Government has welcomed the out-of-court settlement between Telkom and South African telecommunications regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa).
In a statement Communications Minister, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says the out-of-court settlement brings the country one step closer to the availability of spectrum licenses by the first of July as per the Icasa roadmap.
Telkom had taken ICASA to court over high-demand radio frequency spectrum licensing.
The Minister says the settlement now clears the path for the release of the IMT spectrum and will help the country to bridge the digital divide.
In the statement, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies says it will also work to complete the Analogue Switch Off as per the Gauteng High Court Order.
“The discussions between us and Icasa, it opens up an era of certainty and addresses the long-standing dispute of the release of spectrum in the sector. It will allow the operators to invest on their network on a long-term basis and that will be very positive for the country’s gross fix capital accumulation.”
Telkom says it is encouraged by the way Icasa handled the negotiations. It says consumers will also benefit from this settlement. It will also get better network coverage and prices.
“This opens up a future of cordial yet firm engagements in the sector and that the sector will take control of all the policy and regulatory issues and we can resolve these issues amongst ourselves. Not only ICASA, but other industry participants, but how other industry partners have been approaching this matter.”
Icasa Spokesperson, Paseka Maleka says they are looking forward to a new chapter.
“ICASA is grateful to have reached this settlement with Telkom, public interest has indeed prevailed this time, which will further contribute to building a digital economy for the county. We are looking forward to a new chapter of public interest and regulatory work, where this litigation is finally behind us,” says Maleka.
The Communications and Digital Technologies Department says the settlement now clears the path for the release of spectrum and will help the country to bridge the digital divide. In the statement, the department says it’ll also work to complete the Analogue Switch Off as per the Gauteng High Court Order. It further says it will oppose the application for leave to appeal in the High Court by e-TV as its last hurdle towards the release of digital divide.
