Page 118 - SAMENA Trends - March-April 2022

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

NBTC Committee Calls for Halt to True, dtac Merger

A planned merger of True Corp and dtac ran into an unexpected was announced in November 2021 and was expected to receive
obstacle, with the supervisory committee of the regulator urging speedy approval by regulators. Insiders reckoned the country’s
the body to block the tie-up, which would create an operator largest private company Charoen Pokphand Group, which owns
controlling more than half of the country’s mobile connections, True, was unlikely to face resistance despite concerns. Somkiat
Nikkei Asia reported. The so-called super board, which oversees Tangkitvanich, President of the Thailand Development Research
the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission Institute, in December 2021 accused the regulator of “failing to
(NBTC), submitted a letter to the watchdog’s head highlighting do its job” by not opposing the deal. Last week the operators
competitive concerns and suggesting the merger be halted, the announced they would hold a joint shareholders’ meeting on 4
news agency wrote. Bangkok Post reported an extraordinary April. The boards of both companies approved the deal in mid-
House committee is also studying the impact of the merger, with February, when they filed a merger notification with the regulator.
its findings due to be released by end-April. The proposed tie-up They expected the merger to close by September.

Optus Urges ACCC to Block TPG-Telstra Network Sharing Agreement

Optus has reportedly called on the Australian Competition and and seriously placing Telstra’s main competitor, Optus, at a
Consumer Commission (ACCC) to block the network sharing disadvantage … We believe the ACCC should consider consumers’
agreement announced by rivals Telstra and TPG Telecom last best interests in their decision and block this arrangement for the
month, claiming it has the potential to create a 5G monopoly in benefit of regional Australians.’ In February 2022 Telstra and TPG
regional areas. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Optus announced what they called a ‘ground-breaking ten-year regional
has argued that the agreement between Telstra and TPG not Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) commercial agreement’.
only highlights the latter’s lack of interest in investing in regional Under the deal TPG will be able to utilise around 3,700 of Telstra’s
Australia but also allows Telstra to bypass competition rules that mobile network assets, while in return Telstra will gain access to
restrict its ability to obtain access to valuable 5G spectrum. Andrew TPG Telecom’s spectrum. In addition, Telstra will share its RAN
Sheridan, Optus’ vice president of regulatory and public affairs, was for 4G, and subsequently 5G, in the defined coverage zone, though
cited as saying of the matter: ‘The partnership overturns 30 years both companies will continue to operate their own core network.
of competition policy by eliminating one of Telstra’s competitors Telstra will also obtain access to and deploy infrastructure on up
to 169 TPG Telecom existing mobile sites, improving coverage
for both parties’ customers in the zone. TPG will continue to
operate its own 3G, 4G and 5G networks in metropolitan areas,
reaching around 80% of the population – bolstered by its network
infrastructure sharing arrangement with Optus in those areas.
TPG will, however, decommission the 725 mobile sites it currently
operates within the MOCN coverage area with a view to ‘reducing
environmental impact, energy consumption, operating costs and
future CAPEX’.

New Mobile Operator Exercises Option for Reserved Spectrum

Telecoms regulator the Belgian Institute for Postal Services to obtain the radio spectrum reserved for them against payment
and Telecommunications (BIPT) has announced that one of the of EUR73 million each, thereby ensuring continuity of their current
two unnamed newcomers which have qualified to participate in mobile services. Each operator will be assigned one 5MHz duplex
June’s spectrum auction has exercised the option to obtain a block in the 880MHz-915MHz/925MHz-960MHz range, three
reserved radio spectrum package in the various frequency bands lots of 2×5MHz in the 1710MHz-1785MHz/1805MHz-1880MHz
for both 5G and 2G, 3G and 4G applications against payment of range and two 5MHz duplex frequency blocks in the 1920MHz-
EUR83.34 million (USD91.44 million). The package, comprising a 1980MHz/2110MHz-2170MHz band. In addition to the reserved
total of 2×30MHz spectrum in the 700MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz spectrum, the existing operators and the newcomers will have the
and 2100MHz bands, is intended to provide the new operator possibility to bid on the remaining lots in the auction for which
with sufficient frequency resources to enter the market as a they are a candidate, totaling 640MHz for a minimal amount of
fully-fledged mobile player. The three existing MNOs – Orange EUR477 million.
Belgium, Proximus and Telenet – have also exercised the option

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