Page 165 - SAMENA Trends - June-July 2020

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

The Ministry of Information and Communications up new subscribers, which were often sold to tourists
(MIC) has said it plans to deal with telecom waste and who were not aware of registration requirements. Each
continue large-scale inspections of junk SIM cards. operator was fined VND90 million, with retailers also
Clearing up telecom waste would also pave the way penalized. A total of five MNOs and two MVNOs operate
Vietnam for new telecom services like mobile money, which in Vietnam following the launch of a virtual service by
Mobicast last week. GSMA Intelligence figures showed
uses telecom accounts to pay, said Deputy Minister
of Information and Communications Phan Tam at a the country had 146 million mobile connections at end-
recent conference. Previously, the MIC's Viet Nam March. (June 8, 2020) Tuoi Tre News
Telecommunications Authority (VNTA) worked with
Viettel, VNPT and MobiFone to deploy technological The Authority of Telecommunications under the Ministry
solutions to filter and disconnect subscribers who of Information and Communications (MIC) revealed that
spread spam. Telecommunications businesses a second mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) will
will apply technology solutions like big data and soon debut in Việt Nam. The seventh telecom provider
machine learning to identify subscribers suspected of in the country will be launched with a new prefix
distributing spam calls. Viettel will deploy the solution number and use the mobile phone infrastructure of the
from July 1, while VinaPhone and MobiFone will start State-owned Việt Nam Posts and Telecommunications
before August 1. The remaining six telecommunications Group (VNPT), which boasts among the best coverage
businesses, including Vietnamobile, Indochina and quality in the country. Việt Nam is one of the
Telecom, Hanoi Telecom, CMC, Saigon Postel and FPT youngest MVNO markets in the world, with its first
Telecom, will deploy the solution before October 1. virtual operator - the Indochina Telecom Company
Preventing subscribers from making spam calls will (Itelecom) - launched in April this year. A virtual
be based on responses from customers. Carriers will network operator does not own network infrastructure
block the outgoing call of subscribers determined to but rather purchases telecommunications services
be distributing spam calls. This is the latest solution from traditional mobile network operators (MNO) and
in the roadmap to wipe out junk SIM cards, messages resells network services after repackaging at lower
and spam calls from telecom authorities and network prices. The pioneering Itelecom has entered into an
operators. Earlier, the MIC inspectorate proposed users agreement with Vinaphone, a mobile subsidiary of
should enter their identity card number when topping VNPT, which gives it access to the company’s network
up to tighten the management of junk SIM cards and services and allows it to offer its own. The prefix of
update subscriber information. (July 11, 2020) bizhub.vn its mobile service is 087. In its initial phase, Itelecom
is being introduced to workers at industrial zones in
Vietnam’s Ministry of Information and Communications Hà Nội and HCM City, and provinces of Thái Nguyên,
(MIC) penalized the four largest mobile operators in Vĩnh Phúc, Bắc Giang, Bắc Ninh, Bình Dương, Long An,
the nation for illegally registering prepaid subscribers, and Đồng Nai. According to MIC, a legal framework
issuing fines totaling VND777 million ($33,377). An has been established for virtual telecommunications
audit by the ministry conducted in October 2019 and networks. The MVNO model will help save investment
November 2019 found Viettel, Vinaphone, Mobifone costs for businesses and avoid any waste of social
and Vietnamobile used fake information to register resources as unused traffic and infrastructure of MNOs
new customers, the newspaper wrote. SIM registration can be exploited by carriers that do not have their own
requires a user’s full name, date of birth and national infrastructure, said Nguyễn Phong Nhã, deputy general
ID number. The ministry confiscated 6,900 SIM cards director of the MIC’s Authority of Telecommunications.
during the inspection. The operators apparently used (June 3, 2020) vietnamnews.vn
information from existing SIM card holders to sign

The Zambia is said to be looking for a new mobile Communication (MoTC), disclosed to local media that
network operator (MNO) to compete with the nation’s a lack of resources had delayed the MNO’s commercial
incumbent cellcos, after UZI Zambia Mobile – which launch and that it was looking to ensure its investment
acquired a concession to operate in the African was not interrupted once it became operational. UZI’s
country back in February 2018 – failed to make it to launch failed to come to fruition, however, prompting
Zambia market. In February this year it was revealed that UZI’s the authorities to consider their next move. Here,
‘investment’ license had been extended and that it Bloomberg cites Lungu as saying: ‘we respect the rule
had been given until May 2020 to secure the funding of law and that’s why we followed the tender process
it needed to underpin a commercial launch. The to the letter … Now that UZI has not come, we are going
announcement came after Misheck Lungu, permanent back to plan [again].’
secretary at Zambia’s Ministry of Transport and (June 19, 2020) commsupdate.com

165 JUNE-JULY 2020