Telecoms regulator ICASA (Independent Communications Authority of SA) must urgently review and speed up the way that radio spectrum is assigned to electronic communications network service (ECNS) licensees for consumers to see more competition and lower prices in the broadband market.

That’s according to Joe Botha of the Internet Service Providers’ Association of SA (ISPA). Access to spectrum now represents the single biggest obstacle to competitive participation in the telecoms marketplace, said Botha.

As such, ICASA needs to urgently put spectrum within the reach of the 300 or so new ECNS licensees so that they can build more network infrastructure.
Without well-managed and interference-free spectrum, these service providers will be forced to lease capacity from existing operators rather than build
their own networks, said Joe.

Radio spectrum is a national resource, yet it isn’t managed as efficiently and as transparently as it could be, added Botha. Evidence from North America
and Europe suggests that even in urban areas, not much more than 10% of spectrum is in use, so one can reasonably suppose that even less spectrum is
currently in use in South Africa. The problem is that there is no public database of spectrum assignment and usage.

“Considering that there are so many service providers competing for a spectrum allocation, ICASA really needs to determine if the current owners
of frequency spectrum are using this resource,” Botha said. “This is especially important considering that about 80% of the country’s spectrum is
‘permanently assigned’ to certain operators.”

“Permanently assignment and the concept of ownership does not make sense if we keep in mind that spectrum is a national resource”. There should at the
very least be a ‘use it or lose it’ policy to encourage efficient use. A model for secondary usage of spectrum may also improve efficiencies.

Botha said that ISPA favours a shared spectrum allocation model (also known as “Lite Licensing”) for certain spectrum ranges. Lite Licensing is a novel and
progressive frequency allocation model where ECNS licensees would pay a relatively small fee for a nationwide, non-exclusive license.

The licensees then pay an additional nominal fee for each base station they deploy. All base stations must be clearly identifiable and in the event that
these stations cause interference which cannot be mediated by technical means licensees are required to resolve the dispute between themselves.

ISPA will be working closely with its members and other industry bodies like the Wireless Access Providers’ Association (WAPA) and the Open Spectrum Alliance (OSA) to lobby ICASA and the Department of Communications to increase their focus on spectrum allocation, Botha said.

Open Spectrum Alliance partners currently include the ISPA, WAPA, The Shuttleworth Foundation and 24.com. Simply stated OSA is a grouping of parties with an interest in seeing more bits moving: wider network coverage, more connected citizens and more online transactions.

“It’s critical that we focus on this issue if we want to help the new ECNS licensees get off the ground so that they can increase competition, improve
access and drive down costs for the benefit of the country’s telecom users,” Botha concluded.

The sooner the issues around spectrum allocation are addressed, the sooner our members can roll out networks that will enable them to offer innovative,
affordable and high-quality broadband services to their customers.

http://www.wapa.org.za/
http://www.ispa.org.za/
http://www.openspectrum.org.za/

Based on an ISPA press release