The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) plans to develop a regulatory strategy on broadband that will meet Government’s policy goal of achieving universal access to broadband by 2019. It is likely that broadband will roll out using the spectrum that is to be freed up by the country’s migration to digital terrestrial television (DTT).
According to a statement made by Icasa chairperson Stephen Mncube in Johannesburg on 11 February, the Authority has identified regulatory activities relevant to broadband as infrastructure sharing; local loop unbundling; a 10-year plan for identifying and making spectrum available for broadband; the pending auction of the 2.6 and 3.5 GHz frequency spectrum; the allocation of the digital dividend and the removal of barriers to network rollout, particularly at municipal level.
“The Digital Migration Regulations were published on 15 February 2010. In light of Minister Roy Padayachie’s announcement of South Africa’s adoption of the DVB-T2 standard for DTT, there might be a need for the Authority to revisit the 2010 Digital Migration Regulations.
“ICASA is already hard at work at ensuring that spin-offs that accrue from this technological transition to a digital platform benefit all across the board. The digital dividend should introduce more competition and choice in the broadcasting and electronic communications sectors, but also universal service and access.”
