Page 73 - SAMENA Trends - December 2020

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

A SNAPSHOT OF REGULATORY ACTIVITIES

IN THE SAMENA REGION

Afghanistan

The acting head of the Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority and most satisfactory telecom and internet services. ATRA has
(ATRA) has pledged to accelerate work on the World Bank- [completed the] basic works of this project, such as issuance
funded ‘Digital CASA (Central Asia and South Asia) Afghanistan’ of optical fiber expansion licenses, encouraging investors and
program. The main goals of the five-year, USD51 million project controlling prices, and is also ready to have an important role in
are to provide Afghans with more affordable internet access, to implementing the project through comprehensive coordination.’
attract private investment in the ICT sector and to improve the As noted by TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, Afghan
government’s capacity to deliver digital government services authorities and the World Bank completed the first phase of
to the public. In a statement from the regulator, acting ATRA the program – the Project Preparation Grant (PPG) stage – in
Chairman Omar Mansoor Ansari said: ‘ATRA will take crucial steps December 2018, including amongst other things a fiber-optic
together with the Ministry of Communications and Information cable survey of the Wakhan Corridor and the development of an
Technology (MCIT) and World Bank as an important shareholder Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) for
of the project to ensure that citizens have access to the best Digital CASA Afghanistan. (December 4, 2020) commsupdate.com

Algeria

The Regulatory Authority for Post and Electronic Communications OFFICE; In this context, the Regulatory Authority invites natural
(ARPCE) notified the procedures required by the laws and and legal persons who have filed incomplete files of authorization
regulations in force and following the deliberations of its applications for the provision of radio-positioning and / or radio-
Board at its meeting held on December 2, 2020, it granted the positioning by satellite as well as geolocation services by radio,
authorization of provision of radiolocation and / or radiolocation to complete and update their files with the missing documents as
services by satellite as well as geolocation services by radio, to requested by its services. Also, the Regulatory Authority recalls
the following: 1. SPA ALGERIA TELECOM SATELLITE (ATS); 2. SPA that the radiolocation and / or radiolocation services by satellite
ALGEOFLEET; 3. SARL I2B; 4. SARL EURO SOFT; 5. EURL DZ LYNX as well as geolocation services by radio, can only be provided
SYSTEM; 6. EURL DIGILINX; 7. Eurl GEO PS; 8. EURL DATAFIRST after obtaining the relevant authorization, under the legislation in
TECHNOLOGY; 9. EURL IT DASERVICES; 10. EURL WEB GPS force. (December 28, 2020) arpce.dz

Bahrain

The International Internet Society, a non-profit organization that remote study, e-commerce, and others. Just last month, Bahrain
sets standards and Internet policies in the world, has ranked commemorated 25 years since the Internet was first introduced in
Bahrain as 19th country in the world with the best Internet services. the country in 1995 and which served as a momentous day in the
The Kingdom’s classification was based on the feedback of the history of the technology and telecommunications industry in the
society’s branch in Bahrain, and the speed of its “Internet growth” in Kingdom. According to the bahrain.bh portal, Bahrain has been
particular, as well as its reliability, sustainability and ability to meet ranked fourth worldwide in the Telecommunication Infrastructure
the requirements of data preservation and exchange. Likewise, Index (TII) as per ITU reports. Everyone in Bahrain has access to
the society based the ranking on the Internet’s performance mobile with a subscription rate of 140% of the total population.
during this coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, such as for work, Estimated Internet users in Bahrain are 98%, which is ranked

73 DECEMBER 2020