Livia Dyer
DirectorLivia brings more than 17 years’ experience in South Africa’s most highly regulated sectors, with a focus on telecommunications, media and technology where she provides both regulatory and transactional advice. Her practice also has a strong focus advising clients on broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) matters.
Her media and telecommunications experience includes advising on transaction structures, submissions to regulators and government on policy and legislative developments, advising on change of control approval applications, acting in strategic litigation, complaints and compliance matters (such as on mobile call termination rates, IMT spectrum auctions and access disputes) and advising on licensing and regulatory requirements.
EXPERIENCE
- Advising rain on its infrastructure sharing and 4G roaming arrangements with Vodacom.*
- Advising Community Investment Ventures Holdings (CIVH) on the telco regulatory aspects of its new fibre-focussed entity and the sale by Vodacom of its fibre assets to and investment in the new entity, and acting for CIVH in the telco regulatory approval process.*
- Advising CIVH in the consultation by the South African telco regulator, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), on new local ownership BBBEE rules.*
- Advising Cell C on telecoms regulatory approval requirements in the context of its 2017 debt and equity restructuring including the acquisition by Blue Label Telecoms of a 45% stake in Cell C.*
- Advising Absa on its participation with African Rainbow Energy and Power in a new energy and power fund and the sale of certain assets to the fund.*
- Advising Tata Communications in relation to the telco regulatory aspects of the sale of its stake in Neotel to Liquid.*
- Advising Ethos on the regulatory requirements applicable to its acquisition of an interest in Primedia.*
- Advising rain in the urgent and judicial review applications by Telkom, MTN and Vodacom against ICASA regarding the withdrawal of IMT spectrum assigned to the operators on a temporary basis during the COVID-19 national state of disaster.*
- Successfully acted for Link Africa in the appeal by the City of Tshwane to the Constitutional Court (and in the Supreme Court of Appeal and High Court) regarding the rights of telecoms network licensees to roll-out infrastructure and whether land and property owners’ consent is required for such roll-outs.*
- Advising a multinational video on demand platform in its submissions to the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies in the consultation on the draft Audio and Audiovisual Content Services White Paper.*
*Denotes experience from a previous firm.
- English
- LLM, University of London, 2007
- LLB, University of Cape Town, 2002
- BA, University of Cape Town, 1999
Awards
- Band 2 in IT and Telecoms, Chambers Global 2020-2023. “Johannesburg-based Livia Dyer is regularly sought out by South African and international clients for her counsel on the jurisdiction's telecoms regulatory regime, including licensing. She is additionally instructed to advise on transactions in the space.”
- Band 2 in Media and Broadcasting, Chambers Global 2020-2023. “Livia has a distinguished reputation for her regulatory work. Having recently joined DLA Piper, she has extensive experience assisting clients engaging with the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, the Film and Publication Board and other regulators in the telecoms and media field.”
- Band 3 in TMT – Africa Wide, Chambers Global 2020
- The Legal 500 EMEA 2023 recommended Livia for commercial, corporate and M&A.
- Best Lawyers in South Africa 2017-2023 recommends Livia for Media Law and Regulatory Practice.
Memberships And Affiliations
- Legal Practice Council (LPC)
