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Fancy a trip to the luxurious Emoya Estate in Bloemfontein? Why not join WAPA on 8 February to indulge in a training session on fundamental fibre technology that’s sure to reduce your stress levels.

Situated less than 9 km from the Western Bypass in Bloemfontein, the Emoya Estate hotel and spa is situated in a game reserve. The tranquil environment belies the fact that it easily accessible, while providing the perfect atmosphere for information sharing.

The training agenda includes:

WAPA tags, with an adhesive backing, are available for sticking onto devices. Order here https://wapa.org.za/form/equipment-tag-order-form Keep watching your inbox for the next issue of the WAPA newsletter.

The success of WISPAPALOOZA (also known as WISPA), an event that brings together the WISP (Wireless Internet Service Providers) world, has opened up a very exciting opportunity for our local WISP community. WAPA is thrilled to be launching its own niche WISP event in South Africa. So if you are an experienced WISP, you definitely won’t want to miss out on this!

A number of opportunities have unfolded over the past 18 months for WAPA to collaboratively work with the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS) and the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA).

WAPA was invited to a discussion on ‘Rapid Deployment’ with DTPS. The concern from DTPS is that the Municipalities are interfering with rapid deployment. This has resulted in a more intense scrutiny of local Government bodies.

First of three collaborative discussion events on July 15 brings together SA's Internet providers, government, and the regulator to find ways to bring about the ambitious South Africa Connect broadband rollout goals. The Internet provider industry, technology analysts, civic groups and Icasa, the national telecommunications regulator, have joined forces to address the desperate need to roll out better, faster and more affordable Internet access across South Africa.

Following a recent string of legal battles between municipalities and several telecommunications companies, most notably the judgement of the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in favour of Dark Fibre Africa (DFA) over the Msunduzi municipality, a number of companies are beginning to build wireless networks on public (municipal) property, without the explicit permission of the municipality. This development is incredibly exciting for the industry but there are a few considerations for both the public and private sector which are important to highlight. Firstly, the legal background.