoC is to provide spectrum to a new black owned company (or companies) to assist it to compete in the market.
The expert further said that the spectrum assignment process is likely to be drawn out until 2015 – partly because the time is needed for the black owned company (or companies) to get ready to use the spectrum.
ICASA is often blamed for the delay in handing out this valuable resource, but its hands are currently tied when it comes to spectrum assignment in South Africa.
The regulator previously said that it “has made numerous attempts to make available the internationally harmonized access bands (e.g. 2.6GHz and 800MHz)”.
“We are awaiting a ministerial policy direction on how to proceed with licensing of this high-demand spectrum,” an ICASA spokesperson explains.
MyBroadband has asked the DoC on many occasions for an interview to discuss these issues, but to date these efforts have been unsuccessful.
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