Telecom Namibia is advocating for the elimination of spectrum pricing in order to boost the country's telecommunications industry.
The mobile operator, citing this as one of several obstacles, is also requesting that duty on imports of telecommunications equipment and airtime be removed.
The appeal was made by Telecom Namibia's CEO, Stanley Shanapinda, at the Public-Private Forum in Windhoek over the weekend.
“Spectrum pricing is really unnecessary. It should be reduced or zero-rated. It just increases the cost (of operations),” Shanapinda said.
The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) sets spectrum prices through a combination of auctions for high-demand licenses and a fee structure for other categories.
In late 2023, CRAN held an auction for 4G and 5G spectrum, with licenses valid for ten years.
The auction raised around N$28,6 million (US$1,66 million), with Telecom Namibia winning alongside Mobile Telecommunications (MTC) and Loc8 Mobile.
Shanapinda argued that classifying telecom infrastructure as zero-rated and adopting zero value added tax (VAT) on airtime would both boost growth and ICT adoption.
Importing telco infrastructure primarily involves a 15-percent VAT on the customs value of the goods. The standard VAT rate on airtime is also 15 percent.
Shanapinda also proposed stiff penalties for vandalism of infrastructure.
“Vandalism and theft of copper is (seen as) a minor crime. It needs to be seen as a serious crime,” he said.
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