Page 101 - SAMENA Trends - January 2021

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

The Indian government has sought bids from banks vandalism, the Economic Times reports. Infrastructure
for the sale of its full shareholding of 26.12% in telco supporting Jio’s networks have come under attack
Tata Communications – previously known as Videsh by farmers protesting against new agriculture laws,
Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL). According to the paper, following rumors that Jio’s parent Reliance Industries
the government is planning to divest the stake during Limited (RIL) would be a major beneficiary of the
the current financial year via an Offer for Sale (OFS) reforms. Reliance has denied any association with
mechanism, with any remaining shares to be acquired the controversial bills, adding that it ‘in no way
by strategic partner Panatone Finvest. benefits from them’ and accusing Jio’s competitors
(January 20, 2021) The Economic Times of spreading misinformation to damage its reputation.
Further, it was reportedly suggested that the cutting
Reliance Jio Infocomm (Jio), India’s largest mobile of Jio’s fiber was intended to encourage customers
provider by subscribers, has petitioned courts in to port to other mobile networks. Rival cellcos Bharti
Punjab and Haryana seeking urgent intervention Airtel and Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi) dismissed the
from the government to halt the destruction of its allegations as ‘baseless’ and ‘fictional’, condemning
infrastructure, accusing its rivals of instigating the the vandalism. (January 4, 2021) commsupdate.com

The Ministry of Communication and Information (MCI, KemKominfo is working hard to prepare a more careful
known locally as KemKominfo) has announced that and more careful re-selection in the 2.3GHz frequency
the selection process for companies seeking to secure band. The hope is that cellular operators will soon
2.3GHz (2360MHz-2390MHz) mobile spectrum, which have the opportunity to compete again in a selection
Indonesia opened on 20 November 2020, is declared to have been process to increase their frequency spectrum.’ No
‘terminated’. In a written statement dated 23 January, deadline has been given. As previously reported by
KemKominfo head of public relations, Ferdinandus CommsUpdate, on 14 December 2020 KemKominfo
Setu, explained that the decision to cancel the selection announced that three companies – Telkomsel, Smart
process had been ‘taken as a precautionary and careful Telecom (Smartfren) and Hutchison 3 Indonesia (Tri) –
step from the MCI to align every part of this selection had emerged successfully from the selection process,
process with the provisions of laws and regulations as rivals XL Axiata and Indosat Ooredoo both crashed
relating to acceptance. Non-Tax State (PNBP) within out in the evaluation stages. In the press release,
the MCI, especially Government Regulation Number MCI disclosed that while all five operators applied for
80 of 2015.’ IndoTelko notes that as a result, the documents to participate, at the deadline only four
outcome of the 2.3GHz band selection process had formally submitted applications with Indosat
announced to the public in December 2020 has been Ooredoo being the one that declined. Of the remaining
cancelled and participants’ bid bonds returned on 22 participants, the KemKominfo selection team tasked
January 2021. In a prepared statement, the ministry with auditing the applications subsequently announced
confirmed: ‘KemKominfo will immediately take more that Telkomsel, Smartfren and Tri had all passed the
careful and careful follow-up steps to ensure that the ‘Administrative Evaluation of 2.3GHz Radio Frequency
radio frequency spectrum is a limited natural resource, Band User Selection in the Range of 2360-2390MHz
especially the 2.3GHz radio frequency band in the for the Need for Organizing Cellular Mobile Networks’,
2360MHz-2390MHz range can provide maximum while XL Axiata had not.
benefit for the people and nation of Indonesia. (January 26, 2021) commsupdate.com

Irish telecoms regulator the Commission for provision of existing services, while also appropriately
Communications Regulation (ComReg) has launched a catering for any future demand for wireless broadband
consultation on a study that it commissioned related to services ‘in a timely and effective manner’. The
spectrum in the 26GHz band. ComReg’s consultation regulator has invited interested parties to comment
Ireland examines, among other things, how it might best on the matters discussed in the study, and has set a
deadline of 23 February 2021 for submissions.
organize and effectively manage the band in order to
ensure the efficient use of spectrum for the continued (January 27, 2021) commsupdate.com

101 JANUARY 2021