Communications Regulatory Authority develops Spectrum Assignment Strategy
By Natasha Jacha
The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) this week held a public consultative meeting on the Regulatory Framework and Spectrum Assignment Strategy, at the Namibia Institute of Public Administration and Management (NIPAM).
According to the Chief Executive, Festus Mbandeka, CRAN deems its prudent to keep abreast of the latest technology developments to ensure the efficient use of and regulation of spectrum in the country.
It is through this that, the Authority developed a spectrum assignment strategy which will set objectives for spectrum management and provide clarity in respect of the Authority’s approach to efficiency control, plan, administer and license radio spectrum.
“Radio Frequency Spectrum is a limited national resource that is the backbone for the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector that offers communities and commercial entities with various communication offerings. It therefore requires prudent management and robust regulation to ensure equitable access and efficient utilisation to meet the communication needs of all stakeholders,” he added.
Regulation and management of this scarce resource is achieved through a regulatory framework that is driven by the development and implementation of national strategic direction, legislation, regulations and procedures, he added.
According to Mbandeka, the strategy promotes competition through minimisation of constraints on spectrum use within a service and technology neutral license regime and allows for similar services to be offered on different technological platforms.
Furthermore the Spectrum Regulatory Framework aims to provide stakeholders with equitable access to spectrum resources and ensure that a wide array of the latest technological services are made available to local consumers.
“The Authority developed a spectrum assignment strategy that charts the way for planning spectrum resources, determining spectrum fees and assigning spectrum to new and existing stakeholders”, added Mbandeka.
