Page 102 - SAMENA Trends - March-April 2022

WHOLESALE UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

CTU Scraps Plan to Impose Temporary Regulatory Measures on the

Wholesale Mobile Market

The Czech telecoms regulator, the Czech access obligations. Whilst the regulator designate the three MNOs as having SMP
Telecommunication Office (CTU), has maintains that MVNOs are not able to in this market and, furthermore: ‘Proposes
confirmed that it will not issue a proposed offer competitive services due to allegedly to impose two operators’ obligations
new measure to impose temporary unfavorable wholesale access conditions, to offer two mobile service regulatory
regulatory measures on the country’s and proposed to designate O2, T-Mobile packages in all its existing mobile network
wholesale mobile market. The CTU issued and Vodafone as holding significant access agreements (2G, 3G, 4G and 5G).
a press release noting that, having studied market power (SMP), and to oblige them to The regulation of package prices will take
results of the public consultation, it had provide national roaming to all, the EC had the form of a ban on margin squeezes in
decided against using this regulatory tool serious doubts as to the compatibility of combination with the setting of a maximum
even though it claimed to have received the draft measure with EU law and opened wholesale price for regulated packages.
‘massive support’ for the proposal from an in-depth investigation. Subsequently, All three mobile network operators will be
all respondents except the nation’s three on 24 January 2022 BEREC issued its obliged to allow access on both packages
mobile network operators. In February own opinion on the EC’s serious doubts, to non-discriminatory conditions, even in
2022 the EC issued a decision requiring partially supporting the Commission’s the case of newly concluded contractual
the CTU to withdraw its 2021 draft initial findings. The CTU had intended to relations with the MVNO.’ However, it has
decision relating to wholesale mobile implement the temporary measures to now dropped this plan.

Digicel, Cable & Wireless Agree to Reduce Caribbean Roaming Charges

are short of our destination to eliminate
roaming completely … Data, information
and connectivity must be cheap, must be
available and must be fast … CARICOM
has negotiated with a local, regional and
international industry as one, in the explicit
pursuit of its single market and space. We
must move on to the next steps of creating
a single ICT regulatory environment in
CARICOM and ensuring that the cost born
by our citizens for telecoms services relate
to the cost incurred by telecoms providers,
and not have deemed rates of return that
are outside the pockets of our citizens.’
CARICOM, which was established back in
Liberty Latin America (LLA)-backed Following the signing, Keith Mitchell, Prime July 1973, currently comprises 15 member
Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) Minister of Grenada and Lead CARICOM states and five associate members,
and Denis O’Brien’s Digicel Group have Head of Government with responsibility stretching from the Bahamas in the north
signed the ‘Declaration of St George’s, for Science and Technology, commented: to Suriname and Guyana in South America.
Towards the Reduction of Intra CARICOM ‘Parties to this declaration have agreed on The member states include Antigua and
Roaming Charges’, as they seek to lower an implementation timeframe between the Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize,
pan-Caribbean roaming costs by up to second and third quarter of this year, giving Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica,
70%. The two companies seek to eliminate consideration to the technical aspects of the Montserrat, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and
‘bill-shock’ and make roaming charges implementation and the public awareness Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
more transparent across the 15 Caribbean campaigns that must take place.’ However, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. The
Community (CARICOM) member states. some interested parties have observed associate members are Anguilla, Bermuda,
The declaration was signed by Kieran that the terms of the declaration do not British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and
Mulvey, Director of Government Affairs go far enough. Mia Mottley, Prime Minister Turks and Caicos.
at Digicel Group and Kurleigh Prescod, of Barbados, who attended the signing
Vice President (South Caribbean) at CWC. virtually stated: ‘This a large step but we

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