South Africa’s communications regulator ICASA has approved six bidders for next month’s capacity auction. They are Vodacom, MTN, Telkom, Cell C, Liquid Intelligent Technologies and Rain. The invitations to apply and to submit for the auction was issued back in December 2021 with a requirement to firm up their applications by January 31st. However, telco […]

UK comms regulator Ofcom has set out its initial thinking on how mobile markets might develop and how networks may need to evolve to meet future demand. Ofcom has also set out how it might adapt its approach accordingly. Future approach to mobile markets Demand for mobile services has grown rapidly over the last decade. […]

Six telcos have formally applied for to take part in the upcoming spectrum being auctioned by South Africa’s government. The timetable closed on January 31st and six players had entered the auction line-up. They are: · Cell C · Liquid Intelligent Technologies · MTN · Rain · Telkom · Vodacom Telkom is still involved in […]

The industry-led sounding board to UK Government and comms regulator Ofcom, UK Spectrum Policy Forum (UK SPF), has released research in collaboration with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on how current shared spectrum access is creating the conditions for new players to provide innovative 5G services. The report, SPF Cluster 3 […]

South African telco Telkom has, as expected, withdrawn its High Court action against ICASA over the regulator’s upcoming auction of spectrum. Telkom told the Pretoria High Court that it will remove its urgent application for an ‘interdict’ to forbid any progress on the auction. Instead, however, it wants ICASA to promptly hear its objections and […]

South Africa’s communications minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has presented filings to the country’s High Court in Pretoria saying that the government will firmly oppose telco Telkom in its move to delay the planned spectrum auction. The move is dramatic given that the government holds more than 40 per cent of Telkom’s equity which seemingly has little […]

South Africa’s media and telecoms regulator, ICASA, has slammed telco Telkom for delaying a planned spectrum auction. “The authority is not surprised by Telkom’s relentless resort to litigation, the conduct stretching back seven years or more ago,” ICASA said in a statement. “Telkom appears hellbent on stalling the authority’s every effort to licence the high-demand […]

South Africa’s Telkom has thrown the regulator ICASA’s planned spectrum auction into considerable confusion. Telkom has filed a formal objection with the country’s high court over ICASA’s planned auction saying that it is not satisfied with the way ICASA is managing the process. The auction was due to open in March. According to the filing, […]

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed revisions to its rules for spectrum sharing among non-geostationary satellite orbit, fixed-satellite service (NGSO FSS) systems. The proposed revisions would seek to facilitate the deployment of the new generation of low-Earth orbit satellite systems, including new competitors. According to the FCC, the new generation low-Earth orbit satellite systems […]

Last week, the news emerged that SES had dropped its massive $1.35 billion claim on rival Intelsat for “punitive damages” over the way Intelsat handled the negotiations with the FCC and the division of FCC ‘incentive’ payments over the C-Band Alliance. The removal of the claim allows Intelsat’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy to proceed and cancels […]