Page 150 - SAMENA Trends - June-July 2020

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

The Chadian government has officially launched a optic network connecting Doba in the south to Iriba in
new network modernization program, through which it the east via Koumra, Sarh, Kyabe, Am-timan, Abeche,
hopes to improve accessibility to ICT services for the Amzoer and Guereda. Alongside the national fiber
population and to drive socio-economic development, rollout, the government will also install an additional
Chad local news portal Tchadinfos.com reports. The program 50km of fiber in N’Djamena. Finally, the project will see
consists of three major components, the first of which the construction of 200 new GSM sites nationwide.
is the construction of a national data center in the (July 8, 2020) commsupdate.com
capital. Second is the construction of 1,200km fiber-

The Supreme Court has issued a ruling on spectrum these limits, the court’s decision featured several
holding limits, broadly in line with proposals put additional measures. These include the establishment
forward by the Antitrust Tribunal (Tribunal de Defensa of a temporary national roaming obligation, under
de la Libre Competencia, TDLC), which had in turn been which incumbent cellcos Entel, Claro and Movistar
Chile based on recommendations from sector watchdog the would provide national roaming for new entrants whilst
they deploy their own networks. This requirement
Department of Telecommunications (Subsecretaria de
Telecomunicaciones, Subtel). Diario Financiero writes would be a general stipulation, independent of specific
that the apex court’s ruling allows a provider to hold spectrum auctions or a particular set of frequencies.
a percentage of the available spectrum within ‘macro Similarly, the court mandated that the incumbents
bands’ comprising groupings of spectrum bands. For must also ensure that their networks are available to
the ‘Low’ macro band (sub-1GHz frequencies), the MVNOs, with the requirement that they make and keep
court ruled that a provider could hold up to 32% of the updated a reference offer that is approved by Subtel and
available airwaves (the TDLC’s recommendation had the National Economic Prosecutor (Fiscalia Nacional
been for 35%), whilst for the ‘Low Middle’ (1GHz-3GHz) Economica, FNE). Further, Subtel and the FNE must
and ‘Middle’ (3GHz-6GHz) macro bands the limit was monitor the incumbents and are empowered to adjust
set at 30%, and holdings in the ‘High’ (mmWave, over the conditions of offers and contracts for national
24GHz) macro band were capped at 25%. Alongside roaming and for MVNOs. (July 14, 2020) commsupdate.com

The Ministry of Information Technologies and broadband coverage to some of the country’s most
Communications (Ministerio de Tecnologias de la remote rural areas. The watchdog notes that the
Informacion y las Comunicaciones, MinTIC) has measure has been designed to assist ‘the vulnerable,
announced that President Ivan Duque signed Decree low-income rural population’ and will also benefit
Colombia 825 into law on 8 June, substituting certain spectrum libraries, schools and rural health centers.
payment fees for an obligation to extend mobile (June 11, 2020) commsupdate.com

The Croatian Postal & Electronic Communications to the migration of TV broadcasts from the 700MHz
Agency (HAKOM) has postponed its planned auction range and has also impacted operators’ finances.
of 5G-capable frequencies until the first half of 2021. The regulator has opened a new consultation into the
The authority was looking to allocate spectrum in the allocation of the above spectrum alongside 800MHz
Croatia 700MHz, 3.6GHz and 26GHz bands by the end of this and 900MHz frequencies.
year but says the COVID-19 outbreak caused a delay (June 26, 2020) commsupdate.com

The state-owned telecoms operator Empresa de customers in October last year and the launch of 3G
Telecomunicaciones de Cuba (ETECSA) has announced services in December 2018. ETECSA’s LTE network,
on social media that the number of customers using which operates in the 1800MHz frequency band, is
its 4G LTE network has exceeded one million. The available in 52 municipalities across all 15 provinces of
Cuba milestone follows the opening up of 4G for pre-paid the island. (July 8, 2020) commsupdate.com

150 JUNE-JULY 2020