Becoming a ‘spectrum guru’

Victor Simasiku is the senior spectrum and licencing officer of telecommunications at the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN).
Theresia Lucas
Prior to his appointment in 2015 at the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN), Victor Simasiku interned at Telecom Namibia for three months in 2004, where he was involved with cabling and the installation of network servers for Telecom Namibia’s network.

He then relocated to the north to work for one of Namibia’s leading network providers, Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC) and played a role in setting up MTC’s technical office.

He was responsible for the installations, commissioning, and integration of new sites and Base Station System (BSS) equipment, performing routine maintenance, and restoring failures of the mobile networks.

After a year, he returned to Windhoek, where he started working for MTC’s Network Management Centre (NMC).

"I was responsible for providing field support to technicians, communicating network failures to the entire company, performing software and hardware upgrades on all Network Management Centre (NMC) systems, and providing and analysing statistical network data," said Simasiku.

Simasiku is very ambitious and has plans to one day become a "spectrum management guru" and to make decisions when it comes to spectrum-related issues.

Inspiration

Simasiku said that part of the reason he is in this position is because he believes in the art of learning new skills every day and believes in listening more than talking.

He said he draws inspiration from his family and his loved ones.

He emphasised that he draws professional inspiration from his head of department, saying "she is my Google when it comes to information pertaining to regulations and frameworks for regulating the information and communications technology (ICT) industry, and spectrum management matters."

The opportunity he got in 2015 to represent Namibia at the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15) in Geneva, Switzerland, is undeniably one of the highlights of his career.

He was given the chance to engage with world class experts within the telecommunications industry.

This aided in expanding his knowledge and understanding regarding spectrum management.

Additionally, his recent trip to the United States of America (USA), California, in May 2022 was the "cherry on the cake" of his other international trips, where he attended a course on Practical Applications Spectrum Management and Spectrum Monitoring with the United States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI).

With a 1st Kyu brown belt Karateka, Simasiku uses his free time to practise karate because he believes it improves mental fortitude, calmness, clarity of thinking, insight into one's mental faculties, and self-confidence.

He also believes in keeping fit and uses some of his free time to cycle. Apart from physical activities, he loves making time for his family and watching football.