Page 88 - SAMENA Trends - February-March 2021

WHOLESALE UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

OFCOM Outlines Plans for Wholesale Regulation Designed to Bolster UK’s

Fiber Future

UK telecoms regulator OFCOM expects wholesale prices significantly for faster, access their services, particularly those
‘millions of homes’ to be upgraded to unregulated products ‘is constrained by in vulnerable circumstances. OFCOM has
faster, more reliable broadband under the fact that people can choose the entry- also said it aims to prevent Openreach
newly announced regulations which it level service as an alternative’. Further, from harming competition, by reviewing all
claims are designed to ‘help shape the the network unit will also be permitted to long-term discount agreements it offers
UK’s full-fiber future’. In a press release charge more for regulated products that its wholesale customers, and restricting
outlining the plans, OFCOM said it was are delivered over full fiber instead of them if they could stifle investment by its
confirming how it will regulate the nation’s copper; according to OFCOM, allowing the rivals. In addition, the BT unit will continue
wholesale telecoms markets for the next operator to do so ‘reflects the fact that full to be prohibited from offering geographic
five years ‘and beyond’ following public fiber is consistently faster, and much more discounts on its superfast broadband
consultation on the matter, with a particular reliable, than copper-based broadband’, wholesale services, while a similar ban is
focus on driving competitive investment in while it argues such an approach ‘improves to be extended to the wholesale operator’s
the country’s fiber infrastructure. Among the investment case for BT and its rivals services based on full fiber technology. The
the strategies outlined to achieve that by providing them with a margin to build new regulations are expected to apply from
goal, OFCOM proposes wholesale price the new networks’. Finally, with regard to April 2021 until March 2026. Commenting
regulation which it says will encourage full fiber rollouts, the watchdog has said it on the matter, OFCOM’s Chief Executive,
investment and promote competition. With does not expect to introduce cost-based Dame Melanie Dawes, said: ‘Over the past
the watchdog noting that in recent years it prices for fiber services for at least ten year, being connected has never mattered
has reduced the wholesale price that BT’s years. With regards to the closing of the more. But millions of homes are still using
network unit Openreach charges retail UK’s copper network, meanwhile, OFCOM the copper lines that were first laid over
providers for its entry-level ‘superfast’ has argued that Openreach should not 100 years ago. Now it’s time to ramp up
copper broadband service (offering have the ‘unnecessary’ costs of running the rollout of better broadband across the
downlink speeds of 40Mbps), it has two parallel networks. As such, it has UK. We’re playing our part – setting the
confirmed that the price of this service – confirmed that once the network unit has right conditions for companies to step up
and the prices of slower copper broadband rolled out full fiber in a particular area, it and invest in the country’s full-fiber future.
packages – will be kept flat in real will progressively remove regulation on its This is a once-in-a-century chance to
terms. Meanwhile, the regulator has also copper products over ‘a number of years’. help make the UK a world-leading digital
confirmed that Openreach’s fastest fiber The regulator has, however, stressed that economy.’
services will continue to be free from pricing customers will be protected during this
regulation, arguing that allowing it to raise transition to ensure they can continue to

MTN, 9mobile to Seek National Roaming Approval

MTN Nigeria and Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Communications Commission (NCC) approved the trial between
(9mobile) plan to seek regulatory permission to roll out national market leader MTN and second-placed 9mobile last year, stating
roaming on their respective mobile networks, 9Mobile CEO that the tests could be conducted for a period of three months,
Alan Sinfield told The Africa Report. The decision follows a from 1 August to 31 October 2020, in a few local governments,
trial of national roaming between the two companies in Ondo designated as the ‘National Roaming geographic area’, in Ondo
State. As previously reported by CommsUpdate, the Nigerian State. According to the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Umar
Garba Danbatta, the primary objective of the national roaming trial
was to encourage network resource sharing among operators. He
said this would lead to operational expenditure optimization and
capital expenditure efficiencies, thereby freeing up resources to
expand mobile network coverage to unserved and underserved
communities across the country, which will result in improved
quality of service delivery to subscribers. ‘The successful
implementation of the trial will enable 9mobile subscribers
to access MTN network service within the National Roaming
trial geographical area without the need for an MTN SIM card,’
Danbatta said last year.

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