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Icasa’s deadline for mobile TV license contested
Icasa has given interested operators three weeks to apply for the new digital mobile television service license, in order for the service to be available in time for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, starting on 11 June.
According to Mobile TV Consortium, the decision doesn’t allow enough time for operators to meet the requirements needed, limiting competition and favouring existing operators. The consortium has sent a letter to ICASA chairman, Paris Mashile, objecting to the deadline, writes South African publication Business Day.
“If mobile television was required for the World Cup, then why did Icasa not make the mobile television regulations available a year ago? The regulations are not asking for vague information, they want detailed business, technical and marketing plans”, said Mobile TV Consortium founding chairman Mothobi Mutloatse, requesting legal action to be taken if the extension was not granted.
Icasa replied, in a media statement, that draft regulations were already published since last November for comment.
The Consortium explained that Icasa’s deadline is biased towards existing television broadcast service license holders, since it would normally take around three months for the submissions, including time for testing the systems, which it claims to be superior to the DVB-H technology currently being tested.
“We would need to talk to other stakeholders such as mobile operators, and signal distributor Sentech, as well as test the systems”, said Mutloase. He added that ICASA’s speedy decision is against the Electronic Communications Act, and the Media Development and Diversity Act.
ICASA had initially opened the applications for mobile TV licenses in December 2008, but postponed the deadline to March 2009, following the completion of the terrestrial broadcast plan. The regulator received comments from MultiChoice, SABC, e.tv, Neotel and Telkom.
The regulator then issued the invitation for applications between 15 April and 4 May, in time to be finalized by June. It said the extension is unlikely to be granted at this time.
