Icasa is creating a framework that will allow for spectrum to be shared and dynamically allocated to different licensees depending on demand, time, location and usage patterns.
The communications regulator has asked stakeholders to supply it with information about the type of systems that can be used to manage spectrum access in the 3.8GHz-4.2GHz and 5.925GHz-6.425GHz frequency bands.
It intends running dynamic spectrum allocation simulations that, along with input from the public, will inform the structure of a governing framework for dynamic spectrum access.
“A draft regulatory sandbox will be developed for public consultation with the aim of facilitating the implementation of the dynamic spectrum access and opportunistic spectrum management framework,” Icasa said in a notice published in the Government Gazette published last week.
Implementing dynamic spectrum sharing doesn’t come without its challenges. According to Paul Colmer, regulatory expert at the Wireless Access Providers’ Association, occupancy of the frequencies around 4GHz includes C-band satellite providers, while spectrum around 6GHz has been allocated for unlicensed indoor Wi-Fi applications.
“This exercise by Icasa is to see if the incumbents and others (such as mobile operators) can coexist in these bands using a database system,” Colmer explained.
“To write the regulations, Icasa needs to know who is [using the spectrum] and what they are doing [with it], because that information will go into the database. The database will help determine how to channel traffic so there is no interference with the incumbent [users of the spectrum],” said Colmer.
He said Icasa’s spectrum-sharing plan will quadruple the amount of spectrum that wireless service providers have access to, allowing them to provide faster internet of 500Mbit/s or more to consumers.
“This will be huge for us, just as it’s been in the rest of the world. At this moment, this is very clean spectrum because there are few people in those bands. Icasa is following worldwide trends, which is right,” said Colmer.
Proponents of dynamic spectrum allocation say it is more efficient than the “static” spectrum allocation model preferred in South Africa until now. In the static model, an entity – such as a television broadcaster or a mobile network operator – is assigned a block of spectrum that no one else is allowed to use. In practice, this leads to wastage.
For example, a mobile operator with exclusive rights over a specific frequency band may utilise all that spectrum in an urban area, where there is a lot of demand, but only a small portion in rural settings. The unused portion of spectrum could be shared with another company, like a broadcaster or a wireless service provider.
Icasa’s move to a database-driven and dynamic system for managing spectrum allocation is in line with international trends.
“While spectrum database coordination is not a new concept, the evolution from a manual to dynamic approach has proven essential when looking to use spectrum more efficiently,” said Martha Suarez, president of the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance, a global non-profit that advocates for the efficient use of spectrum. Suarez made the remarks at the release of its Solving the Spectrum Crunch white paper last October.
“Dynamic spectrum management systems enable lower transaction costs, speed up time to market and protect incumbents from interference. Regulators across the globe should be encouraged to embrace modern spectrum management tools to meet the growing demand for broadband access,” said Suarez.
Different models for spectrum sharing and dynamic allocation of that spectrum have been implemented around the world. Icasa has not said which model it will use for spectrum sharing – probably because it hasn’t made a decision yet.
Rolf Blom, a regulatory specialist at telecoms legal advisory Ellipsis, said Icasa’s latest plan is a continuation of its efforts to use high-demand spectrum – frequencies where demand exceeds supply – more efficiently.
“When Icasa did phase 1 of this process and opened up TV white spaces, it gave the industry hope that things would work in different way. I don’t think TV white spaces has been successful, but the principle is important – and that is what Icasa is taking forward here,” said Blom.
