Page 78 - SAMENA Trends - January 2022

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Establishing Standards for Digital Currency

As fully digital transactions increasingly
become the norm, the vital groundwork
to prepare international standards for
digital currency is accelerating. Regulators,
industry and academia are collaborating
to ensure interoperability and security –
key prerequisites for digital currencies to
match and exceed the role of cash in our
daily lives. Key lessons from digital currency
pilots will be shared next week at the DC3
Conference: From Cryptocurrencies to
CBDCs, taking place online from 25 to 27
January 2022. DC3 discussions will build
on valuable 'pre-standardization' studies
supported by the Digital Currency Global
Initiative — a partnership of the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the
Future of Digital Currency Initiative at
Stanford University.

Telkom Withdraws Urgent Application to Halt IMT Spectrum Auction

Telkom has requested the removal of the litigation that it intends to proceed with players, with Communications minister
its urgent application to interdict ICASA the previously announced timetable for the Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, Rain, MTN and
from proceeding with Invitations To Apply spectrum auction (8 March 2022), the High Vodacom all subsequently challenging
(ITAs) for IMT spectrum. The company Court of Pretoria is yet to decide on the date Telkom’s urgent application. MTN South
said: ‘Telkom has reached agreement for the hearing. As previously reported by Africa CEO Charles Molapisi said: ‘While
with all the respondents on the need to TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate, in early the current ITA is not perfect, we believe
expedite the hearing for part B of Telkom’s January 2022 Telkom filed High Court the regulator has tried to strike a delicate
two-part application’, although it added papers to block ICASA from proceeding balance for all players. We cannot have a
that it ‘reserves its rights to reinstate the with the IMT spectrum auction, claiming repeat of 2021, where the entire process
matter on short notice should it become that the regulator ‘has not corrected many was delayed for another full year, and that
necessary’. While ICASA reportedly of the issues from its previous attempt’. on the back of 14 years of no additional
informed Telkom and the respondents to The move was widely criticized by industry spectrum being added to the industry.’

Pakistan Up 14 Places in Internet Network Residency Index

Pakistan has jumped fourteen places to technologies. Last year, the IT Ministry by the board to provide high-speed internet
97th position in the 2021 internet network approved the allocation of funds for the services to approximately 2.2 million
residency ranking. Reports in local Universal Service Fund (USF) projects for people in un-served and under-served
media said the Ministry of Information high-speed internet services and contracts areas of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Technology submitted a written response for next-generation broadband. The (KP) provinces, per report. Meanwhile,
in the upper house of parliament during approval was given in the 77th meeting of the ruling party leader and Parliamentary
the question hour and informed that the the Board of Directors of Universal Service Affairs minister Ali Muhammad Khan,
country's ranking has improved. Pakistan Fund (USF), the board approved the USF’s speaking during the session, apprised the
was ranked 111 in the 2020 ranking, the budget worth approximately Rs18 billion panel that the PTI government was taking
reports claimed while adding that the for the fiscal year 2021-22. Four Universal steps to make the country’s small airports
country now ranked 68 on adopting new Service Fund projects have been approved functional.

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