Page 74 - SAMENA Trends - July-August 2023

WHOLESALE UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

National Mobile Roaming Now Effective

Senegal’s Regulation Authority for Telecommunications and Posts
(L’Autorite de Regulation des Telecommunications et des Postes,
ARTP) has welcomed the implementation of roaming arrangements
between the country’s mobile network operators (MNOs). ‘National
roaming is now a reality in Senegal,’ Abdou Karim Sall, Director
General of the watchdog, confirmed on Wednesday following initial
testing in the Diourbel region. He noted, however, that while 100% of
calls and SMS were successfully switched between networks, the
operators still need to resolve some technical issues with mobile
data traffic. Introduced in response to a request by President
Macky Sall to expedite initiatives to achieve nationwide mobile
network coverage, roaming aims to extend network connectivity in
underserved areas, promote competition between operators, and
ensure service continuity in the event of network disruption.

1&1 Looks to Vodafone for National Roaming Services

1&1, which is set to launch Germany’s fourth mobile network from Telefonica or Vodafone. As soon as all 1&1 customers have
in the next couple of months, has announced the conclusion been activated for national roaming services by Vodafone, 1&1 will
of binding heads of terms for a long-term exclusive national exclusively draw national roaming services from Vodafone during
roaming partnership with Vodafone. The parties have committed the contract term. The calculation basis is a so-called capacity
to conclude a final national roaming cooperation as soon as model, under which 1&1 will pay a fixed price per percentage
possible, including the non-discriminatory provision of national point for such percentage of the Vodafone network which is used
roaming services in areas that are not yet covered by the new 1&1 by its customers. This fixed price changes in line with the cost
mobile network. It will comprise access to Vodafone’s 2G, 4G and development of the Vodafone network, enabling 1&1 to make
5G networks, as well as future mobile standards and technologies. competitive offers over the long term.
The start date will be one year after conclusion of the final national
roaming cooperation, at the very latest on 1 October 2024, with the
base term set at five years from that point on. 1&1 will have the
right to twice extend the term of the national roaming cooperation
by five years each and the end of the contract term is followed
by a transition period of three years. From the launch of the 1&1
mobile network, all customers with 4G mobile tariffs will initially be
supplied with nationwide national roaming services by Telefonica
until the national roaming supply by Vodafone is available. From
then on, 5G mobile tariffs can be offered nationwide on the 1&1
network. In the transition period, 1&1 will provide its customers
mobile 5G services within the framework of the previous MVNO
model and 1&1 will obtain the mobile services required for this

Four SADC Countries Drop Roaming

Charges

Four countries in the Southern African Development Community
(SADC) have agreed to end cross-border mobile roaming charges.
The deal covering Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe
comes into effect in August, according to a report from Deutsche
Welle. The SADC published its first set of regional roaming
guidelines in 2015.

74 JULY-AUGUST 2023