Page 146 - SAMENA Trends - June-August 2021

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

The Telecommunications Agency (TA) is poised to 748MHz/793MHz-803MHz
award three 700MHz ‘mobile radiocommunication TeleGeography notes that the regulatory structure of
service’ licenses later this month. The plans appeared Guyana’s telecoms sector was overhauled in October
in the country’s Official Gazette late last month, while 2020, following more than a decade of reform efforts.
Guyana the deadline for interested parties to submit their Among other regulatory reforms, that month saw the
feedback to the watchdog has been set at 13 July.
introduction of the Telecommunications (Spectrum
The three licenses in question are: Management) Regulations 2020. Indeed, the award of
• Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT); new licenses means that each operator’s ‘Frequency
708MHz-718MHz/763MHz-773MHz Authorization’ (dated 5 October 2020) now needs to be
• E-Networks; 718MHz-738MHz/773MHz-793MHz amended.
• U-Mobile (trading as Digicel); 738MHz- (July 7, 2021) commsupdate.com

The Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA) in 700MHz – HKD5 million per MHz; 850MHz – HKD4
Hong Kong has opened applications for its auction of million per MHz; 2.5GHz/2.6GHz – HKD4 million per
5G-capable wireless spectrum in the 600MHz, 700MHz, MHz; and 4.9GHz – HKD3 million per MHz. Spectrum
850MHz, 2.5GHz/2.6GHz and 4.9GHz bands. The sale, caps will be imposed on the amount of spectrum which
Hong Kong which is due to begin on 25 October, includes 220MHz may be acquired by a single assignee, namely 30MHz
of new frequencies at 600MHz, 700MHz and 4.9GHz,
for the 600MHz band, 30MHz for the 700MHz band,
plus 105MHz of reassigned spectrum in the 850MHz 50MHz for the 2.5GHz/2.6GHz band and 40MHz for
and 2.5GHz/2.6GHz bands. Licenses will be valid for the 4.9GHz band. Hong Kong is home to four mobile
15 years. Reserve prices have been set as follows: network operators (MNOs): HKT, Hutchison 3, China
600MHz – HKD2 million (USD257,000) per MHz; Mobile HK and SmarTone. (August 4, 2021) commsupdate.com

Sector watchdog the Telecom Regulatory Authority of transparent and time bound manner.
India (TRAI) has published its recommendations on the (August 27, 2021) commsupdate.com
licensing framework for the use of satellite connectivity
for IoT services and other low bit rate applications. Indian full-service provider Bharti Airtel has completed
India Following consultation with industry stakeholders, the sale of a portion of its 800MHz spectrum to rival
the TRAI has proposed a broad framework that would operator Reliance Jio Infocomm (Jio), the Economic
impose few restrictions with the intention of facilitating Times writes. Airtel transferred spectrum covering
different business models and network topologies. To the Andhra Pradesh (2×3.75MHz), Delhi (2×1.25MHz)
that end, the TRAI has recommended that licensees be and Mumbai (2×2.5MHz) circles to Jio and received
permitted to use any kind of network topology model INR10.0 billion (USD134.7 million) from the latter and
and that all types of satellite (i.e. geostationary orbit noting that Jio would take on future liabilities of INR4.7
and non-geostationary orbit) may be used for low billion relating to the spectrum. The airwaves were part
bit rate connectivity. Regarding licensing, the TRAI of the frequencies that had been acquired by Airtel
recommended that existing authorizations under through its takeover of Tata Group’s consumer mobile
the Unified Licensing framework may be amended to business in mid-2019. (August 16, 2021) commsupdate.com
enable satellite-based low bit rate connectivity, and
that the scope of other types of authorization – such as India’s Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by
for Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite cellcos Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi) and
(GMPCS) services – should be similarly amended. defunct mobile provider Tata Teleservices Limited
Licensees should also be permitted to obtain bandwidth (TTSL) that sought to allow the correction of mistakes
from government-approved foreign satellites – albeit made by the Department of Telecommunications
with some additional conditions. To assist with (DoT) in calculating dues related to the Adjusted Gross
planning and capacity procurement, the government Revenue (AGR) case, the Economic Times writes.
should also provide a roadmap detailing the scheduled The trio are facing demands worth a combined total
launch dates for communication satellites, and the of around INR1.19 trillion (USD16 billion) in unpaid
availability of domestic satellite capacity. Finally, the fees, interest, penalties and interest on the penalties
Department of Telecommunications (DoT) should following a ruling by the apex court in October 2019 on
establish a common online portal for all agencies the definition of AGR – upon which operators’ various
involved in the grant of various relevant approvals license fees are based – to include income from non-
and allocations, through which licensees can submit core sources, ending a dispute dating back to 2005.
requests, with the authorities required to respond in a The court’s October 2019 ruling ordered providers to

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