To avoid a long-lasting court battle, South African telecom companies are trying to settle down a wireless spectrum auction dispute with the industry regulator.
MTN Group chief executive officer Ralph Mupita said that “mediation efforts” are happening to ensure simpler and faster process. The Johannesburg-based company and Telkom SA SOC Ltd. have both appealed to courts about the planned structure of the auction. “Discussions are encouraging and we need to find each other between now and the middle of September […] We want a solution soon, and we are heavily invested to find it out of court,” Mupita said.
After years of delays, the plan concerning expanding data services and boosting revenue of Vodacom Group and MTN was approved and the government sees the move as a way to attract investment and help revive a still economy.
MTN claims that the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa’s (ICASA) desire to prioritize smaller operators means the carrier will not be allowed to bid for new 5G spectrum while Telkom argues that two bandwidths coveted by the former state monopoly are occupied by broadcasters and there’s no plan to make them available.
“There has been a lot of momentum on spectrum, and a lot of discussions and lets pray that the settlement discussions can yield a result,” Shameel Joosub, Vodacom CEO said.