ICASA and SAMSA
All electronics which make use of telecommunications, and that are capable of broadcasting
messages are required by South African law to be registered with and licensed by ICASA.
This means that all marine electronics that make use of either GPS, Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth
need to be approved by ICASA.
We are proud to report that all of the specified marine electronics sold by Lowrance South
Africa have been registered with and licensed by ICASA.
Who is ICASA?
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) is an independent
regulatory body of the South African government, established in 2000 by the ICASA Act to
regulate both the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors in the public interest.
Some of functions of ICASA include the following:
• To license broadcasters, signal distributors, providers of
telecommunication services and postal services;
• To make regulations;
• To impose license conditions;
• To plan, assign, control, enforce and manage the frequency
spectrum;
• To ensure international and regional co-operation;
• To consult with Ministry of Communications;
In the end, ICASA is just looking out for the customers’ best interest.
We at Lowrance SA pride ourselves in always looking out for our customers too – so we are
happy to comply with all ICASA requirements.
Before you purchase any GPS unit (either for on-land or on-water use), you should make
sure that there is an ICASA sticker on the product packaging. If there is no sticker- make
sure to enquire about the product’s ICASA approval prior to purchasing.
There have been quite a few boating regulation changes lately…