
Communication regulator approves City of Windhoek fiber licence

The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) has approved an application by the City of Windhoek for a Class Network Facilities Service Licence. Jochen Traut, acting Chief Executive of CRAN said the application was published in the Government Gazette No. 6863 on 26 March 2019.
Traut said they resolved to award a Class Comprehensive Telecommunications Service License (ECNS and ECS) to the Municipal Council of Windhoek. “The City’s application was accompanied by a detailed business plan as required in terms of our licensing procedure requirement and was awarded subject to the provisions of the Communications Act (No. 8 of 2009) supporting Regulations,” he explained.
According to Traut there were therefore no additional conditions imposed and the decision was communicated to the City of Windhoek. The approval was published in the Government Gazette on Wednesday, 29 April 2020.
Traut confirmed that this enables the City to build and operate a telecommunications service network, to provide a service similar to other telecommunications service providers.
“The said Telecommunications Service Licences were awarded for the sole use of the City,” he concluded.
This has happened after the City lost a fiber optic cable war against Paratus Telecommunication which has been ongoing since May 2018.