Page 97 - SAMENA Trends - February 2022

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

The government says it expects the country’s first testing expanded to nine sites in Abidjan earlier this
5G networks to go live next year. Ecofin cites Kanvoli month. The firm is currently in talks with authorities
Kacou Bi Dje from the Ministry of Digital Economy, to determine which spectrum will be released for 5G
Telecommunications and Innovation as saying that services. Cote d’Ivoire wants 5G networks to go live
Cote d’Ivoire the government has already adopted a roadmap ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations football tournament
for the launch of the new technology. Local cellco
which will be held in the country next year.
MTN began trials of 5G equipment in December, with (February 28, 2022) commsupdate.com

The Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory 2019 and then postponed later that year. Under the
Authority (Tarbijakaitse ja Tehnilise Jarelevalve Amet, new terms, the starting price for each license will be
TTJA) has announced that it will relaunch its auction of EUR1.597 million (USD1.79 million), with potential
licenses in the 3.5GHz band which are suitable for 5G bidders given until 4 April to submit an application to
Estonia technology. Last week the Ministry of Enterprise and participate in the auction. The TTJA expects to begin
Information Technology finally confirmed the terms of the bidding process towards the end of April and for
the planned sale, following a series of delays caused it to be completed by June. Estonia is currently home
by legal challenges and alterations to legislation. The to three mobile network operators (MNOS), Telia, Elisa
public tender for three concessions in the 3410MHz- and Tele2.
3800MHz range was initially announced on 19 February (February 3, 2022) commsupdate.com

The Ministry of Transport and Communications the new licenses by 3 March 2022, it has instead
(Liikenne-ja viestintaministerio, MoTC) has extended extended the deadline to 31 May 2022. In so doing, the
the deadline for the issuance of 700MHz spectrum watchdog said that in accordance with the Aland Self-
licenses covering the Aland Islands. Having previously Government Act, a state authority may grant permission
Finland opened applications back in December 2021, setting to engage in public telecommunications in the province
only with the consent of the provincial government. As
a deadline of 20 January 2022, it has now confirmed
that three companies have lodged bids, namely Elisa, such, the MoTC has justified extending the licensing
Telia Finland and Aland Telecommunications (Alcom). process so as to allow the Aland authorities time to
However, with the MoTC noting that per a statutory examine the matter ‘to a sufficient extent’.
timetable it should have made a decision about issuing (February 28, 2022) commsupdate.com

French telecoms regulator Arcep has opened a public with the first one (approximately 170,000 premises)
consultation on Orange’s plan to decommission its scheduled for the end of 2023.
copper network (submitted to the regulator at the end (February 10, 2022) commsupdate.com
of January 2022). Arcep has invited comments on
France the plan – which envisions all fixed infrastructure to France had a total of 32,107 authorized 5G sites as of
be fiber-based by 2030 – by 4 April 2022. Orange is
February 1, of which 23,085 were declared technically
aiming to complete the copper-based network closure operational by the local mobile carriers, according to the
in two phases; the transition phase, scheduled to run latest monthly report published by France’s spectrum
from 2020 to 2025, aims to prepare for the closure of agency ANFR. ANFR said that the number of authorized
the copper network while waiting for the completion 5G sites during January increased by 1.4% compared to
of the main deployments of fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) the previous month. The agency said that almost all of
networks at the end of 2025. This phase, which has the 5G sites have been authorized on existing cellular
already begun, aims in particular to enable Orange to sites, already used by 2G, 3G or 4G technologies. In
conduct all necessary experiments, organize customer France, mobile operators are already providing 5G
migrations and anticipate the eventual closure by services through the 700 MHz, 2.1 GHz and 3.5 GHz
limiting the creation of new copper accesses. The spectrum bands. ANFR said that a total of 19,056 sites
second stage (closure phase) will run from 2026 to are authorized in the 700 MHz band (Free Mobile), of
2030 and will see Orange stop the marketing of any which 13,942 are already technically operational. Also,
new access on copper, technically close the network ANFR said that 12,794 sites are authorized in the 2.1
and prepare the removal of certain elements of the GHz band (Bouygues Telecom, Orange and SFR), but
network. The technical closure of the copper network 7,944 are technically operational. Meanwhile, 15,853
will be implemented by Orange in annual batches, sites are authorized in the 3.5 GHz band (Bouygues

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