Telecommunications giant MTN has filed papers to oppose rival Telkom’s urgent application to interdict the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) from proceeding with the spectrum Invitations To Apply (ITAs).

On January 4, Telkom took to the courts to halt Icasa’s planned March 8 International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) spectrum auction and have the ITAs reviewed and set aside.

Included in the application is an urgent interdict to prevent Icasa from processing any applications until the review is heard.

Icasa published the final ITA for the licensing process for the IMT spectrum on December 10, providing for stakeholders to submit their applications by January 31.

“While the current ITA is not perfect, we believe the regulator has tried to strike a delicate balance for all players. We cannot have a repeat of 2021, where the entire process was delayed for another full year, and that on the back of 14 years of no additional spectrum being added to the industry,” said MTN South Africa CEO Charles Molapisi.

“Spectrum is not just an industry issue, this is an issue for all our people and while there are certainly elements of the ITA that are a concern, we have to work together to best benefit the people of South Africa,” he explained.

“Throughout last year, MTN consistently worked with the regulator to avoid further delays in the spectrum process, hence the very narrow focus of the company’s 2021 court challenge, but the time for action is now.”

He pointed out that a successful spectrum auction has the capacity to not only release much-needed funds into the national fiscus, but will have an immediate impact on consumers. The regulator’s allocation of temporary spectrum is evidence of this point, in that data prices have continued to fall, making data even more accessible.

“We need to provide sustained data quality and speed but most importantly, continued reductions in the price of data. Spectrum is the key to this, and we need to collaborate now, with the regulator and all stakeholders, to unlock South Africa’s economic recovery,” Molapisi concluded.