ICASA Satellite Spectrum Regulations: South Africa Draft

South Africa: ICASA Satellite Spectrum Regulations Draft Amendments Explained

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) published draft amendments to the Radio Frequency Spectrum Regulations, 2015 and the Radio Frequency Spectrum Fees Regulations, 2010 on 15 May 2026, both issued under the Electronic Communications Act, 2005 (Act No. 36 of 2005).

Although the instruments being amended are the general spectrum and spectrum fees regulations, the substance of the draft is specific to satellite services. The amendments give effect to findings from ICASA's Inquiry into the Licensing Framework for Satellite Services, and address Earth Stations in Motion (ESIM/ESV), satellite user terminals, registration of foreign satellite space segment operators, and a restructured spectrum fee formula.

The written representation window closed at 16:00 on 29 June 2026. The draft has not been made final at the time of writing; no amended regulations have been gazetted as enacted.

Regulatory Background

ICASA initiated its Inquiry into the Licensing Framework for Satellite Services on 14 August 2024. The Inquiry set out to determine an appropriate regulatory and licensing framework for satellite services in South Africa, including authorisation procedures for satellite user terminals and ESIM/ESV, and the registration of international satellite operators intending to serve the South African market. It also examined whether spectrum fees remained appropriate given the bandwidth demands of satellite systems operating in higher frequency bands.

The Authority received 47 written submissions and held public hearings from 5 to 7 February 2025. ICASA published its findings on 17 April 2025 in Government Gazette No. 52530, Notice 3144. The May 2026 draft amendments are the implementing step that follows those findings.

Councillor Thabisa Faye, Chairperson of the Satellite Licensing Framework Committee, framed the proposals as intended to provide regulatory certainty, support investment in satellite services, and promote efficient spectrum use.

What the ICASA Satellite Spectrum Regulations Draft Actually Changes

Earth Stations in Motion (ESIM/ESV)

The draft would recognise ESIM licences issued by other administrations, an approach ICASA presents as aligned with international practice while preserving national safeguards. Key proposed provisions:

• Foreign ESIMs that comply with the relevant ITU Resolutions and applicable technical standards would be exempt from South African licensing for periods not exceeding 90 calendar days.

• All ESIMs operating in South Africa would be required to remain under permanent monitoring and control by a Network Control and Monitoring Centre (NCMC).

  
  

This is directly relevant to maritime, aviation and land mobile terminals that transit South African territory or territorial waters on a short stay basis.

Registration of Foreign Satellite Space Segment Operators

Foreign satellite space segment operators would be required to register with ICASA using Form F, providing details of their systems or networks. Notable features of the proposed regime:

• Registration would be free of charge.

• Registration would not confer any right to provide services in South Africa it is a transparency and interference resolution mechanism, not an authorisation.

• Registered operators would need to coordinate with the relevant Management Authority to mitigate interference to radio astronomy installations a material point given the SKA and MeerKAT facilities in the Northern Cape and the associated Astronomy Geographic Advantage Act protections.

• Operators would need to provide lawful interception capability to support implementation of the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication Related Information Act (RICA).

  
  

Spectrum Fee Restructuring

The draft Fees Regulations amendments introduce a frequency based fee structure for satellite services:

• A frequency factor (FREQ) designed to incentivise migration to higher, less congested bands by lowering the fee burden there.

• Fee calculation continues to consider only the uplink frequency band and uplink bandwidth, which ICASA presents as consistent with an "Open Sky" regulatory posture.

• A new Security (SEC) factor providing fee relief for satellite operations in the security sector.

• Reported expansion of the licence scope from the existing VSAT construct to cover VSAT networks, satellite terminal networks and ESIM under a common framework, alongside revised treatment of gateway earth stations (GES).

What This Means for Manufacturers

This is the point on which the underlying announcement is most easily misread. The draft amendments impose obligations on satellite operators and licensees not, in the first instance, on equipment manufacturers or importers.

South Africa's equipment authorisation regime sits in a separate instrument, the Type Approval Regulations administered by ICASA's Type Approval unit. Nothing in this draft amends the type approval framework, alters the technical standards applied to radio equipment, or introduces a new conformity assessment route for terminals. Manufacturers placing radio equipment on the South African market remain subject to the existing ICASA type approval obligations, unchanged.

That said, there are three ways the draft matters commercially to manufacturers and importers of satellite terminal equipment:

1. Addressable market conditions. A clearer licensing and registration path for foreign satellite operators and a defined ESIM regime reduce a significant source of go to market uncertainty for terminal vendors selling into South Africa through operator channels. Where the operator cannot be authorised, the terminal cannot be sold into service.

2. Design and documentation expectations. The proposed NCMC control requirement for all ESIMs and the ITU compliance condition attached to the 90 day foreign ESIM exemption are technical conditions that terminal designs must be able to demonstrate. Vendors should expect operator customers to push these requirements down the supply chain as procurement specifications.

3. Radio astronomy coordination. The interference mitigation obligation toward astronomy installations may translate into geographic operating restrictions or emission constraints for terminals deployed in or near protected areas. Vendors supplying into those regions should track the final text closely.

   
   

Manufacturers should also be alert to a separate and more directly relevant ICASA workstream: the Conformity Assessment Framework for Equipment Authorization, listed under ICASA's "Regulations Underway". That process, not this one, is the instrument to monitor for changes to type approval procedure itself.

Certification Impact Summary

Dimension	Position under the draft amendments
Instrument type	Draft amendment regulations (not enacted)
Primary obligation holders	Satellite service operators, foreign space segment operators, ESIM operators
Impact on ICASA type approval requirements	None type approval regime unchanged by this draft
New conformity assessment route	No
New technical standards for equipment	No new standards introduced; ITU Resolutions referenced as a condition of the ESIM exemption
New registration obligation	Yes, foreign satellite space segment operators, via Form F (free of charge)
New licensing exemption	Yes, foreign ESIMs, up to 90 calendar days, subject to ITU and technical standard compliance
Fee impact	Restructured satellite spectrum fees (FREQ factor, SEC factor); uplink only calculation retained
Indirect manufacturer impact	Moderate NCMC control capability, astronomy coordination constraints, operator driven procurement specifications
Action required before market placement today	Existing ICASA type approval, unchanged

Timeline and Required Actions

Date	Event	Action for manufacturers and importers
14 Aug 2024	Inquiry into the Licensing Framework for Satellite Services initiated
5–7 Feb 2025	Public hearings held; 47 written submissions received
17 Apr 2025	Inquiry findings published Government Gazette No. 52530, Notice 3144	Review findings to anticipate final rule direction
15 May 2026	Draft amendments to the 2015 Spectrum Regulations and 2010 Spectrum Fees Regulations published	Assess exposure of satellite terminal product lines
29 Jun 2026	Written representation deadline now closed	Window has passed; no further submissions accepted
Pending	ICASA consideration of representations; possible further consultation or public hearings	Monitor ICASA "Regulations Underway" page
Pending	Publication of final amendment regulations in the Government Gazette	Confirm final ESIM and NCMC conditions; brief operator customers
Ongoing	Conformity Assessment Framework for Equipment Authorization	Track this workstream it is the one that can change type approval procedure

Recommended actions now

• Do not change type approval planning on the basis of this draft. Current ICASA type approval requirements apply as before.

• Map affected SKUs: ESIM terminals, VSAT and satellite terminal network equipment, and gateway earth station hardware sold into South Africa.

• Confirm NCMC compatibility for ESIM products the permanent monitoring and control requirement is proposed to apply to all ESIMs, not only foreign ones.

• Engage operator customers on how the revised fee structure may shift their band preferences; a FREQ factor favouring higher bands can move demand toward Ka band and above.

• Set a monitoring trigger on ICASA's Regulations Underway and Government Gazette publications for the final amendment text.