Page 138 - SAMENA Trends - March-April 2022

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

possible, CRAN CEO Emilia Nghikembua said in a market. ‘While the temporary postponement of the
statement. In addition, the regulator will accept and award of new Telecommunication and Broadcasting
consider applications for spectrum licenses from Service Licenses will impact the business plans of
existing service licensees only, and will also accept prospective providers or Telecommunication and
spectrum applications for bands that are service license- Broadcasting services, it is paramount that CRAN
exempt. Based on previous sector review reports and continuously intervenes in the market dynamics to
international best practice, Nghikembua explained, the ensure fair competition, and remove barriers to market
regulator’s planned market study needs to be based on entry for the benefit of consumers,’ she said.
a fixed data set, particularly the number of telecoms (April 4, 2022) commsupdate.com
and broadcasting service licensees operating in the

The government issued an order to the country’s their NINs at designated centers and thereafter link the
mobile network operators to block SIM cards from NINs to their SIMs through the channels provided by
making outgoing calls if they have not been updated [the National Identity Management Commission] NIMC
Nigeria with their owner’s National Identity Number (NIN). and the telcos, including the NIMC mobile app.’ A joint
statement issued with the Nigerian Communications
Following the passing of the registration deadline on
31 March, mobile phone users were given four extra Commission (NCC) stated that to date ‘over 125 million
days to link SIMs to their NIN before the final deadline SIMs have had their NINs submitted for immediate
which came into effect at midnight, 4 April. Minister of linkage, verification and authentication’ while the
Communications and Digital Economy Isa Ali Ibrahim NIMC had issued over 78 million unique NINs. Nigerian
Pantami declared: ‘All telcos [must] strictly enforce newspapers including Leadership and the Independent
the policy on all SIMs issued (existing and new) in reported that the call blocking order affected ‘around
Nigeria. Outgoing calls will subsequently be barred 73 million’ SIMs, based on a figure of 198 million total
for telephone lines that have not complied with the connections reported by the NCC for end-February.
NIN-SIM linkage policy … Subscribers of such lines The aim of the NIN and SIM registration exercise,
are hereby advised to link their SIMs to their NINs which commenced in December 2020 and has been
before the telcos can lift the restriction on their lines. extended multiple times, is to improve security in the
Affected individuals are hereby advised to register for West African nation. (April 5, 2022) commsupdate.com

The National Communications Authority (Nkom) has sought feedback on fixed broadband market definitions
announced that it will now use the EC’s method for between November 2021 and January 2022, Nkom has
calculating interest with regards to regulated prices now set a deadline of 27 April 2022 for submissions
in the country’s communications markets. In a press regarding its proposals related to the geographical
Norway release Nkom said that following EU harmonization it market definitions. Looking ahead, it has said it aims
to complete all analyses related to the fixed broadband
has adopted a new common weighted average cost
of capital (WACC) of 5.33% for both fixed and mobile sector by the end of H1 2023. (March 24, 2022) commsupdate.com
networks, with this replacing previous interest rates
of 8.3% and 9.1% for regulated prices in the fixed and The National Communications Authority (Nkom) has
mobile sectors, respectively. According to Nkom, the launched a consultation on the potential transfers of
new interest charge is in line with the EC’s guidelines mobile spectrum licenses from ice to Lyse, following
from 6 November 2019, which are intended to ensure the latter’s recent announcement of an agreement
that WACC is calculated in a consistent manner across to buy ice. In a press release regarding the matter,
the various European Economic Area (EEA) countries. Nkom said that – while it had yet to take a position
(April 5, 2022) commsupdate.com on the proposed acquisition itself – it was looking to
consult on the spectrum license transfer now ‘out of
The National Communications Authority (Nkom) consideration for efficient use of time’. Although the
has called for input on its preliminary assessments regulator has said it will assess the transfer of all
regarding its method for defining geographical spectrum allocations currently held by ice to Lyse, it
markets for fixed broadband access. In 2021 the noted it would pay particular attention to frequencies
regulator announced the start of work on analyzing in the 3.6GHz band. This, it said, is because both ice
the country’s fixed broadband markets, as the basis and Lyse subsidiary Altibox hold spectrum in this band,
for a possible designation of one or more providers which when combined would broach a 120MHz cap that
as having significant market power (SMP). Having was set as part of its 3.6GHz frequency auction which

138 MARCH-APRIL 2022