The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) recently confirmed the conclusion of the high-demand radio frequency spectrum auction
The auction involved six qualified bidders namely, Cell C, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, MTN, Rain Networks, Telkom and Vodacom. ICASA said the revenue collected from this auction amounts to US$960.7mn, which is said to be routed to the national fiscus.
The revenue is said to be generated in the 'Opt-In' phase auction, which took place on 8 March 2022, and the main auction stage, which was held from 10 March 2022 and concluded on 17 March 2022. The main auction stage comprised 58 rounds of bidding between the six bidders.
ICASA further confirmed that there was one unsold spectrum lot of 2x10MHz in the IMT800 Band and is subject to be licensed by the authority in the future.
The next stage in the auction process will be the assignment round, which is purely an administrative process and will be held on 22 March 2022, to determine the actual spectrum ranges to be assigned for all the lots bought in the various bands.
Dr Keabetswe Modimoeng, chairperson of ICASA on account of the auction’s conclusion, said, “This was our inaugural radio frequency spectrum auction, and we are really grateful to have reached this stage without any hassles and challenges from the first day of the actual auction to date. This shows South Africa’s capability as an investment-friendly destination.”
“These members of our staff did this for the country, and they must be hailed for the successful conclusion thereof. We look forward to all South Africans benefitting from the dividends of these regulatory interventions, and to seeing the proceeds of the auction being put to good use for the benefit of all South Africans. This auction was indeed in the best interest of all South Africans, as will be the subsequent licensing interventions post government’s revision of the Wireless Open Access Network (WOAN) policy,” added Dr Modimoeng.
