Page 156 - SAMENA Trends - July-August 2022

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

The Ministry for Telecommunications and Information been developed with input from more than 400 actors
Society (Mintel) has unveiled its Digital Transformation from industry, academia and government, will benefit
Agenda 2022-2025 to ‘reduce the digital divide and everyone. ‘We are thinking about everything and
strengthen the digitization of processes, electronic everyone when we put forward our proposals for digital
Ecuador commerce, security and modernity of the government’. transformation, from high speed connectivity, through to
The roadmap comprises seven main pillars focused training for Ecuadorians, and cybersecurity,’ she added.
on: digital infrastructure; culture and digital inclusion; The Minister revealed last month that connectivity had
digital economy; emerging technologies for sustainable been extended to an additional 3.3 million people during
development; digital government; interoperability the first 13 months of President Guillermo Lasso’s
and data processing; and digital security and trust. administration, with broadband services made available
Presenting the Agenda earlier this week, Telecoms in 49 parishes across 17 provinces and 1,122 2G sites
Minister Vianna Maino stressed the plan, which has upgraded to 4G. (August 26, 2022) www.commsupdate.com

The Consumer Protection & Technical Regulatory EUR1.597 million. Telia’s success in the secondary
Authority (TTJA) has announced Telia as the winner 3.5GHz auction follows rival Elisa’s victory in the first
of the country’s second-phase 5G 3500MHz spectrum license sale in late-May, with the latter paying EUR7.206
license auction, after the company placed the highest million for its 5G permit after 57 rounds of bidding. The
Estonia bid of EUR8.500 million (USD8.574 million). The auction third and final license auction will be announced by the
spanned 70 rounds between 9 and 15 June, and the regulator ‘no earlier than the next working day after
TTJA stated that the tightly competitive nature of the receipt of the state fee and license fee for the second
process ‘illustrates once again that the introduction frequency license.’ Telia and Elisa will be ineligible to
of 5G services to the market is very important for compete for the third 3.5GHz concession, leaving only
communication companies.’ Telia’s new concession one Estonian network operator, Tele2, to bid against
– including 130MHz of spectrum within the 3410MHz- Lithuanian cellco Bite.
3800MHz range – far exceeded its starting price of (July 18, 2022) commsupdate.com

The Federal Network Agency (FNA) has finalized strategy aims to achieve widespread coverage of fiber-
the regulatory framework for access to Telekom optic networks and the latest mobile communications
Deutschland’s last mile fixed network, following the standard wherever people live, work and travel by 2030.
completion of a coordination procedure with the The strategy outlines a number of key goals, including
Germany EC. The framework relates to the new conditions for the supply of at least half of all German households and
businesses with FTTH/B networks by the end of 2025
access to Telekom’s copper and newly created fiber-
optic infrastructure at the wholesale level. Telekom is and better mobile phone coverage on railway lines. It
to make available and accessible any unused capacity proposes that building and site permits are simplified,
in its ducts to other network operators that do not with the possibility for construction to begin before
have dominance in the market. According to current the building permit is granted, the reduction of the
assessments, the new framework conditions will apply separation distances provided for cell towers and a
for at least the next three years until they are replaced permit waiver for mobile towers and modifications to
by new decisions by the FNA. The regulator says it is existing cell towers. It aims to increase acceptance of
already preparing new data collection, on the basis microtrenching and above-ground laying techniques,
of which the market conditions will be reviewed and which deploy fiber-optic cables faster and with less
the regulatory framework adjusted if necessary. ‘With capacity, among municipalities and companies
today’s decision, we are creating framework conditions in the construction industry. In order to track the
for fair competition and further fiber-optic expansion,’ implementation of the gigabit strategy, the Ministry
said Klaus Muller, President of the FNA, adding: ‘I am is creating a new federal state secretary committee,
pleased that our commitment to fiber-optic expansion which will meet at least four times a year to review
with stable and transparent framework conditions the implementation of the gigabit strategy and, where
passed the test before the European Commission.’ necessary, make adjustments and provide assistance.
(July 25, 2022) commsupdate.com In addition, it is establishing an institutionalized industry
dialogue in order to improve cooperation between the
The Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport state and the market in accelerating the expansion.
has announced that its Gigabit Strategy 2030 has (July 15, 2022) commsupdate.com
received approval from the Federal Cabinet. The latest

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