Page 148 - SAMENA Trends - February 2020

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology China issued 5G spectrum licenses to China Telecom,
(MIIT) has urged major telecom operators to timely China Unicom and China Broadcasting Network (CBN),
assess the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak and allowing the three to share the 3.3GHz to 3.4GHz band
quicken construction on the 5G network. Telecom for indoor coverage. The Ministry of Industry and
China companies should optimize construction plans of Information Technology’s (MIIT) move to allow use
the 5G network and fully utilize its role in stabilizing of public mobile frequencies by more than a single
investments and spurring the development of the related enterprise aims to encourage joint construction and
industrial chain, according to a statement released sharing of 5G infrastructure. In September 2019,
after a work conference of the MIIT. Boosted by the China Telecom and China Unicom agreed to team on
news, 5G-related shares rose across the board. China building and maintaining 5G RANs across the country,
has extended the use of 5G technology in the ongoing to accelerate deployment and slash associated costs.
battle against the epidemic, with wide applications in CBN, a state-owned national cable TV operator, plans
work resumption, long-distance disease diagnosis to invest CNY250 million ($35.8 million) to deploy
and temperature checking in transport networks. 5G service in 16 cities including Beijing, Shanghai,
The ministry said businesses should capitalize on Guangzhou and Shenzhen. It was granted a commercial
business opportunities in sectors such as online 5G license in June 2019 together with the country’s
education and health services to promote information three major mobile operators. China Telecom and
consumption. China green lighted the commercial use China Unicom received 100MHz in the 3.5GHz band,
of the superfast wireless technology in June last year, while market leader China Mobile obtained 260MHz
triggering a surge in consumer enthusiasm and an in the 2.6GHz and 4.9GHz bands. The allocation of
acceleration in industrial investment. Leading telecom spectrum in the 3.3GHz to 3.4GHz band aims to reduce
operator China Unicom said Sunday it will work with China Mobile’s advantage in overall spectrum holdings.
China Telecom to finish the construction of 250,000 5G (February 11, 2020) mobileworldlive.com
base stations across the country by the end of the third
quarter. (February 25, 2020) pakobserver.net

The Colombian government has created a new de Regulacion de Comunicaciones, CRC) was
regulatory body which will hold the responsibility for launched on 3 February, in accordance with the Law of
monitoring the ICT, postal and audiovisual sectors. The Modernization of the ICT Sector (Law 1978 of 2019).
Communications Regulation Commission (Comision (February 6, 2020) commsupdate.com
Colombia

a source from the regulator told Hina. A national task behind Hrvatski Telekom (HT) and A1 Hrvatska.
force coordinated by Hakom will now select the tools (January 31, 2020) commsupdate.com
and set out criteria for manufacturers and equipment
suppliers wishing to work in Croatia. Domestic The Croatian government has chosen the country’s
Croatia operators will be able to procure equipment and fourth-largest city Osijek as the site for the first live
products from any manufacturer that satisfies the 5G networks. Authorities say that services will be
criteria. (February 4, 2020) telecompaper.com launched in Osijek by the end of this year, allowing it
to meet the terms of the EU’s 5G Action Plan, which
Croatia’s Agency for the Protection of Competition was published in 2016. All three cellcos in Croatia
(Agencija za zastitu trzisnog natjecanja, AZTN) have welcomed the plan. Hrvatski Telekom (HT) says
has approved Tele2’s proposed sale of its Croatian it has already set up eight trial 5G base stations in the
business to United Group which was first announced city, demonstrating its first 5G video call there last
on 31 May 2019. A formal approval is expected to September. Tele2 called on the regulator, the Croatian
be published in the coming weeks, with the EUR220 Postal & Electronic Communications Agency (HAKOM),
million (USD242 million) deal then due to complete in to allocate 5G spectrum in the second half of the year
the next few months. Tele2 Croatia is the smallest of to support the development of the new technology.
the country’s three mobile network operators (MNOs), (January 26, 2020) commsupdate.com

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