Page 85 - SAMENA Trends - February 2022

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Pakistan Begins Paving Way to 5G Spectrum Auction

Pakistan’s government has established an advisory committee
to prepare for the auction of 5G spectrum, the Express Tribune
reports. The committee will be headed by the Finance Minister, and
will include eleven other Ministers and senior officials, including
the IT and Telecom and Science and Technology Ministers, the
Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA)
and the Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) Executive Director. The
group will review the available spectrum resources and submit
a plan to maximize the utilization of the airwaves. Also, to be
considered are telecom reforms and incentives for the promotion
of the development of the 5G ecosystem. The government is
aiming to complete the auction of 5G frequencies by January
2023 at the latest.

Australian Minister Issues Policy Statement for the 3.4GHz-4.0GHz Band

Paul Fletcher, Australia’s Minister for Communications, Urban tified in the 2021-26 Five Year Spectrum Outlook for re-planning
Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, has issued a Ministerial Pol- and future allocation. Four communications policies specified in
icy Statement (MPS) for the 3.4GHz-4.0GHz band, setting out the MPS cover: supporting the deployment of new and innovative
‘policies of the Government that the Australian Communications technology, including 5G; supporting a range of use cases and
and Media Authority (ACMA) must have regard to in performing users; supporting digital connectivity and investment in regional
its spectrum management functions and exercising its spec- Australia; and promoting competitive markets. Notably, the MPS
trum management powers with respect to the spectrum band is the first released following recent reforms to the Radiocommu-
in question’. In a press release regarding the matter, it was not- nications Act 1992, which formalised the ability of the country’s
ed that the MPS is specifically intended to apply to the ACMA’s communications minister to provide high-level policy guidance to
decisions regarding the 3.4GHz-4.0GHz band (remote areas), the ACMA with regards to the Government’s policies for spectrum
the 3400MHz-3575MHz band (excluding remote areas) and the management through the issue of an MPS.
3.7GHz-4.0GHz band (excluding remote areas), which were iden-

FCC Targets VoIP Duo Over Spam Call Failings

The US Federal Communications implementation commitments, the FCC investigators and consumers. Providers
Commission (FCC) toughened its stance stated. FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel which met an early implementation target
on voice-over-IP (VoIP) service providers said the regulator was keeping a close of December 2020 were granted certain
Vonage and Bandwidth for failing to watch as companies implement STIR/ conditional leniencies on implementing the
implement spam call protections within an SHAKEN and “will hold companies framework up to the mid-2021 deadline
agreed timeline. As a result, the FCC referred accountable if they fail to meet their for full deployment. The FCC’s Wireline
Vonage and Bandwidth to its Enforcement commitments to protect consumers from Competition Bureau handled Bandwidth
Bureau for failing to meet their respective robocalls”. Large providers were required and Vonage before the reference to the
STIR/SHAKEN commitments. For the past to install STIR/SHAKEN throughout the enforcement division. In an email to Mobile
several years, the FCC has been adamant IP portions of their networks by end- World Live, a Bandwidth spokesperson
US voice carriers implement STIR/SHAKEN June 2021. The STIR/SHAKEN standards said a small amount of legacy equipment
standards to combat robocalls. Bandwidth provide a common information sharing wasn’t able to support STIR/SHAKEN, but
and Vonage were stripped of their language between networks to verify it was working to remove traffic off of that
respective partial exemptions from STIR/ caller ID information which can then be equipment.
SHAKEN after they failed to meet certain used by robocall blocking tools, FCC

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