Cell C Surrenders Spectrum Licences To Icasa

The spectrum in question includes frequencies ranging all the way from 7GHz to the so-called E-band spectrum between 70GHz and 80GHz.

The move, most likely driven by a desire to reduce Cell C's spectrum fees, means the spectrum can now be licensed to other operators. Its not known how much Cell C was spending on the licences.

The surrender of the radio frequency spectrum licences was revealed in the minutes of an Icasa council meeting held on 12 December 2024, which TechCentral has seen. The submission was approved by the regulator.

Reached for comment, Cell C confirmed that it surrendered the spectrum to Icasa as "part of its network strategy". It said it no longer needed the spectrum, which was previously used for microwave backhaul.