ICASA should address Screamer spectrum issue, says Sentech

ICASA = Lights are on, salaries are being paid..... but nobody's home and no work is being done.

You would have better success reporting any telecommunications issues to your local boy scout troop.
 
Ah my old favourite battle S vs S, which from a year or more ago, I still have not been able to get clarification on the matter.

The following quotes are contradicting and leaving me a bit :confused:

“Sentech does not have any relationship with Screamer Telecoms. Sentech is not aware if Screamer Telecoms is using its broadband spectrum, if so it is illegal,” said Sentech’s Head of Corporate Communications, Polly Modiko said at the time.
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Patel added that he asked the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) to act against Screamer Telecoms if they are still using Sentech’s spectrum, highlighting that Sentech discontinued its agreement with Screamer Telecoms in January 2010.
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What agreement?
Screamer's CEO was going to give feedback/press release 60 days after the initial story broke and I bumped the bejeezus out of that thread, emailed ICASA with a complaint (no response) and we've still not heard anything.

I refer to the following wrt to Gavin Hart, Screamer CEO and his promise to give feedback within 60 days.

Screamer Telecoms CEO Gavin Hart previously said that he was not at liberty to comment on any arrangement Screamer Telecoms may or may not have with Sentech. Hart however promised that “a comprehensive statement would be released on MyBroadband within the next sixty days.”
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Must be on that Aztec calendar or summin. :rolleyes:
 
What is Screamers take on this?

Have they denied using the spectrum?

This is completely crazy and shows no respect of regulations. If this is happening so openly with no punishment, what else is happening that we dont know of?
 
ICASA is as usefull as pig s*** in a thunderstorm. I agree Shake&Bake...that is quite contradiction there, also had me pondering on it for a while
 
zamicro said:
As Sentech is not using this spectrum, I do not see a problem with someone else using it...
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You work at ICASA right? :rolleyes: :p

I know what you're saying, but what Screamer (and perhaps Sentech) has done is wayyyyy off.
Besides being illegal, they put all of their clients at risk whom are none the wiser.
If ICASA actually did do it's job and shut Screamer down, how many people would be left out of pocket and bandwidth?
 
zamicro said:
As Sentech is not using this spectrum, I do not see a problem with someone else using it...
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I had a similar thought, the solution to this problem is to take the licence from Sentech (they're not using it anyway)
and give it to Screamer (since they actually want to use it)
Throw any litigation about this out of court, let Sentech find some scapegoat in their company to take the fall, allow this to set a precedent, and the consumer wins.

Of course knowing how our government works, we know it won't play out like that, the company with the deepest pockets that is willing to subsidize some government official will win in the end.
 
Simple.
1. The existence of an agreement to sub-assign or sub-let frequency entered into between Sentech and Screamer has been admitted and confirmed.
2. This is an illegal agreement as a frequency licence holder is not permitted to sub-assign or sub-let frequency.
3. There are two parties to the agreement - both must bear responsibility and Sentech cannot make comments of this nature we seek to distance themselves from a "generally illegal relationship".

Mr Naidoo is not very convincing - we must stabilise before investigating...these are not mutually exclusive concepts

Are Screamer really still using 2.6GHZ? Not sure I believe that...
 
Thanks for the info dominic.
But what are the steps that have been or are meant to be taken against the two parties.

If Screamer are not using the spectrum now, what are they currently using?

Sent from my GT-I9000 using MyBroadband Android App
 
Shake&Bake said:
Thanks for the info dominic.
But what are the steps that have been or are meant to be taken against the two parties.

If Screamer are not using the spectrum now, what are they currently using?
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It would be a breach of both of their licence conditions so it falls within ICASA's jurisdiction to sanction them.

IIRC ICASA have been out over a fairly wide area looking to get evidence that Screamer was using the frequency but it seems there was not so much evidence (I am not 100% sure on what the final outcomes were). If not 2.6 then it would have to be licence exempt frequency.
 
Exempt ?

dominic said:
(I am not 100% sure on what the final outcomes were).
If not 2.6 then it would have to be licence exempt frequency.
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Perhaps a screamer subscriber could enlighten us ? ( As to what frequency they are on )

:)
 
dominic said:
Simple.
1. The existence of an agreement to sub-assign or sub-let frequency entered into between Sentech and Screamer has been admitted and confirmed.
2. This is an illegal agreement as a frequency licence holder is not permitted to sub-assign or sub-let frequency.
3. There are two parties to the agreement - both must bear responsibility and Sentech cannot make comments of this nature we seek to distance themselves from a "generally illegal relationship".

Mr Naidoo is not very convincing - we must stabilise before investigating...these are not mutually exclusive concepts

Are Screamer really still using 2.6GHZ? Not sure I believe that...
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Ha ha, so Sentech run to ICASA to stop Screamer from using their spectrum which they aren't using anyway and in the process forget they are burning themselves! Funny!!!

I reckon take it away from both of them and allocate it to another ISP who need spectrum. There are plenty of ISPs crying out for wireless spectrum so they can service more customers, why not let them do it?? Imagine you could get Wimax from MWEB with equivalent service and pricing to the uncapped ADSL or if they can bypass Telkom, cheaper!! Just requires enough frequency allocation to reduce p/user hardware costs (for the tower and equipment).
 
Sentech will use their 2.6 spectrum with the new announcements made. Sooner or later, the screamer clients will suffer, or be allocated a portion to just keep them running without any growth.
 
Without trying to sound boring and repeating ourselves ad nauseum to this old chestnut, Screamer does not discuss it's contracts with Sentech or any other of its suppliers on this, or any other headline grabbing, forum.

...and before any other competitor tries to create a new "chestnut" Screamer's access to spectrum and it's various licences are rock solid and had to be before the company invested hundreds of Millions of Rands in its networks.
 
howzit said:
...and before any other competitor tries to create a new "chestnut" Screamer's access to spectrum and it's various licences are rock solid and had to be before the company invested hundreds of Millions of Rands in its networks.
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Sorry, I just cannot buy that the access to spectrum is rock solid. If it was this would have been declared a long time ago. Rock solid seems to be a small overstatement when the entity through which Screamer is accessing the frequency is publicly stating that whatever contract there was has been terminated and publicly calling on the regulator to take action about the use of its spectrum.

From what I can see Screamer has (along perhaps with iburst) made the most efficient use of spectrum which is being wasted for anti-competitive and anti-competent reasons - i have no intrinsic problem with that and hope that it all gets sorted out. But i don't think the head in the san approach is doing you any favours.
 
howzit said:
Without trying to sound boring and repeating ourselves ad nauseum to this old chestnut, Screamer does not discuss it's contracts with Sentech or any other of its suppliers on this, or any other headline grabbing, forum.

...and before any other competitor tries to create a new "chestnut" Screamer's access to spectrum and it's various licences are rock solid and had to be before the company invested hundreds of Millions of Rands in its networks.
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Why don't you clear up the confusion by posting what frequencies you're using?

It's a fact you don't have any allocation in 2.6. It's also a fact you did use it previously. I know, was a prospective client. Except when your team arrived at my house with the kit, they could not get a signal. But it was 2.6 WiMax kit.

If not 2.6 anymore, what are you using?

Only ISM?
 
howzit said:
Without trying to sound boring and repeating ourselves ad nauseum to this old chestnut, Screamer does not discuss it's contracts with Sentech or any other of its suppliers on this, or any other headline grabbing, forum.

...and before any other competitor tries to create a new "chestnut" Screamer's access to spectrum and it's various licences are rock solid and had to be before the company invested hundreds of Millions of Rands in its networks.
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*yawn*

Can we have some proof with that pudding?
In agreement with what dominic replied to this.

And mmm this "headline grabbing forum" is giving you a free advertisement with that link in your signature and has given you a platform to communicate with those customers you have roped in over the years.
 
TwoCents1000 said:
Why don't you clear up the confusion by posting what frequencies you're using?

It's a fact you don't have any allocation in 2.6. It's also a fact you did use it previously. I know, was a prospective client. Except when your team arrived at my house with the kit, they could not get a signal. But it was 2.6 WiMax kit.

If not 2.6 anymore, what are you using?

Only ISM?
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Please clarify 2.6 kit? as far as i am aware all wimax units are able to change frequency's in 2.5 and 2.4.. and is 2.4 not a license free spectrum to broadcast in?
 
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