[PATCH] wireless-regdb: Update 5 GHz rules for South Africa (ZA)

[Chen-Yu Tsai]

On Mon, Jul 27, 2026 at 5:00 PM Louis Kotze <loukot at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> ICASA has substituted Annexure B of the Radio Frequency Spectrum
> Regulations in full twice since South Africa's 5 GHz rules were last
> touched. The operative table is Notice 1822, Government Gazette 48643
> of 18 May 2023. Notice 1822 section 1 recites the chain itself:
>
>   Notice 279, Gazette 38641, 30 March 2015 (original Annexure B)
>   Notice 386, Gazette 38754, 30 April 2015
>   Notice 781, Gazette 40436, 22 November 2016
>   Notice 737, Gazette 45690, 21 December 2021 (substitutes in full)
>   Notice 1822, Gazette 48643, 18 May 2023 (substitutes in full)
>
> The 6 GHz row already cites this notice, added in b7bced8
> ("wireless-regdb: Update regulatory rules for South Africa (ZA) on
> 6GHz"). The 5 GHz rows were not revisited then and still reflect the
> 2015 table. The current table's 5 GHz rows read:
>
>   5150-5250 MHz: 23 dBm e.i.r.p., WAS/RLAN, SANS 301 893
>   5250-5350 MHz: 23 dBm e.i.r.p., WAS/RLAN, SANS 301 893
>   5470-5725 MHz: 30 dBm e.i.r.p., WAS/RLAN, SANS 301 893
>   5725-5875 MHz: 25 mW e.i.r.p., non-specific SRD, SANS 300 440
>
> All three WAS/RLAN rows list ECC/DEC/(04)08 under "Additional
> Requirements". That decision restricts 5150-5350 MHz to indoor use and
> requires DFS and TPC on 5250-5350 MHz and 5470-5725 MHz, but not on
> 5150-5250 MHz.
>
> This reverses 99ebbaa ("wireless-regdb: Update ZA rules for 5490-5710
> MHz"), which dropped DFS and the TPC deduction from that range in 2015
> on the strength of the Radio Frequency Spectrum Regulations 2015, the
> instrument current at the time. ICASA has since restated both
> requirements, and rejected an industry objection to TPC in the reasons
> document accompanying Notice 737:
>
>   "TPC and DFS are not new requirements as they have always been
>   requirements within the prescribed performance standard SANS 301 893"
>
> Changes:
>
> - Add DFS to 5470-5725 MHz. The entry currently permits 1 W across
>   5490-5710 MHz with no radar detection, in a band where ICASA
>   requires it.

Ack.

> - Add NO-OUTDOOR to 5150-5250 and 5250-5350 MHz, per the Notice 737
>   reasons document section 6.6(c): "based on numerous interference
>   complaints caused by the unauthorized outdoor deployment, the
>   Authority maintained the position allowing only indoor deployment in
>   those bands".

Ack.

> - Raise 5150-5250 MHz from 20 to 23 dBm. Same document: "the Authority
>   updated the power limit to 23 dBm in accordance with the prescribed
>   performance standard SANS 301 893".

Ack.

> - Lower 5470-5725 MHz from 30 to 27 dBm and keep 5250-5350 MHz at
>   20 dBm, taking the figure that applies without TPC. The three
>   resulting values match DE, FR, IE and NL, which carry 200 mW, 100 mW
>   and 500 mW for these bands under the same ECC decision.

Ack.

> - Align the band edges with the gazetted limits: 5170 to 5150, 5330 to
>   5350, 5490 to 5470, 5710 to 5725. This yields no additional channel
>   at any width; channel 144 still does not fit, needing 5730 MHz where
>   ZA authorises 5725 MHz.

Can you also do the same for the 2.4 GHz band?

> - Add the 5725-5875 MHz non-specific SRD row at 25 mW, as in DE, FR,
>   IE and NL.

Ack.

> For a device this makes channels 149 to 173 available at 14 dBm, adds
> one 80 MHz channel at centre 155, gains 3 dB on channels 36 to 48, and
> costs 3 dB plus radar gating on channels 100 to 140. No channel is
> lost, and the 160 MHz picture is unchanged.
>
> The 2.4 and 6 GHz rows are untouched.
>
> Reference:
>   Notice 1822 of 2023, Government Gazette 48643, 18 May 2023
>   https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/202305/48643gon1822.pdf
>
> Signed-off-by: Louis Kotze <loukot at gmail.com>
> ---
>  db.txt | 7 ++++---
>  1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/db.txt b/db.txt
> index 72f7900..2489d07 100644
> --- a/db.txt
> +++ b/db.txt
> @@ -2190,9 +2190,10 @@ country YT: DFS-ETSI
>  # Source: https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/202305/48643gon1822.pdf
>  country ZA: DFS-ETSI
>         (2402 - 2482 @ 40), (20)

The reference gives 2400 - 2483.5.


Thanks
ChenYu

> -       (5170 - 5250 @ 80), (20), AUTO-BW
> -       (5250 - 5330 @ 80), (20), DFS, AUTO-BW
> -       (5490 - 5710 @ 160), (30)
> +       (5150 - 5250 @ 80), (23), NO-OUTDOOR, AUTO-BW
> +       (5250 - 5350 @ 80), (20), NO-OUTDOOR, DFS, AUTO-BW
> +       (5470 - 5725 @ 160), (27), DFS
> +       (5725 - 5875 @ 80), (25 mW)
>         (5925 - 6425 @ 320), (23), NO-OUTDOOR
>
>  country ZW: DFS-ETSI
> --
> 2.55.0
>