The Dynamic Spectrum Alliance is a global organization whose membership spans multinationals, small- and medium-sized enterprises, and academic, research, and other organizations from around the world, all working to create innovative solutions that will increase the amount of available spectrum to the benefit of consumers and businesses.
The Dynamic Spectrum Alliance (DSA) has disclosed their their 2017 Global Summit will be co-hosted by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), the South African national spectrum regulator, in Cape Town, from May 9th through 11th next year. Following on from 2016’s successful summit in Bogota, Colombia, this conference on wireless spectrum sharing is now heading to South Africa. The announcement comes as the Alliance welcomes 11 new members from all over the world.
The 2017 Global Summit will build on the success from 2016 and be supported by 11 new members, spanning four major continents—Africa, Asia, Europe and North America—and including public benefit companies, multinationals, research institutions, and Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The new members include: Telecast Technology Corp., China; Wi-Fi Interactive Network, the Philippines; Nominet, United Kingdom; M-KOPA, Kenya; Ekovolt, Nigeria; C3 Limited, Malawi; Project Isizwe, South Africa; AirJaldi Networks, India; and Marvell Semiconductors, Axiom Technologies and the IEEE, all from the United States of America.
Co-host ICASA will play a significant role at the Global Summit as ICASA recently published a Discussion Paper on the Framework for Dynamic and Opportunistic Spectrum Management for consultation. This paper discusses a proposal to authorize license-exempt access to unused TV channels, also known as television white spaces (TVWS).
Several of the new members are focused on opening up more spectrum sharing opportunities across the globe and this will be a key theme in the 2017 Global Summit in South Africa. In the continent of Africa, new member Ekovolt, a wireless broadband and technology services provider, is working to provide affordable, accessible, reliable broadband and technology solutions that cater to homes and businesses in Nigeria. Furthermore, C3 Limited is currently building a wireless network across Malawi spanning all 28 districts and Project Isizwe aims to bring the Internet to people across South Africa by facilitating the rollout of free Wi-Fi for public spaces in low-income communities.