South African regulator ICASA has announced that it has raised a total of €891m in its long-awaited auction.
South Africa’s mobile network operators Vodacom, MTN, Rain, Telkom, Cell C and Liquid Telecom all obtained spectrum licenses.
Licences were sold in the 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 2.3 GHz, 2.6 GHz and 3.5 GHz bands.
The highest bidder, Vodacom, paid R5.38 billion (€333m) for its licences. The company said it was pleased with the outcome of the auction despite the high prices paid.
Communications minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said the government’s priority for the spectrum was to get more schools, health facilities and police stations connected.
The auction was a long time in the making. First announced in 2009, it was put on hold several times due to legal action. Despite taking part in the auction, Telkom is still suing ICASA over the auction terms.
