South Africa’s telecom regulator postpones 5G spectrum auction

 South Africa’s telecom regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), issued a statement that the announcement of qualified bidders for the country’s 5G spectrum auction is postponed to 23 March 2021. The announcement was initially scheduled for 22 February 2021. As a result, the auction phase will commence by 31 March 2021. The ICASA said that it was completing a contract with the external auctioneer who will oversee and manage the process. Telecom operators in South Africa, such as Telkom and MTN, have filed a legal dispute seeking to halt the auction process. There has not been a judgment made in Telkom’s case, while MTN has yet to be heard in court.