Page 107 - SAMENA Trends - February 2020

WHOLESALE UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

businesses through its 30,000 kilometers gigabit Internet access by 2025, said to 1.5 million homes and businesses. The
of fiber. Last year EQT Infrastructure Matthias Fackler, partner at EQT Partners, new fiber-joint venture is called Glasfaser
bought Inexio, and now plans to merge in a statement. “Deutsche Glasfaser and Nordwest, and it will be headquartered in
that company with Deutsche Glasfaser. Inexio combined will play a vital role in Oldenberg, Germany. The joint venture’s
“EQT has a long history of developing enabling digital inclusion and sustainable goal is to bring fiber-to-the-home (FTTH)
strong fiber companies and looks forward economic growth.” Last month Deutsche infrastructure to Lower Saxony, starting
to leveraging this experience, and together Telekom announced it had formed a joint with 12 municipalities.
with OMERS, contribute to the German venture with utility company EWE to build
government’s plan to deliver nationwide out a fiber infrastructure that will serve up

UK Government Warns – No More FREE EU Mobile Roaming from 2021,

Maybe

• Check with your phone operator to find
out about any roaming charges you
might get from 1 January 2021.
• A new law means that you’re protected
from getting mobile data charges above
£45 without you knowing.
• Once you reach £45, you need to opt in
to spend more so that you can continue
using the internet while you’re abroad.
Your phone operator will tell how you
can do this.
On the other hand both Vodafone and
Three UK have previously committed to
retain free EU mobile roaming after Brexit
(example), while EE (BT) has previously
indicated that they too have “no plans” to
change how they do things (one caveat
In a somewhat unsurprising development predicted to be free roaming, which could when an operator says “no plans” is that
the Government has again warned UK result in UK consumers once again having such positions can change). Meanwhile
people that the current “guarantee of free to face higher charges for using their it’s unclear where O2 stands on all this but
mobile phone roaming” throughout the mobile while travelling around the EU. So they’d probably have to follow what their
EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway far we’ve seen nothing that would protect rivals are doing or risk losing customers.
“will end” on 1st January 2021, which this agreement in the current Brexit deal, Admittedly the issue here is that there would
marks the conclusion of the imminent 11 although it’s entirely possible that the issue be nothing to stop some EU operators from
month Brexit transition period. At present may yet come up as part of the future trade raising their charges against UK providers.
citizens of the European Union benefit negotiations. Nevertheless for now the UK However EU operators would still have to
from free mobile roaming via the “Roam Government’s official guidance seems to be mindful that EU citizens visiting the UK
like At Home” regulation. As such anybody serve as more of a warning and the only might also face higher charges, unless
choosing to use their Mobile (SIM) to make protection is a legislated cap of £45 on existing agreements between operators
calls, text or use data (mobile broadband) roaming charges (first proposed in 2018), are retained.
while roaming around the EU should be which fails to address the underlying issue. Meanwhile some operators, such as
able to do so for the same price as they Government Position on Mobile Roaming Vodafone, are extremely large pan-
pay their UK operator (i.e. no extra roaming • From 1 January 2021, the guarantee of European companies and so will find it
charges); although there are some caveats free mobile phone roaming throughout much easier to support free roaming than
for data usage above a certain level. One the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and others, at least in the countries where they
obvious casualty of Brexit was thus always Norway will end. already have a presence.

107 FEBRUARY 2020