Industry players should convene when it comes to spectrum allocation in the 2.6GHz band and the digital dividend, says Dimension Data executive chairman for Middle East and Africa, Andile Ngcaba.
Speaking at a panel discussion at the Southern Africa Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference, in East London, this week, Ngcaba said the responsibility of making quick decisions around the spectrum also lies on the side of the private sector, which should align interests.
Moving to digital television will free up large chunks of spectrum - the so-called digital dividend. This white space can be used to speed up broadband rollout, especially in rural areas, which have historically been overlooked, while metropolitans reaped the benefits of wireless broadband.
For this reason, there have been several calls for allocation of this spectrum and the 2.6GHz band to be speeded up.
Missed wave?
“The role of government is very important in the ICT sector. All businesses will tell you there is a profitable part of ICTs and an unprofitable part, and people go towards the profitable part and so you have to have government come in and ensure there's a fair balance,” said Ngcaba.
He added that the spectrum debate needs to occur quickly, to ensure this.
“My worry is that unless government and industry make decisions fast, we are going to lose a big window of technology. When you are late in investing in technology you rather pull back and look at the next wave.”
The executive chairman said industry can't invest in the next generation of technology because SA is not clear as a country about what model it's going to use in providing licences for the spectrum.
“And this is so critical at this point in time for the economy, not only for the sector but for the economy. So there is a very important need for clarity on the 2.6GHz spectrum issue and the digital dividend.”
Ngcaba also said tax collection will suffer because of the delay in making this decision.
Joint effort
Telkom SA group CEO Pinky Moholi agreed with Ngcaba, saying there are models that have been used for spectrum allocation around the world and SA could pick the best one and follow it.
“But the most important thing is to go ahead and make a decision. Let's not talk about it. We've been talking about it for a long time.”
Ngcaba said the model for spectrum allocation is supposed to be something that both private and public sectors come up with.
Private sector lobbies for interest and the policy of government is supposed to be almost even-handed, but Ngcaba said there are people within government lobbying for different models, which sometimes is the cause for delay.
He added that one of the ways a solution can be found is if the industry comes together without government, and considers the issue and how government should deal with it.
“I promise you we will disagree because the interests of those who are spectrum-rich and those who are spectrum-poor will be different. Those who are spectrum-rich will want to continue getting richer and those who are poor, they want a piece of the action.”
While one talks about fast decision-making, which is important, it's critical for the private sector to find a way to convene and put together a position paper, said Ngcaba.
Capability first
However, Moholi said in order to avoid a situation where the party that lobbies the best gets ahead, an auction needs to happen.
“An auction removes the lobby. In the end what counts is the end, rather than the means to the end.
“Let's define what we want to achieve. We want more broadband access and the person who can roll out the broadband access the best and fastest, let them do it.”
Waiting pattern
The auctioning of space in the 2.6GHz band, initially mooted for May last year, is on hold while the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) waits for communications minister Roy Padayachie to sign off on parameters that will allow it to go ahead, says ICASA spokesman Paseka Maleka.
He previously said auctions for the digital dividend are only likely to happen after the move to digital broadcast has been finalised.
The prime spectrum around the 700MHz and 800MHz bands in the digital dividend is particularly suitable for the deployment of high-speed broadband services using technologies such as LTE and even 4G.
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