South Africa is falling behind as a result of its failure to allocate higher frequency spectrum, according to Smile Communications group chief operating officer (COO) Tom Allen.
Allen told the VAS Africa 2014 event in Sandton, Johannesburg the company – which has operations in Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda – has an application in with the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) for spectrum, but had no idea when it might finally be allocated.
“We have licences, but no spectrum. I don’t know why South Africa takes so long to allocate spectrum, but what I do know is that it is going backwards fast,” he said.
“We will be in the race when it is allocated.”
HumanIPO reported last month ICASA had rejected claims it had plans to licence high frequency spectrum, adding that it has no regime under which such technology could be used in South Africa.
Last year, leading South African mobile operator Vodacom said the lack of spectrum allocation was holding the country back, with the operator having since then agreed to purchase 100 per cent of fixed line operator Neotel, giving it more access to spectrum.
Neotel has access to 2 x 12 MHz of 1800 MHz spectrum, 2 x 5 MHz of 800 MHz spectrum and 2 x 28 MHz of 3.5 GHz spectrum, which Vodacom said will be used “more effectively” after the acquisition.
(Additional reporting by Chris Udemans)
Image courtesy of Shutterstock
