MultiChoice has argued that spectrum allocations should allow for higher-bandwidth digital terrestrial TV broadcasts.
regulator Icasa that bandwidth-hungry mobile operators should not be allocated spectrum in the bands below 694MHz, which have historically been used for terrestrial television broadcasting.
No spectrum below 694MHz has been earmarked by South Africa for mobile operators, but this could change In August 2023, broadcasters vacated the 700MHz and 800MHz bands – known as the “digital dividend” – after a 13-year delay, allowing mobile operators to begin using the frequencies for providing telecoms services. The SABC, e.tv and community broadcasters have been “temporarily accommodated” in lower frequencies to give them time to prepare for the migration to digital, which requires that some viewers get set-top boxes.
In practice, parts of this spectrum could be exclusively assigned to broadcasters and mobile operators, respectively. Otherwise, amechanism could come into play. Either arrangement would limit the amount of bandwidth broadcasters would have to provide next-generation services over terrestrial frequencies.
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