Page 98 - SAMENA Trends - January 2022

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

advantage from data derived from across its services. conducting other proceedings against Amazon, Apple
Bundeskartellamt president Andreas Mundt said it was and Meta, formerly Facebook”. The move is the latest
now able to “take action against specific anticompetitive by a regulator in Europe to place the activities of Google
practices by Google,” adding the authority had “already and its peers under the microscope, with the European
started to look into Google’s processing of personal Commission and the UK among those assessing US
data and to deal with the Google News Showcase issue tech giants.
in more detail. At the same time, we are vigorously (January 5, 2022) mobileworldlive.com

The National Communications Authority (NCA) has its license will be revoked. Working in collaboration
granted local ISP Celltel Networks full nationwide with various Metropolitan, Municipal and District
authorization to implement its USD300 million Ghana Assemblies (MMDAs), Celltel plans to deploy an
Smart Cities Project. The approval, which makes Celltel affordable nationwide Wi-Fi service which subscribers
Ghana an Internet and Public Data Service Provider and can access using Celltel-branded handheld, desktop
follows provisional authorization earlier in 2021, grants
and home devices. Having already installed some
Celltel Networks – owned by Kludjeson International – infrastructure in parts of the country, the company
a five-year permit to use the 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz bands is currently piloting the service in selected areas in
and VSAT Network Class 3 (1-49 terminals) nationwide preparation for a full rollout. Celltel hopes to expand
to provide Wi-Fi access to its customers. Under the its footprint by means of co-location and infrastructure
terms of the authorization, the company is required to sharing agreements with existing industry players.
pay an annual fee and commence operations within (January 5, 2022) GhanaWeb
two years of receiving written approval, failing which

Following complaints from consumer groups regarding in billing systems, publications in own- and third-party
the prevalence of tariffs with validity for 28 days the channels and retail channel education.’
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has (January 28, 2022) commsupdate.com
mandated that service providers also offer monthly
India plans or offers with 30-day validity. The decision, Indian full-service provider Reliance Jio Infocomm
(Jio) has paid INR307.9 billion (USD4.1 billion) towards
implemented through an amendment to the most
recent Tariff Order, requires that service providers offer deferred spectrum liabilities for airwaves purchased at
at least one Plan Voucher, Special Tariff Voucher and tenders in 2014, 2015 and 2016 and acquired through
Combo Voucher with validity of 30 days and one Plan trading in 2021, the Economic Times reports. The
Voucher, Special Tariff Voucher and Combo Voucher move follows the Department of Telecommunications’
that is renewable on the same date of each month. (DoT’s) decision in December 2021 to allow providers
Consumer advocacy groups had lodged complaints flexibility to pay deferred spectrum dues at any date.
with the regulator, stating that the 28-day billing period The payment comprises the entirety of the deferred
did not represent monthly billing as users were required liabilities for spectrum secured at auctions in 2014
to pay for at least 13 top-ups within a year. Further, and 2015 as well as the frequencies it purchased from
users complained of the inconvenience of irregular Bharti Airtel last year. Payments for the airwaves were
top-ups caused by the 28-day billing period. The TRAI due in annual instalments between the 2022/23 and
acknowledged that operators had been transparent 2034/35 financial years with interest rates of around
in marketing their offers and had not attempted to 10% and with an average residual rate period of around
represent 28-day plans as ‘monthly’. Nevertheless, the seven years. According to Jio, early payment of the
regulator noted that consumer perception must be taken spectrum dues will result in interest cost savings of
into consideration and highlighted the ‘persistence around INR12 billion annually.
of confusion in the minds of the consumers and the (January 19, 2022) commsupdate.com
inconvenience caused to them in practical terms due
to unavailability of monthly tariff offerings. Responding India’s three major mobile operators called on the
to initial consultations on the matter cellcos Reliance regulator to cut the reserve price of 3.5GHz spectrum
Jio Infocomm (Jio) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited for a planned 5G auction. In submissions to Telecom
(BSNL) claimed that monthly billing would not be Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the operators
possible with their billing systems, whilst Vodafone insisted a cut in spectrum prices was required to ensure
Idea (Vi) said that the change would require ‘gigantic they could finance 5G rollouts. Reliance Jio reportedly
efforts in terms of consumer awareness, configurations pushed for a 95 per cent reduction in the base price for

98 JANUARY 2022