Page 152 - SAMENA Trends - June-July 2020

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

such as copper infrastructure. With regards to plans proposed revisions to the Act are scheduled to enter
designed to bolster network investment, the revised into force on 21 December 2020.
Act will reportedly provide for ‘new network license (June 16, 2020) commsupdate.com
procedures that are applicable to certain frequencies’,
although ‘the possibility to continue the validity of the Finland’s auction of spectrum in the 26GHz band was
network licences granted would be added into the Act’. completed on the same day with three companies
Additionally, the MoTC has proposed that the updated walking away with new frequencies. In a press release
legislation enable the renewing of a network license the Ministry of Transport and Communications
without an open application procedure, and a proposal (Liikenne-ja viestintaministerio, MoTC) confirmed that
designed to facilitate the construction of 5G base the sale process generated a total of EUR21 million
stations – as per the updated Act. Here it suggests (USD23.7 million) for the state, with all three of the
that no administrative license granted by an authority available blocks – which each comprised 800MHz of
would be needed for the construction or deployment spectrum – selling at their starting price (EUR7 million).
of a 5G base station in a subregion, ‘unless otherwise According to the MoTC, the winning bidders were as
required by reasons related to either general safety follows: Elisa Corporation, which won the 25.1GHz-
or the protection of buildings or areas with valuable 25.9GHz block; Telia Finland (25.9GHz-26.7GHz); and
architecture, history or nature’. The MoTC’s proposals DNA (26.7GHz-27.5GHz). With the ministry saying
were presented to Parliament last week (on 11 June), it will now grant these companies their licenses ‘in
and will now be considered in a preliminary debate in accordance with the end results of the auction’, it
a plenary session at a date yet to be announced. After confirmed that 26GHz spectrum can be used for the
the preliminary debate, the proposal will be referred to construction of 5G networks from 1 July 2020. All three
a committee, which in turn will draft a report to then concessions are valid until 31 December 2033.
be discussed in a plenary session. As it stands, the (June 9, 2020) commsupdate.com

French telecoms regulator Arcep moved to get a 5G
spectrum auction delayed by Covid-19 (coronavirus) France is aiming to commence a 5G spectrum auction
back on track, setting out a schedule to begin the in September, Junior Economy Minister Agnes Pannier-
process in September. In a statement, the regulator Runacher told. The official was cited as saying: ‘Our
France said it plans to run a sale of spectrum in the 3.4GHz objective, and I have communicated it to Arcep, is
that the auctions be launched quickly. September is a
to 3.8GHz bands between 20 September and the end
of the month. This will be followed by a positioning reasonable objective… for a launch of 5G before the end
auction in October to determine bidder positions in the of the year.’ As previously reported by TeleGeography’s
bands, with licenses due to be issued later that month CommsUpdate, Arcep revealed in February 2020
or November. The auction was originally scheduled for that four companies submitted applications for the
April, but Arcep postponed the process due to Covid-19 allocation of frequencies in the 3.4GHz-3.8GHz band
containment measures. Due to the delay Arcep, lifted in mainland France, namely Bouygues Telecom, Free
obligations for operators to launch 5G services in a Mobile, Orange France and Altice France (previously
minimum of two cities by the year-end. In February, SFR). In March 2020 however Arcep postponed the 5G
Bouygues Telecom, Free Mobile, Orange and SFR took spectrum auction to an unspecified date due to the
up a fixed-price offer covering 50MHz of compatible COVID-19 outbreak. A spokeswoman for the authority
spectrum priced at €350 million. They are all due to was quoted as saying that Arcep ‘won’t be able to
participate in the rescheduled auction, with Arcep maintain the auction planned for mid-April’, and plans
aiming to raise €2.2 billion from 11x10MHz blocks. to ‘organize the frequency sale for a later date once
(June 12, 2020) mobileworldlive.com more information is available.’ (June 9, 2020) Le Figaro

The Federal Network Agency (FNA, known locally as the Telefonica attributed the delay to the effects of the
Bundesnetzagentur) has announced that Telefonica COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to restrictions
Deutschland failed to meet the first interim deadline in the supply chain. According to TeleGeography’s
to fulfil the coverage requirements of the 2015 multi- GlobalComms Database, earlier this year the FNA
Germany band spectrum auction. Telefonica failed to cover completed the review of reports submitted by mobile
network operators (MNOs) to determine whether they
at least 40% of 7,600 unserved locations by 30 June
2020 and faces a penalty of EUR600,000 (USD679,000) met the coverage requirements of the 2015 spectrum
if they are still not covered by the end of this month. auction. These included an obligation to provide mobile

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