ICASA INDIVIDUAL NETWORK SERVICE LICENSING INQUIRY: DISCUSSION PAPER GAZETTED

ICASA INDIVIDUAL NETWORK SERVICE LICENSING INQUIRY: DISCUSSION PAPER GAZETTED

• 30 October 2026
• Communications & Digital Technologies
• SA Legal Academy

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has gazetted a discussion document as the next step in an inquiry into the merits or otherwise of licensing individual electronic communications network service providers. The deadline for comment is 9 January 2027.

As SA Legal Academy has already reported, the purpose of the inquiry is to establish whether individual electronic communications network service licensing has the potential to improve competition and universal access. Triggered by an August 2025 ministerial directive, the inquiry began in November 2025 with the release of a questionnaire.

Informed by input received in response to issues raised in the questionnaire, among other things the discussion document explores:

• the ‘effectiveness and efficiency’ of the prevailing system of licence transfer in promoting competition
• ‘the demand and … need for new … (individual) licences’
• their likely impact on competition and access, and
• the benefits and costs of issuing new individual licences.

The document ends with an overview of ICASA’s preliminary position on the matter.

• discussion document
• August 2025 report  on ministerial policy direction
• November 2025 SA Legal Academy report on questionnaire

Published by SA Legal Academy Policy Watch

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