This follows an extensive public consultation with relevant stakeholders in recent weeks. It is the Authority's view that the growing demand for mobile broadband in South Africa indicates a need for more mobile broadband bandwidth capacity in general. Many rural areas do not have access to mobile bandwidth, indicating a need for a universal mobile broadband coverage, a need best served by deploying lower frequencies that propagate a wider market. The roadmap further involves the migration of a number of current licensees out of (or within) bands identified for IMT services. For bands where costs and benefits of the migration were not straightforward, the Authority conducted further feasibility studies to determine the appropriateness of the migration.
The Authority is simultaneously publishing the Draft Radio Frequency Spectrum Assignment Plan (RFSAP) for IMT. The Draft RFSAP seeks to specify the technical conditions on the use of the frequency bands and is aimed at soliciting views from stakeholders on the Rules for Services operating in each Frequency Band. Due to the public interest nature of this project, the Authority will publish the RFSAP for 14 days only for comments.
For more information, email Richard Makgotlho on az.gro.asaci@ohltogkamr.
