Page 118 - SAMENA Trends - July-August 2023

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

regulator informed the public that services ‘will remain director of telecoms industry body Asetel (Asociacion
in operation, uninterrupted and without prejudice to the de Empresas de Telecomunicaciones de Ecuador),
contractual terms with telephone operators while the has recommended that the operators’ concessions
renegotiation process progresses. The announcement should be extended pending the conclusion of the
follows Arcotel Resolution 2023-0097 of 25 May, which negotiations. ‘Every day that passes without the State
suspended the negotiations for 120 days to enable the speeding up the process for negotiations the renewal of
regulator to complete various procedures, most notably mobile concession, the country and Ecuadorians lose,’
a valuation of spectrum bands in partnership with the she said, adding: ‘Companies need legal certainty, this
ITU. In January 2021 the government confirmed that is not a good sign for foreign investment.’ According to
it had received the ITU’s technical assessment of the ARCOTEL’s latest market report, Conecel had 9.16 million
2.5GHz and 700MHz bands, enabling Arcotel to begin mobile subscriptions at 31 March 2023, equivalent to a
negotiation with Otecel and Conecel the following 51.9% share of the market, while second-placed Otecel
August. However, it revealed at the time that a similar claimed 5.20 million subscriptions (30.7%).
valuation of the 3.5GHz, 850MHz, 900MHz AWS and (July 7, 2023) www.commsupdate.com
1900MHz spectrum was still pending. Patricia Falconi,

The Electricity and Telecommunications Superinten- maximum operating limits of the devices, limiting their
dency (Superintendencia General de Electricidad y use to indoors, while prohibiting their implementation
Telecom, SIGET) has officially awarded mobile spec- in vehicles such as cars, trains, ships and aircraft. Else-
trum in the 1755MHz-1770MHz/2155MHz-2170MHz where in Latin America, things aren’t quite as upbeat for
El Salvador (Extended AWS) frequency range to Telefonica Mo- Wi-FI proponents. Honduran telecommunications regu-
viles El Salvador (Movistar). A total of 30MHz was lator Conatel has launched a public consultation on a
put up for auction in February, divided up into three draft resolution to modify the national frequency plan
blocks of 2×5MHz: 1755MHz-1760MHz/2155MHz- in relation to the 6GHz band. In 2021 1200MHz of spec-
2160MHz, 1760MHz-1765MHz/2160MHz-2165MHz, trum between 5925MHz and 7125MHz was provisioned
and 1765MHz-1770MHz/2165MHz-2170MHz, follow- for local area networking using Wi-Fi 6E standards. Now
ing a request from Movistar, although it is understood the regulator seems inclined to change the allocation
that the mobile network operator (MNO) was the only of the entire 6GHz band to only the 5925MHz-6425MHz
company to submit an application to participate in the range. The document, available on the regulator's web-
spectrum allocation process. The minimum bid price site, has been made available for public consultation
for the frequencies, which are valid for 20 years, was until 12 July. Allocation of 6GHz spectrum has been a
USD21.66 million. (July 27, 2023) www.commsupdate.com major talking point in many countries in recent months.
We reported in February that Brazilian regulator Anatel
SIGET, the telecommunications regulating agency in El had enabled broadband providers to tap into the 6GHz
Salvador, has issued a new resolution which aligns it spectrum band unlicensed for the next decade, boost-
with the growing number of countries that have com- ing Wi-Fi in that country. Also in February we took a look
pletely freed up the 6GHz band for use in WiFi 6E net- at the ongoing tussle between Wi-Fi and cellular in a
works. The resolution classifies the entire 6GHz band number of countries for use of 6GHz spectrum.
(5.925 to 7.125 MHz) as free use, a boost for Wi-Fi in the (July 13, 2023) www.developingtelecoms.com
country. However, the resolution also establishes the

The Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory grant of EUR160,000. Around 100 new high-speed
Authority (Tarbijakaitse ja Tehnilise Jarelevalve connections will be deployed in villages in unserved
Amet, TTJA) has allocated funding of EUR800,000 areas, the regulator says, with network construction to
(USD884,000) for the rollout of rural fixed broadband be completed by mid-2025 at the latest.
Estonia infrastructure. A total of eight applications were (July 28, 2023) www.commsupdate.com
received, of which five received funding, with an average

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