Page 90 - SAMENA Trends - January 2020

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

A SNAPSHOT OF REGULATORY ACTIVITIES

IN SAMENA REGION

Afghanistan

Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority (ATRA) generates of transparency and accountability in the transfer of money
a considerable amount of revenue to the Afghan government, from the government institutions to the Ministry of Finance.
particularly, since the approval of a 10% levied tax on telecom According to some financial experts, the existence of massive
services, and 2.5% on the net incomes of the telecommunication corruption causes an ambiguity among government bodies in the
company sales. According to reports from the Ministry of Finance proper allocation of the national budget. Lack of transparency
of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, ATRA has transferred Afs in transferring and spending budget made lawmakers form a
878 million ($11.3mn) to the special account of the Ministry of special commission to conduct comprehensive research into
Finance, allocated to be spent through the national budget on a the two emergency funds (Code 91 and Code 92). The assigned
priority basis. These revenues come from 2.5% on the net incomes commission will also investigate the transfer of Afs.15 billion
of the telecommunication company sales and will be spent on from Da Afghanistan Bank (Afghanistan’s Central Bank) to the
certain projects, including ATRA’s development project and more. Ministry of Finance and the Lack of transparency in the collection
In the meantime, some lawmakers have great concern over lack of 10% levied on telecom services. (January 13, 2020) khaama.com

Bangladesh

The High Court has ordered Robi Axiata Limited to settle was abandoned in 2017 for unknown reasons.
BDT1.38 billion (USD16 million) of the BDT8.67 billion claimed (January 7, 2020) Dhaka Tribune
by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission
(BTRC) as unpaid dues in its 2019 audit of the telecoms operator. The telecom regulator is set to recommend slash in international
The firm was ordered to pay the sum in in five instalments. incoming voice call rate by 65.71 percent to $0.006 a minute in the
As previously reported by TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate, face of fast shrinking earnings from the segment in recent years.
in Q1 2019 the regulator requested that Robi Axiata and rival Industry insiders said a significant portion of international calls
GrameenPhone (GP) pay dues totaling BDT8.67 billion (Robi) and were now being made through internet-based communication
BDT125.80 billion (GP), which were detected in its 2019 audit and platforms such as WhatsApp, Viber, Messenger, Imo, Skype and
were disputed by the two operators. The cellcos subsequently WeChat, which cost nothing other than the price of data. Mobile
demanded an arbitration, but the BTRC denied the request, operators also run promotional campaigns of these applications,
claiming that legislation did not allow it. Due to the impasse with for which relatives of expatriates have gradually grown the habit
the BTRC, the two operators were banned from getting approvals of using the apps. Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory
for new services and packages and could not import equipment Commission took the decision in a recent meeting following a
to maintain their networks. In July 2019 the BTRC slashed GP’s proposal of IGW Operators Forum (IOF), said Md. Jahurul Haque,
bandwidth by 30% and Robi’s by 15% for the non-payment of the Chairman of the commission. International Gateway (IGW)
dues, but the block was lifted by mid-July as it was causing issues operators are responsible for the termination of international
to subscribers. Further, the BTRC threatened GP and Robi Axiata voice calls in Bangladesh from other countries. Legal voice calls
with cancellations of their 2G/3G concessions if the requested have currently gone down to about two crore minutes a day, which
sums were not settled, prompting the cellcos to file cases with a was some 10 crore minutes a few years back. Termination of
Dhaka court, seeking permanent injunctions against the telecom international calls was one of the main sources of earnings for the
regulator’s audit claims. Elsewhere, the BTRC is now planning government even five years back. But it has shrunk substantially
to audit the country’s third largest operator by subscribers in recent years. In fiscal 2014-15, the government’s earning from
Banglalink. The BTRC has launched the process of selecting an such calls was Tk 2,075.62 crore, which declined to Tk 1,387.37
audit firm, with interested companies given until 4 February to crore, Tk 967.63 crore, Tk 900.35 crore and lastly to a few hundred
submit their proposals. A previous attempt to audit Banglalink crore taka in the successive years respectively, according to

90 JANUARY 2020