Wireless Business Solutions (WBS) owes the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) about R24 million for microwave links it had set up, without informing the regulator.
WBS has since applied for some of the links to be licensed, but ICASA's council refuses to sanction the use of spectrum until WBS pays the outstanding fees, which have been due for almost two years.
However, the broadband provider, parent company of iBurst and Broadlink, argues that the matter is in dispute and it is trying to sort out with ICASA exactly what is owed. WBS, which started operating in 2005, provides connectivity to iBurst and Broadlink, which allows the companies to offer a range of products.
Radio silence
WBS is licensed to provide wireless broadband access on a national basis, but is required to tell the regulator when it rolls out new microwave links, which it failed to do, says ICASA spokesman Paseka Maleka.
Maleka says, while the company has paid some of the fees due, it still owes R24 million for microwave links it rolled out from April 2010, without authorisation.
“These applications will be looked into as soon as the payment is received and the authority will be meeting with the company to address the matter,” says Maleka. WBS has also indicated it will submit new rollouts to ICASA within the next week, he adds.
Tallying the links
Maleka notes that WBS has said it would recalculate the fees due and make a payment next month. However, if there is a dispute over what is due, ICASA and WBS will engage further, he adds.
WBS's head of legal affairs, Joe Kgamedi, says the amount due is in dispute. He says the sum has been queried, and WBS is in discussions with ICASA to try and resolve the issue as soon as possible.
Kgamedi would not comment any further and did not respond to queries about why the fees had not been paid, or what effect ICASA's refusal to license more links was having on the business.
Share
