On 25 September, Minister Solly Malatsi formally withdrew the policy provisions that reserved portions of South Africa’s high demand radio frequency spectrum for the proposed Wireless Open Access Network (“WOAN“). The amendment also removed the policy direction requiring the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (“ICASA“) to licence a WOAN, bringing an end to a regulatory intervention that had remained largely dormant since its introduction in 2019.
The WOAN was originally conceived as a wholesale network to enhance competition and reduce barriers to entry in the telecommunications sector. However, despite years of regulatory activity, no WOAN was ever licensed and the spectrum reserved for it remained substantially unassigned. The withdrawal enables ICASA to consider reallocating the previously reserved spectrum through future licensing and auction processes, with the aim of accelerating network investment, expanding connectivity, and improving the efficient use of scarce spectrum resources.