Telecommunications groups Telkom and rain have become the first winners among operators bidding to secure high demand spectrum as the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) starts its spectrum auction.
Icasa, on March 8, started the opt-in phase of the auction process with three operators, namely Telkom, Cell C and rain, submitting their bids.
The bid evaluations were carried out in front of all authorised representatives following the close of the bids’ submission window.
Rain secured two by 10 MHz in the 700 MHz band and 10 MHz in the 2 600 MHz band for R1.15-billion, while Telkom secured two by 10 MHz in the 800 MHz band for R1.5-billion.
“History has been made this morning and we are highly grateful to the participants during this phase. As stated in the Invitation To Apply, there can only be two winners this time around, and we encourage those who did not make it to continue supporting this process as it is only meant to benefit the country and its citizens,” said Icasa chairperson Dr Keabetswe Modimoeng.
The main auction stage will start on March 10 using an online auction platform.
All six qualified bidders will be eligible to bid for spectrum in this stage between 09h00 and 17h00 during business days until the main auction stage concludes.