Storm brews over spectrum, structure of local industry
Telkom exerts pressure on authorities to bring existing mobile roaming agreements into the spotlight
Telkom is intensifying its appeal to antitrust authorities and the telecoms regulator to relook at business arrangements between its competitors Vodacom and MTN, and smaller industry operators.Telkom believes the structure of the telecoms market, and in particular how spectrum has and will be carved up in future, puts it at a disadvantage — and is inherently uncompetitive."The effects of spectrum arrangements on competition must be scrutinised, particularly ahead of the spectrum auction [in March], which will set the stage for competition in the mobile market for the foreseeable future," Telkom executive for regulatory affairs & government relations Siyabonga Mahlangu told the FM recently.Spectrum — the radio waves upon which information is transmitted — has not been allocated in SA for close to a decade. The regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa), has outlined plans to auction R8bn worth of broadband spectrum.In a market starved of spectrum, Telkom says a...
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