Page 116 - SAMENA Trends - August 2019

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

The Romanian government has approved an emergency the obligation not to exceed the maximum regulated
ordinance requiring mobile network operators to rate on their own networks. The rate will apply to
register the personal details of pre-paid SIM users from national calls and calls from inside the European
1 January 2020, reports Profit.ro. Anyone buying a pre- Economic Area (EEA), as well as calls initiated outside
Romania paid SIM will need to present their identity card, while the EEA where there is no international agreement in
existing pre-paid SIM users will have until 1 September
place governing termination fees.
2020 to register their details or face disconnection. (August 13, 2019) telegeography.com
The information will be made available to the national
emergency services call centers to help identify callers. OTE Group, which has fixed and mobile operations in
(August 29, 2019) telegeography.com Greece and Romania, has recorded a 0.3% rise in sales
in the first half of 2019 to EUR1.86 billion (USD2.1
Romania’s National Authority for Management and billion). The firm said that increased revenues from its
Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) has opened fixed business were partially offset by a 2.5% drop in
a public consultation on its plan to reduce mobile mobile turnover. Group EBITDA for the first half climbed
termination rates (MTRs) with effect from 1 January from EUR592.4 million in 2018 to EUR625.4 million this
2020. The regulator has proposed a maximum tariff year, though there was a 20.8% fall in net profit from
of EUR0.0076 (USD0.0085) per minute, down from the continuing operations to EUR80.5 million. OTE Group
current rate of EUR0.0084, as a transitional measure has been downsizing its activities, completing the sale
until a single European rate is established before the end of its operations in Albania at the start of this year,
of 2020 under Directive (EU) 2018/1972. The operators and the sale of its stake in Telekom Romania is also
designated with significant market power – Lycamobile, expected.
Orange Romania, Vodafone Romania, RCS&RDS and (August 8, 2019) telegeography.com
Telekom Romania Mobile Communications – will have

A draft law introducing universal mobile service access allocated for 5G worldwide, TeleGeography notes that
points for Russian settlements of between 100 and China Mobile was given access to trial 5G spectrum
500 people has been approved by the government and at 4.8GHz-4.9GHz in December 2018 before being
sent to the lower house of parliament (State Duma) awarded a commercial 5G license in June 2019, while
Russia for consideration. The amendments also remove Wi- in April 2019 Japan’s NTT DOCOMO was authorized to
Fi-based shared access internet points from the list
use the 4.5GHz-4.6GHz band for its 5G network rollout,
of universal communications services (UCS) after having trialed 5G 4.5GHz services in 2017-2018.
such rollouts ceased due to a lack of demand. If the Furthermore, Russian fixed broadband operator ER-
amendments are passed, settlements of 100-500 Telecom has been permitted to utilize 4.8GHz-4.99GHz
inhabitants will be covered by the UCS program for spectrum for 5G connectivity tests, aiming to provide
the first time. The draft envisages settlements with a wholesale services to cellcos. The process to free up
population of 250-500 receiving mobile UCS access ‘mainstream’ 3.4GHz-3.8GHz 5G mobile spectrum in
point coverage by 2024 and communities of 100-250 Russia remains stalled as the latter frequencies are
residents gaining UCS access by 2026. State-backed reserved for security/law enforcement/intelligence/
Rostelecom is currently the sole UCS provider, and is military usage. Minkomsvyaz has recently rejected
expected to fulfil new mobile UCS commitments via several operators’ applications for 3.4GHz-3.8GHz
part-owned mobile subsidiary Tele2 Russia – although bandwidth. Vice Prime Minister Maxim Akimov told
with Tele2’s coverage being less extensive than larger reporters last week that the government will establish
rivals MTS, MegaFon and Beeline, the actual network a working group to plan 5G pilot zones using 3.4GHz-
provision in certain zones could be contracted out. 3.8GHz spectrum in cooperation with other state
MegaFon’s corporate communications manager agencies and special services departments (in addition
Dmitry Lukyanchikov was quoted as saying that he to ongoing projects for 27GHz-28GHz 5G pilot zones in
believes the bill could enter law before the end of this Moscow).
year. (August 13, 2019) Telecom Daily
(August 14, 2019) ComNews
The Ministry of Digital Development, Communications
Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development, and Mass Media (the Ministry of Communications or
Communications and Mass Media (Ministry of Minkomsvyaz) has rejected a series of 3.5GHz trial
Communications or Minkomsvyaz) has proposed applications from the country’s major players, denying
allocating new frequencies for 5G in the 4.4GHz– them access to 5G-suitable frequencies for testing
4.99GHz range. Although this band is not commonly purposes. The rejected applications were revealed in

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