Business News Holding

Tag: icasa

  • Intel partner applies for WiMAX allocation in South Africa

    Broadband provider, iBurst, has applied to ICASA to extend its WiMAX allocation to 30MHz of frequency spectrum in the 2.6MHz and 3.5MHz ranges. This allocation will be used to support its plans to increase download speeds and to roll out nomadic WiMAX services.

    iBurst was one of the first providers in South Africa to launch a commercial WiMAX service. The iBurst WiMAX network went live in 2008 and has since grown to over 200 base stations in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town, making it the largest commercial WiMAX network in South Africa. iBurst plans to roll out additional WiMAX base stations over the next year.

    WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability Microwave Access) is a new generation technology that is a wireless alternative to leased line and ADSL services, and offers connectivity to small, medium and large businesses. iBurst’s current WiMAX solutions are perfect for businesses that want a wireless alternative to ADSL or Diginet at their premises.

    Although it is not a portable or mobile solution as it requires the installation of a fixed antenna, businesses are able to choose between a broadband (best effort) and a dedicated (assured) solution to accommodate for a range of applications and requirements. Nomadic WiMAX, by contrast, gives business’ and individuals more freedom to roam within WiMAX network coverage and still enjoy the same level of high-speed Internet access as they do at their office or home. Since it is faster to install at the customer’s premises and uses cheaper embedded equipment (for example, a chip in a notebook), nomadic WiMAX will help iBurst to roll these connectivity services out to more people countrywide. However, the additional 15MHz of spectrum is key in deploying nomadic services.

    "The fixed WiMAX offering from iBurst has seen widespread adoption in the parts of South Africa where it is available, giving users a high-speed alternative to fixed-line technologies," said iBurst CEO Jannie Van Zyl. "But provided we are able to secure additional frequency spectrum from ICASA, we will be able to make this technology even more accessible by activating the nomadic version of the WiMAX standard across our network. The network is ready, we are ready. Now we just need the spectrum."

    iBurst’s parent company, Wireless Business Solutions (WBS), recently signed a commercial agreement to jointly roll out WiMAX products with international technology giant, Intel. Intel has been a major driver of both Wi-Fi and WiMAX adoption. In terms of the agreement, Intel will embed WiMAX capability within a range of devices while iBurst will provide the connectivity between the devices and iBurst’s WiMAX network. Although the agreement has been signed, the network and WiMAX enabled laptops will only be available later in 2009. Recent compatibility tests conducted with Intel showed that these devices are now ready to be deployed if the spectrum allocation is increased to 30MHz.

    Van Zyl said "We believe that nomadic wireless products that bundle hardware and access technologies will help more South Africans to get online. In addition, it will help us to make internet connectivity available wherever and whenever our customers need it. Accessing the spectrum we need to roll out nomadic WiMAX is essential if we are to maximise the potential of this technology."

    iBurst was originally issued with 15MHz of WiMAX spectrum by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) in July 2006. WiMax implementations across the globe have demonstrated that at least 30MHz of spectrum is required in order to provide end users with the speeds and quality of service which can be achieved on the WiMax technology. Accordingly, WBS is applying for additional spectrum to take it to the 30MHz level. WiMAX is a family of technologies based on the IEEE 802.16 wireless standards with the iBurst network implementing the later 802.16e standard. Most other WiMax networks in South Africa still deploy the older 802.16d standard.

  • Wireless Broadband World Africa 2009: South Africa to Allocate WiMax This Month

    Paris Mashile, chairman of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), has said that WiMax spectrum in the country will be allocated within 30 days with operators getting 30 MHz each.

    ICASA published its final decision on the awarding of radio frequency spectrum. The document included the selection process of suitable companies, how much spectrum should be allocated to each operator and whether licences will be awarded to national or regional players.

    On the question of how the remaining WiMax spectrum will be dished out, ICASA decided to allocate 30MHz per operator on a technology-neutral basis, and stipulated that six additional national licences will be issued in the 2.5GHz band.

    This decision drew sharp criticism from various industry players, including Neotel. It was argued that limited spectrum not only increases the cost of providing WiMax services, but also limits the speeds which can be offered to end users.

    Neotel’s CTO, Angus Hay, said: “Neotel is of the opinion that it would not be possible to operate a WiMax wireless access network at maximum efficiency, and pass on benefits if operators are each awarded only 20MHz of spectrum in the 2.5GHz band.”

    “In particular, this spectrum limit places a limit on the transmission speed possible, which is one of the key benefits of a technology like WiMax to the end customer. Neotel therefore shares the view of many WiMax experts that 30MHz per operator (a re-use factor of 3, with 10MHz per sector, three sectors per base station) is the least required for an operator to build a network to deliver true broadband services to the customer.”

    ICASA Chairman Paris Mashile recently indicated that the process for licensing the sought after 2.6 GHz and 3.5 GHz spectrum – typically referred to as WiMax spectrum – will be announced towards the end of July. Speaking to Biz-News Mashile, was non-committal as to the exact date, “ We have 30 days to announce, remember we are not only dealing with WiMax but all the scarce resources,” he said.

    Mashile provided insight into what is contained in this document, which includes that the spectrum will be technology neutral, that there will be a 30% HDI requirement and that spectrum will initially be handed out on a beauty contest model followed by a spectrum auction.

    The first document regarding the awarding of radio frequency spectrum states that a company to which spectrum will be allocated must be minimum 51% black owned with an emphasis on woman in line with broad based BEE. This was widely criticized by industry, and the 30% HDI requirement is likely to be welcomed by industry as a more sensible criteria.