Icasa says no plans for EHF

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25 June 2014 News

Icasa has moved to quell premature media reports that it is currently formulating plans to license extremely high frequency (EHF) spectrum bands in the 50 GHz to 80 GHz range.

The ruckus was centred on comments made by Icasa councillor William Stucke at the Future Technologies Wireless Forum organised by the Wireless Access Providers’ Association (WAPA). His open discussion of the hurdles that will need to be overcome before commercial use of this spectrum can be realised was done purely in his personal capacity, according to a statement issued by Icasa which went on to state categorically that it has no plans to license this spectrum in its 2014/15 Annual Performance Plan. ”The Authority is putting it on record that it is only when it has taken a position on the matter, that it will make an announcement to all stakeholders,” the statement added.

While Icasa’s position may have put a damper on the excitement surrounding EHF, the very fact that it’s being spoken about and caused such controversy will hopefully spur Icasa to establish a timetable for the technology’s implementation.

Stucke raised several salient points about EHF, and its licensing in particular, that will need to be considered and debated regardless of when it happens. He suggested, for example, that current pricing regimes will prove prohibitively expensive for EHF and that dynamic spectrum assignment needs to be considered.

One of the advantages of being safely removed from the bleeding edge of technology, as South Africa is in this case, is that there is already a growing list of international implementations to learn from. This could prove hugely beneficial in terms of this country’s deployment costs, time frame and in avoiding mistakes, if only these examples will be sought out and heeded.

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Icasa says no plans for EHF

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