Page 138 - SAMENA Trends - June-July 2020

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

more remote villages and hamlets continue in partnership with in January 2020, with MVNOs also expected to benefit from the
the private sector. The existing coverage includes over 508,000 reduction in termination fees. Dr. Mohammed Al-Tamimi, governor
homes in more than 3,200 villages in the Kingdom’s governorates, of the CITC, said “The decision to further reduce termination rates
benefiting about 3 million citizens and residents, the Ministry will benefit consumers, operators, and investors alike, and is
said. With private sector's partnership, the Ministry aims to reach crucial to the strengthening of the Kingdom’s telecommunications
70 percent of non-urban areas (villages and hamlets) by the end ecosystem and competitive environment.” The Kingdom’s ICT
of 2020. By the end of the year, the Ministry aims to enhance the sector, valued at $28.7 billion, is the largest in the MENA region.
digital infrastructure by deploying 5G networks and reach a 40 The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology
percent coverage of the five major cities Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah, recently launched a five-year strategy to accelerate the ICT
Madinah and Dammam. The MCIT pointed out that investment in sector’s growth by 50% and increase its contribution to GDP by
modern digital infrastructure is part of the goals of the Kingdom’s $13.3 billion. (June 14, 2020) saudigazette.com.sa
Vision 2030. (June 23, 2020) saudigazette.com.sa
The Saudi Communications and Information Technology
The Communications and Information Technology Commission Commission (CITC) announced its intention to enhance the
(CITC) has announced it will lower the cap on termination rates regulatory environment for mobile communications towers.
for local mobile and fixed calls. Termination rates, which are the This will be through raising the participation rate of service
fees network providers charge one another for terminating calls providers via mergers in the ownership of the towers or their
originating outside their own networks, can lead to reduced acquisition by interested investors, the Saudi Press Agency
competition among providers and increased costs for consumers. reported. According to the CITC, this move is aimed at reducing
Local Mobile Termination Rates (MTR) will be set at SR 0.022, the capital and operational costs of towers and achieving their
and Fixed Termination Rates (FTR) will be SR 0.011, representing maximum efficiency. This will enable to achieve fair competition
reductions of 60% and 48% respectively on previous rates, between mobile operators, and will enhance the deployment of 5G
which were last cut in 2017. The decision comes as a result of a networks, allowing provision of new services such as the Internet
thorough benchmark analysis conducted by the CITC into global of Things, in addition to raising the quality of services for users.
averages and regulatory best practice for termination rates, as The goals also include reducing maintenance expenses for these
well as extensive consultations with Saudi Arabia’s five telecom towers, and upgrading the communications and information
operators. The termination rates cap reduction is part of a wider technology system in the Kingdom. It is noteworthy that the CITC
drive to promote fair competition in the sector while encouraging move follows the example of a number of developed countries
the provision of reliable and affordable services. Similar initiatives under which investors can buy, manage and operate the towers,
aimed at enhancing competition in the telecoms sector include and then lease them to mobile communications companies.
the tendering of new Mobile Virtual Network Operators licenses (June 3, 2020) saudigazette.com.sa

Sri Lanka

Dialog Axiata PLC, together with Huawei and Simsyn, has same session. In total, schools can seamlessly conduct individual
further extended its support for the education sector by way of sessions to students who are connected through the 1377 hotline
teleconference solutions for schools across the country, selected along with the others who are connected via the internet. Initiated
by the Ministry of Education (MOE). This is an extension of the among 100 schools, this distance learning solution will be further
Nenasa 1377 distance learning initiative launched in March 2020. extended to 1000 schools across the county in order to support
Contrary to most of the online teaching solutions practiced by the ongoing COVID-19 impact mitigation efforts. With a long-
schools due to the COVID-19 crisis, this distance learning solution term vision of facilitating schools with distance learning, this
is freely accessible across any network and does not require initiative aims to promote equitable access to education whilst
students to have internet access to sit-in on lessons, thereby continuing to enable the learning continuity of students from
ensuring that no child is left behind. This inclusive solution for the safety of their homes. Hon. Dullas Alahapperuma, Minister
distance learning will deliver education to students from schools of Education Sports and Youth Affairs stated “Today, we bear
island-wide, via classroom conference sessions, allowing students witness to the turning point of the Sri Lankan education system.
and teachers to connect through any device and any network at As a result of this global pandemic, the education sector was
no cost. Students who have internet access can join by logging adversely affected, prompting countries to find quick solutions.
into the web portal via a smartphone or a laptop, whereas others Taking mammoth steps in advancing the education sector,
can tune into the respective session(s) conducted by their school Dialog Axiata has facilitated the Sri Lankan government in its
teachers via a feature phone or a landline by dialing the toll-free vision of instilling distance learning in the country. We have
Nenasa 1377 hotline from any network. This solution can sustain taken this unique situation as an opportunity to teach children
up to 48 students joining via the 1377 hotline, whilst parallelly through various mediums of distance learning. However, less
enabling 100 students to connect through the web portal for the than 30% of Sri Lankan households have access to the internet.

138 JUNE-JULY 2020