Outgoing Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) chairperson Dr Keabetswe Modimoeng has been lauded for overseeing the country’s historic spectrum auction process. However, small, micro and medium entities (SMMEs) are not impressed with how he handled the wholesale open access network (WOAN). ITWeb asked local industry players about Modimoeng’s legacy after the telecoms regulator...
The chairman of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) has resigned. His resignation comes just months after Icasa concluded the auction of broadband spectrum, a process that went off flawlessly. Modimoeng resigned on Wednesday, citing “a need to take some time-off after an enervating period”, Icasa said in a statement. He will take time...
Telecommunications company Telkom and regulator the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) today reached an out-of-court settlement, bringing an end to the High Court litigation over the licensing of high-demand spectrum. In a statement, Telkom says according to the settlement agreement, ICASA will commence with the licensing of the spectrum that remains unassigned in...
Communications regulator Icasa’s draft amendments to regulations governing the expiry of data bundles, if implemented, could undermine product innovation that has made it more affordable for the poor to get online. That’s the view of Vodacom, which was responding to a request by TechCentral from operators to comment on the draft amendments. TechCentral reported on Tuesday that Icasa...
Mobile operator Cell C had the most affordable 500MB data bundle during the latter half of 2021. This is based on figures from the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa’s (ICASA’s) prepaid tariff analysis report, which examined tariff notifications lodged with the authority for the period 1 July to 31 December 2021. The Bi-annual Tariff Analysis...
Communications regulator Icasa has for a second time issued a public appeal to Telkom to drop its litigation over the recently concluded auction of radio frequency spectrum to telecommunications operators. Late on Tuesday, following the high court’s ruling that analogue switch-off will take place at the end of June (from 31 March as government had planned),...
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has confirmed the successful conclusion of the main stage of the IMT spectrum auction, with the assignment round to determine the actual spectrum ranges scheduled to be held on 22 March 2022. The auction involved six qualified bidders – Cell C, Liquid Intelligent Technologies South Africa, MTN, Rain Networks, Telkom...
Communications regulator Icasa has vetted and approved all six companies that have bid to take part in next month’s radio frequency spectrum auction for mobile broadband services. Vodacom, MTN, Telkom, Cell C, Liquid Intelligent Technologies and Rain have all successfully qualified to take part in the auction, which Icasa hopes to hold next month despite pending...
Communications regulator Icasa has imposed new universal service obligations on mobile broadband operator Rain after it was awarded access to spectrum in the coveted 1.8GHz band. Rain must now provide connectivity to 63 community education and training colleges (CETs) and 54 community learning centres (CLCs), allocated by Icasa, over a period of three years. The company...
Communications regulator Icasa is suspending expedited plans, at least temporarily, for licensing a wholesale open-access network (Woan). Instead, it will focus on licensing spectrum to commercial operators. Icasa published a timetable on 1 October for South Africa’s planned spectrum auction and a schedule for the “expedited licensing” on the Woan. Under that plan, Icasa should have published a...
