Page 96 - SAMENA Trends - January 2021

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

REGULATORY ACTIVITIES BEYOND

THE SAMENA REGION

President Joao Lourenco has authorized the MSTelcom, itself a wholly-owned subsidiary of
privatization of state-held stakes in three telecoms Sonangol). TeleGeography notes that under Angola’s
network operators, TV Cabo Angola, Multitel and Net privatization program, stakes in five other telecoms
One, Novo Jornal reported. Presidential Orders No. operators are earmarked for sale this year, namely: AT,
Angola 184/20 and No. 185/20 authorize the privatization MSTelcom, Angola Cables (AT owning 51%, MSTelcom
via initial public offering (IPO) of the state’s holdings 9%), Angola Comunicacoes e Sistemas (100% owned by
in TV Cabo Angola and Multitel, respectively, and Sonangol/MSTelcom) and mobile market leader Unitel.
delegate powers to the Minister of Finance (with the Sonangol is scheduled for privatization in 2022, while a
power to sub-delegate) to verify the validity and share sale for BCI was approved by a presidential order
legality of all subsequent actions in the privatization in May 2020 but has not yet been carried out. Telephone
process. Presidential Order No. 186/20 authorizes the directory company ELTA and postal operator ENCTA are
privatization via a ‘limited tender by prior qualification’ also on the privatization list. Regarding Unitel, Angola’s
of the state’s shares in Net One, while similarly ‘PROPRIV’ privatization program website says that a
delegating powers to the Minister. The stakes up for 25% stake in the cellco currently held by MSTelcom will
grabs are: 49.27% in TV Cabo Angola (held via wholly be sold via public tender, with an initial target of ‘2020’
state-owned Angola Telecom [AT]); 90% in Multitel (delayed), but Sonangol also owns a direct 25% Unitel
(held via AT [30%] and two other wholly state-owned stake, acquired from Brazilian telco Oi in January 2020.
groups, oil firm Sonangol [40%] and Banco de Comercio (January 13, 2021) commsupdate.com
e Industria [BCI, 20%]); and 51% in Net One (held via

Since 1 January Argentina’s telecoms operators have 21 December 2020. The watchdog explains: ‘With
had strict limits placed on their ability to increase this regulation, it is sought to establish a balanced,
tariffs by the National Communications Agency (Ente affordable and [high] quality access to ICT services,
Nacional de Comunicaciones, ENACOM). Fixed line guaranteeing the human right to communication, as
Argentina telcos, mobile operators and ISPs are only able to established by the regulation published in the Official
raise retail prices by 5%, while telcos serving SMEs Gazette and communicated to the public in a timely
and cooperatives are able to increase prices by 8%. manner.’
The rule was imposed via Resolution 1466/20, dated (January 8, 2021) commsupdate.com

The Australian government is reportedly considering denied rumors that it was in talks with the Chinese firm
using the nation’s export credit agency to provide to offload its operations in the region. Nevertheless,
support to bidders looking to acquire Digicel Group’s Australia’s national security agencies were reportedly
Pacific operations. The Irish-owned, Jamaica-based concerned about the prospect of a Chinese state-
Australia group was reported to have begun examining the owned firm gaining access to critical infrastructure in
potential sale of its subsidiaries in the Pacific region the region, leading the government to consider offering
late last year after it received ‘unsolicited approaches subsidized loans or loan guarantees to other bidders.
from a number of parties’ regarding the units. The debt- The sources also noted that there were also worries
laden group’s operations in the region comprise units that Digicel might exploit national security concerns to
in Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu and extract money from the Australian government.
Nauru, and with an estimated value of up to EUR1.6 (January 14, 2021) Daily WA Today
billion (USD1.95 billion) a successful divestment of
the units could wipe a substantial sum from Digicel’s Optus has asked the government to make partnering
USD5.4 billion debt burden. China Mobile is seen as with a telco a prerequisite to secure funding under
the company most likely to enter a bid for the division a forthcoming $22.1 million program to find new
and although Digicel has not revealed the identities of enterprise and industrial use cases for 5G. The
the parties it is currently in talks with, in May 2020 (i.e. government has committed to two initial rounds of the
prior its reported initiation of sales proceedings) it had ‘Australian 5G innovation initiative’ under its $74 billion

96 JANUARY 2021