Page 9 - Issue 3 2023

INFRASTRUCTURE

Policy updates: What’s in store for

telecoms in 2023?

Nic Laschinger, CTO, Euphoria Telecom

espite the dual headwinds of load shedding and consumer inflation, 2023 has the
potential to be a watershed year for telecommunications in South Africa. With digital
Dmigration (seemingly) imminent and spectrum allocation continuing to open up, the
country is ripe with potential to provide broader and cheaper internet connectivity.

Spectrum bonanza
In 2023, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) is auctioning
further spectrum, it confirmed in late December. This follows the 2022 spectrum auction –
the first sales of new frequencies for mobile applications in SA in well over a decade.
There are seven bands earmarked for the new auction by the communications regulator,
specifically radio frequency spectrum suitable for 4G, 5G and considered ‘future-ready’. For
users this means faster connections which better support real-time applications like gaming,
telemedicine, video conferencing (no more ‘sorry my connection is lagging’) and so on.
More available spectrum should improve network coverage (especially for remote and
rural areas), improve the strength of certain signals. It should also bring down infrastructure
costs for providers, savings which (in theory) get passed on to the end users of these
services - you and me. Nic Laschinger

Free-range operators across great distances, unlike the higher
ICASA has also published draft amendments to regulations that pave the way for some frequency bands (3G and up) which are
short-range radio apparatus operators to go free-range. For instance, operators wanting to better over short distances.
use the lower 6GHz band would not need a radio frequency spectrum licence. If approved, Whether those opposing the switch
the change would go some way to improving speed (how fast data potentially moves will push back again – based on readiness,
across the network), latency (how long it takes), and capacity (how many users can be rather than principle – remains to be seen.
accommodated at once), especially in new generation wireless devices. Interested parties had until 30 January to
“The lower 6GHz band is rapidly emerging worldwide as a key component in broadband submit any comments or objections.
rollout and uptake, providing an essential local loop component to support fibre or fixed
wireless access backhaul and Wi-Fi deployment,” the ICASA statement reads. Bold ambitions
What this means for users is, for example, faster Wi-Fi from your fibre router, reduced Additionally, industry will be closely
router congestion and less signal interference in short ranges, enabling faster data watching the efforts of the newly
transfer and lower latency services. That’s also great for edge computing applications, like established Artificial Intelligence Institute
autonomous vehicles. (which is to open this year) and Digitech
The particulars are contained in the Draft Amendment Radio Frequency Spectrum (a government-run portal intended
Regulations, 2022, which was available for review and comment until the end of January to support locally developed digital
2023. products).
Also on the table are government
Digital migration proposals to shift from TV licensing to
Late last year Minister of communication and digital technologies, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, a device-independent tax or household
confirmed her intention to switch off the analogue television broadcast signal on 31 March levy within five years, and to “sunset” 2G
2023. and 3G by 2025 – neither of which will be
Analogue signals are chunky, and needy - analogue TV bands need buffer bands on uncontroversial.
either side to stop signal interference. Moving broadcast signals over from analogue to For now, though, it is clear that –
digital will free up not only the bands used for TV transmission, but also the buffer bands on on paper, at least – the South African
either side (collectively called TV white spaces). government has ambitions to use
This will make spectrum in the lower frequency bands (470MHz - 649MHz excluding the regulation to enable bold digital
Radio Astronomy sub-band) available for use to roll out internet connectivity in rural, under- transformation and is looking to 2023 to
and unserved communities. These lower frequency bands are ideal for transmitting data lay the groundwork.

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