So far 5850-6100 Mhz (250Mhz) looks like the best option:

• Most 802.11a radios and antenna equipment can use the 4.92-6.1Ghz range.
• Both the 5850-5925 and 5925-6700 (C-band) ranges seem to be allocated to point-to-point link usage by ICASA already.
• The primary use of these bands is for Earth to satellite uplinks, c-band, vsat.
• An 802.11a channel is 20Mhz and we need at least 4 channels to start, 250Mhz should work.
• We did a scan of the 5850-6100 Mhz range from two of the more popular highsites in Cape Town and there seems to be very little activity, mostly open spectrum.
• We confirmed that the SA Weather service is using 5600 to 5650 MHz (50Mhz) for their C-band weather radar and they are currently experiencing interference from wireless networks. This translates to the following channels: 5600, 5620 and 5640.
• We leaned about SNG / ENG applications is this band.
• We learned about “teleports” and how it makes sense to group/cluster high power C-band transmitters together to avoid interference.
• We learned that the SKA project will be using spectrum around 6670Mhz and we want to avoid that.
• Telkom seems to be using the “6Ghz band” for terrestrial point-to-point. This needs more investigation.

Slides from Steve Song

Slides from Dominic Cull

A few notes for the press:

Preface
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As broadband around the world is changing from a luxury to a key social and economic enabler, the need for affordable and universal access in South Africa becomes ever more critical.

The Open Spectrum Alliance seeks to engage policy makers, regulators, industry and civil society in a dialogue on wireless spectrum and how the rapidly changing nature of wireless technologies opens up new possibilities for access for all.

At the inaugural meeting today, participants agreed that:

- Transparency in the management and assignment of spectrum was essential to equitable and efficient strategic use of spectrum

- Expanded access to unlicensed spectrum and “lite” licensed spectrum opens up the potential for entrepreneurship and innovation in access delivery

In particular the Open Spectrum Alliance in South Africa will:

- promote public awareness of the potential of open spectrum policies for expanding affordable access in South Africa

- engage policy makers, regulators, industry, and civil society in a dialogue on the opportunity that technical and administrative innovations in spectrum management represents for South Africa

- promote the existing unlicensed use of the 5.8 GHz band but with expanded EIRP limits of 200W for point-to-point links and 4W for point-to-multipoint links

- seek to demonstrate a model of industry self-regulation through an application for licensed spectrum which might be shared among Open Spectrum Alliance partners

* Open Spectrum – Physics, Engineering, Commerce and Politics

This OSA workshop will include guest speaker Steve Song, from the Shuttleworth Foundation, an overview of the current status of RF spectrum regulation in SA by WAPA Regulatory Advisor Dominic Cull, and an overview of Spectrum challenges in South Africa by Ronnie Seeber from Motorola.

Please get in touch with WAPA if your organisation would be interested in supporting the OSA initiative.