Page 143 - SAMENA Trends - January-February 2023

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority regulator said that unverified active SIM cards would be
(TCRA) has extended the deadline for mobile users to barred from receiving or providing services after that
verify active SIM cards using their personal National date, in order to prevent fraud and ensure user safety.
Identification Number (NIN). The original deadline of 31 (January 26, 2023) The Citizen
Tanzania January has now been postponed to 13 February. The

The communications regulator approved two separate have given the companies until the end of June 2024 to
mergers of the country's major telecom operators. correct the problem through returning, exchanging, or
Following the decisions, Taiwan Mobile will merge with trading the extra bandwidth. The approval process has
Taiwan Star Telecom, while Far EasTone will be able taken almost a year, with applications being submitted in
Taiwan to merge with Asia Pacific Telecom. But the two new February and March last year. The decisions still have to
obtain approval from Taiwan's Fair-Trade Commission.
enterprises arising from the mergers will each exceed
legally mandated bandwidth limits. That's why regulators (January 18, 2023) en.rti.org.tw

The telecoms sector incurred around USD1.8 billion telecommunication and critical infrastructure in the
worth of damages in six months after Russia’s invasion temporarily occupied and war-affected territories of
in February 2022, according to a report from UN Ukraine.’ The economic losses of the telecoms market
agency the International Telecommunication Union were estimated at over USD100 million in six months,
Ukraine (ITU), cited by Capacity Media. The ITU said that in with companies providing 22% fewer services than
the first six months of the war damage was done to
before the start of the war, while ‘three out of seven
communications infrastructure in more than ten out of operators providing mobile communication services
24 Ukrainian regions. As of July 2022, 12.2% of homes and 961 out of 4,482 fixed internet service providers
lost access to mobile communications services (3.1% of Ukraine are under occupation’ according to the
partially) and 11% of base stations of mobile operators report. The ITU Council adopted Resolution 1408 on
were out of service, while 20% of the country’s ‘Assistance and support to Ukraine for rebuilding their
telecommunication infrastructure was damaged or telecommunication sector’ to monitor and provide
destroyed. ‘Direct damage’ of telecommunications regular reports on the country’s needs in telecoms and
facilities, networks, systems and equipment was to prepare proposals for effective technical assistance.
estimated at USD710 million. The report added: ‘Since It also aims to carry out assessments of the impact of
the beginning of military attacks, with the purpose of the war and to ensure ‘adequate financial and human
using the facilities in its interests and for its own needs, resources mobilization’, including the internal budget
the aggressor either destroyed completely or seized for the implementation of proposed actions.
the regular operation of public and private terrestrial (January 10, 2023) www.commsupdate.com

Ofcom has launched a review to examine whether British telecoms regulator Ofcom has set out four ‘key
inflation-linked, mid-contract price rises give phone and expectations’ for the nation’s mobile network operators
broadband customers sufficient certainty and clarity (MNOs) with regards to what happens when they switch
about what they can expect to pay. We are concerned off their 2G and 3G networks. With network closures
United about the degree of uncertainty consumers face about expected to happen over the course of the next decade,
the watchdog has said it aims to ensure consumers are
future price rises specified in contracts on the basis of
Kingdom inflation. The unpredictability of inflation rates means treated fairly and can continue to access the services
it can be difficult to know – months in advance – what they need, even though Ofcom does not have a formal
an inflation-linked price rise will equate to in pounds role in the switch-off process. In short, it expects the
and pence when consumers enter a contract. Our MNOs to: minimize impact by ensuring an equivalent
preliminary research (XLSX, 20.5 KB) has found that level of coverage post switch-off; explain in contract
around a third of mobile and broadband customers information when service will no longer work due to a
do not know whether their provider can increase their planned network shutdown; provide a minimum of three
price. Among those who do know their provider can to six months’ notice of steps customers need to take
increase their price, around half do not know how this should they need to replace or update their handset;
would be calculated. And nearly half of all customers do and identify services that will be impacted by network
not know what CPI and RPI measure. switch-offs, such as telecare alarms and payment
(February 9, 2023) www.ofcom.org.uk terminals, and raise awareness so that relevant
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