The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has published its final Radio Frequency Spectrum Regulations, following a public consultation launched in December 2014. The new legislation amends the Radio Frequency Spectrum Regulations of 2011 in order to align it with changes introduced to the 2005 Electronic Communications Act (ECA) by the Electronic Communications Amendment Act 1 of 2014. ICASA new provisions include: setting out a clear renewal process for spectrum licences; outlining the consequence for failure to renew a Radio Frequency Spectrum Licence; safeguarding the rights of end-users prior to a licensee ceasing to provide services that require usage of spectrum; providing penalties for the contravention of section 31(1) of the ECA.
Further, the authority has revealed its final Radio Frequency Spectrum Assignment Plan (RFSAP) for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT), which outlines the regulatory and the technical conditions on the use of frequency bands in the country, including technical characteristics of radio systems, frequency channelling, coordination and details on required migration of existing users of the bands and the expected method of assignment of spectrum.