--- title: The door to new network operators in South Africa is... description: South Africa's telecoms regulator Icasa has provisionally concluded that newcomers should be allowed to apply directly for network licences instead of buying... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/the-door-to-new-network-operators-in-south-africa-is-about-to-open-3bitsl02o twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: The door to new network operators in South Africa is about to open | daily.dev og:description: South Africa's telecoms regulator Icasa has provisionally concluded that newcomers should be allowed to apply directly for network licences instead of buying... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/the-door-to-new-network-operators-in-south-africa-is-about-to-open-3bitsl02o og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/3biTSl02O.png og:image:alt: The door to new network operators in South Africa is about to open og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # The door to new network operators in South Africa is about to open **[TechCentral](https://daily.dev/sources/techcentral)** · 6 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary South Africa's telecoms regulator Icasa has provisionally concluded that newcomers should be allowed to apply directly for network licences instead of buying them secondhand. Icasa has issued 470 individual electronic communications network service (I-ECNS) licences, but most sit dormant and only about 11 ownership transfers happen a year. Amatole Telecommunications told the inquiry a pair of licences can cost over R1-million on the secondary market, plus an R84,738 transfer fee per licence. SpaceX and other satellite operators back direct licensing, but a 30% ownership rule for historically disadvantaged groups remains a separate hurdle. Written comments are due by early January 2027, and a new licensing window is unlikely before the second half of 2027. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### Why can't Starlink just get a network licence directly in South Africa? Icasa currently requires satellite operators to buy an existing individual electronic communications network service (I-ECNS) licence on the secondary market rather than apply directly, since no new licensing window is open. Even if direct licensing opens, section 9(2)(b) of the Electronic Communications Act still requires 30% equity ownership by historically disadvantaged groups for individual licences, which has been the main obstacle for Starlink. _Anyone tracking Starlink's regulatory hurdles in new markets can follow policy shifts like this on daily.dev._ ### How much does a telecoms network licence cost on South Africa's secondary market? A pair of individual electronic communications network service licences, one for running a network and one for selling services over it, costs more than R1-million on the secondary market, according to Amatole Telecommunications. On top of that, Icasa charges a transfer application fee of R84,738 per licence, and many licence holders are defunct or uncontactable companies. _Those weighing market-entry costs in regulated industries can keep up with pricing shifts like this on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [South Africa set for telecoms licensing reset](https://daily.dev/posts/south-africa-set-for-telecoms-licensing-reset-aycuaueqn) · TechCentral · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Icasa’s blunt message to Starlink and other satellite operators](https://daily.dev/posts/icasa-s-blunt-message-to-starlink-and-other-satellite-operators-wywxuaeg4) · TechCentral · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [South Africa’s broadband future is being decided in orbit, not in Pretoria](https://daily.dev/posts/south-africa-s-broadband-future-is-being-decided-in-orbit-not-in-pretoria-w0ptcxebq) · TechCentral · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [‘Construction mafia and spies’: alarm over new Icasa rules](https://daily.dev/posts/construction-mafia-and-spies-alarm-over-new-icasa-rules-odihs9vtq) · TechCentral · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#regulation](https://daily.dev/tags/regulation) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/the-door-to-new-network-operators-in-south-africa-is-about-to-open-3bitsl02o) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"The door to new network operators in South Africa is about to open","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/the-door-to-new-network-operators-in-south-africa-is-about-to-open-3bitsl02o","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/the-door-to-new-network-operators-in-south-africa-is-about-to-open-3bitsl02o"},"datePublished":"2026-11-02T11:58:04.364Z","dateModified":"2026-11-02T11:58:35.143Z","description":"South Africa's telecoms regulator Icasa has provisionally concluded that newcomers should be allowed to apply directly for network licences instead of buying...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/dd347060b966f394c00ede5ec221fe8d?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/dd347060b966f394c00ede5ec221fe8d?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"TechCentral","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TechCentral","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--RsqLDZrL--/f_auto/v1717745297/logos/techcentral","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/techcentral"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/the-door-to-new-network-operators-in-south-africa-is-about-to-open-3bitsl02o","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"regulation","timeRequired":"PT6M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"TechCentral","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/techcentral"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"The door to new network operators in South Africa is about to open"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/the-door-to-new-network-operators-in-south-africa-is-about-to-open-3bitsl02o#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Why can't Starlink just get a network licence directly in South Africa?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Icasa currently requires satellite operators to buy an existing individual electronic communications network service (I-ECNS) licence on the secondary market rather than apply directly, since no new licensing window is open. Even if direct licensing opens, section 9(2)(b) of the Electronic Communications Act still requires 30% equity ownership by historically disadvantaged groups for individual licences, which has been the main obstacle for Starlink. Anyone tracking Starlink's regulatory hurdles in new markets can follow policy shifts like this on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How much does a telecoms network licence cost on South Africa's secondary market?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"A pair of individual electronic communications network service licences, one for running a network and one for selling services over it, costs more than R1-million on the secondary market, according to Amatole Telecommunications. On top of that, Icasa charges a transfer application fee of R84,738 per licence, and many licence holders are defunct or uncontactable companies. Those weighing market-entry costs in regulated industries can keep up with pricing shifts like this on daily.dev."}}]} ```