Page 100 - SAMENA Trends - January 2022

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

The government made almost €3.7 billion available ultra-broadband strategy. The approach also includes
to help boost the deployment of 1Gb/s broadband plans to connect schools and healthcare facilities, and
services in underserved areas. Infratel Italia, the agency promote the development of 5G networks. Funds will
in charge of managing the project, stated the aim is to come from Italy’s Recovery and Resilience Plan, the
Italy cover a further 7 million households with high-speed nation’s program under the European Union’s Recovery
broadband networks offering download speeds of
and Resilience Facility, which aims to mitigate
1Gb/s and 200Mb/s uploads. Interested parties have the economic and social impact of the Covid-19
until 16 March to submit bids for the funding. A total of (coronavirus) pandemic. The most recent data from
15 geographic lots are up for grabs and the work must the FTTH Council Europe showed Italy was expected
be completed by 30 June 2026. The public funding will to increase its FTTH footprint to 16 million households
contribute up to 70 per cent of costs incurred. The call by the end of 2021, up 46 per cent over 2020. By 2026,
for tender is the first under the new Italia a 1 Giga plan, the figure is expected to reach 26 million households.
one of a number of initiatives within Italy’s national (January 18, 2022) mobileworldlive.com

Draft legislation is being finalized in Kazakhstan and calculation of the electromagnetic compatibility of
which will simplify procedures for issuing mobile civil radio electronic equipment.’ Winning bidders will
spectrum licenses and enforce frequency compatibility be approved by the ministry on the recommendations
standards, as the telecoms authorities prepare to of its subordinate agency, the State Radio Frequency
Kazakhstan launch a competitive license auction later this year. Service. The Kazakh government set a 2022 target
The auction strategy overseen by the Ministry of Digital
for 5G mobile launches in the country’s largest cities.
Development, Innovation & Aerospace will be supported The process of refarming and releasing the required
by the new rules currently contained in the draft order commercial 3.5GHz mobile frequency bands remains
‘On the approval of the rules for the assignment of ongoing, whilst the nation’s cellcos have launched pilot
frequency bands, radio frequencies, the operation of 5G network sections in selected city districts.
radio electronic equipment and high-frequency devices, (January 28, 2022) Profit.kz

Latvian telecoms watchdog the Public Utilities the auction for the rights for technology neutral
Commission (SPRK) has finalized the results of spectrum in the 700MHz band which was completed
its auction of spectrum rights in the 1.5GHz band. in December 2021 and raised a total of EUR13.27
Concessions were awarded to Latvia’s three mobile million (USD15.03 million) for state coffers. The sale
Latvia network operators (MNOs), Tele2 Latvia, Latvijas comprised the allocation of three 2×10MHz lots
(20-year duration) and two 1×10MHz lots (17-year
Mobilais Telefons (LMT) and Bite Latvia. Bite and LMT
paid EUR280,000 (USD312,134) each for their licenses duration). The paired blocks were acquired by Latvia’s
– for the 1432MHz-1452MHz and 1452MHz-1472MHz three mobile network operators (MNOs), with Latvijas
blocks, respectively – whilst Tele2 paid EUR220,000 for Mobilais Telefons (LMT) submitting the highest bid of
the 1492MHz-1512MHz block. SPRK head Alda Ozola EUR3.52 million for the 713MHz-723MHz/768MHz-
said of the additional frequencies: ‘Any new spectrum 778MHz block whilst the 723MHz-733MHz/778MHz-
band increases the performance of electronic 788MHz block was awarded to Bite Latvia for EUR2.86
communications networks. The 1.5GHz spectrum band million and Tele2 paid EUR2.42 million for the 703MHz-
will strengthen the capacity of the mobile network, 713MHz/758MHz-768MHz frequencies. The unpaired
including by providing high download speeds and data spectrum lots, meanwhile, were purchased by Tele2
coverage in the country, given the currently growing and LMT following 179 rounds of bidding that saw the
volume of downloaded data.’(January 31, 2022) commsupdate.com price rise from EUR150,000 per lot to EUR2.24 million.
Tele2 was awarded the 738MHz-748MHz frequencies,
The telecoms watchdog the Public Utilities whilst the 748MHz-758MHz block was won by LMT.
Commission (SPRK) has confirmed the results of (January 4, 2022) commsupdate.com

President Weah has reportedly submitted a Bill to Liberia Telecommunications Corporation Mobile
parliament requesting amendments to the legislative (LTC Mobile), recently rebranded from LIBTELCO.
framework, specifically the Telecommunications Act FPA cites the president as saying the changes: ‘Will
of 2007, in order to ‘ensure smooth operations and ensure a structural compliance allowing the Liberia
Liberia management’ of the country’s state-owned PTO Telecommunications Corporation to be repositioned

100 JANUARY 2022