The draft regulations, published in the Government Gazette last week, will replace the previous regulations, which were introduced more than a decade ago. The new regulations, once finalised, will take effect when analogue TV broadcasts are eventually terminated.
The draft regulations follow an inquiry that Icasa kick-started in March 2024 aimed at reviewing the last set of regulations from 2012 and 2014.
"With the analogue switch-off process ongoing, the regulatory focus shifts from enabling the migration process to the regulatory management of a fully digital broadcasting environment," the regulator said.
One of the biggest proposed changes is to the multiplexes effectively, chunks of radio frequency spectrum that are made available to TV broadcasters.
Icasa, which has stated again in the new regulations that South Africa must utilise the now-ageing DVB-T2 broadcasting standard, wants seven multiplexes to be licensed, including "innovation" bands that can be used for experimentation. Under the draft rules, spectrum allocated to broadcasters will be withdrawn after 36 months if it's not being used.