Page 127 - SAMENA Trends - March 2020

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

management rights valid until a traditional spectrum 5G license before the 28 February deadline. With
auction can be organized for the 3.4GHz-3.8GHz plans for a 5G spectrum auction at an impasse due
band. The BIPT will now hold a public consultation on to a disagreement between federal and regional
its proposal until 21 April 2020 and then make a final governments, the BIPT announced in early February
decision on each license award. proposals to grant temporary licenses for the 3.5GHz
(March 24, 2020) commsupdate.com band to enable an initial deployment of 5G services.
It is not known whether other candidates applied for
Belgium’s three main mobile network operators the temporary licenses. The BIPT will now examine
(MNOs) – Telenet, Orange Belgium and Proximus the applications and decide how to allocate the
– have confirmed they applied to the telecoms frequencies. A public consultation will then be held,
regulator, the Belgian Institute for Postal Services during which the regulator will publicly announce all
and Telecommunications (BIPT), for a preliminary the applicants. (March 2, 2020) Data News

The Federal Government, through the Ministry of of Telecommunications of Brazil, Vitor Menezes said
Science, Technology, Innovations and Communications, that the investments must occur by ten years. The
developed a series of initiatives to stimulate the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovations
expansion of the telecommunications infrastructure in and Communications coordinated an inter-ministerial
Brazil Brazil. Among the measures, the auction of 5G-related project that aims to bring fiber optics to underserved
radiofrequency bands will be held in the last quarter cities and towns in the Northern Region. This is the
of 2020 by Anatel and is considered to be the largest Integrated and Sustainable Amazon Project (PAIS).
spectrum auction in the world so far. Licenses for the PAIS' goal is to launch 5,000 km of sub-fluvial cables
700 MHz, 2.3 GHz, 3.5 GHz and 26 GHz bands will across the Amazon River and its main tributaries,
be made available. To facilitate telecommunications according to government official. “The project is carried
infrastructure deployment, the Federal Government is out by the National Education and Research Network
preparing the regulation of the Antennas Law, which and, in addition to providing an unprecedented capacity
will be published in 2020. Among other measures, the to the private initiative in the region, benefiting a
new regulation will provide for a “deemed granted” population of 9.5 million people; it will provide services
rule for municipal infrastructure deployment permit to 2,200 urban public schools (1.7 million students) and
requests that are not answered after a pre-established 9,400 basic health units or hospitals,” added Menezes.
period of time, as well as establish a permit waiver for “The first segment to be implemented will be between
small-sized equipment. There was a recent reform Macapá (AP) and Santarém (PA), at a cost of roughly
of the Brazilian General Telecommunications Law $9 million, and will have 570 km. “Riverbed studies
that is set to allow the migration of the current fixed have already started and the implementation should be
telephony concessions to the authorization regime, completed by November 2020. The next stretches will
which has a lighter institutional framework. This reach the states of Amazonas, Porto Velho, Roraima
will allow the current fixed telephony infrastructure, and Acre, covering numerous small towns and cities.”
which has been maintained by contractual force, to be (March 8, 2020) capacitymedia.com
replaced by modern broadband networks. Secretary

The telecoms operator CamTel has received three network, including submarine cable landing stations,
licenses from the Telecommunications Regulatory has also been issued. Commenting on the license
Board (ART), following a restructuring of the state- awards, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications
owned firm last year. One of the concession agreements Minette Libom Li Likeng said: ‘The granting of these
Cameroon allows CamTel to operate a nationwide public GSM concession agreements to CamTel aims to enhance the
network. The firm’s fixed telecommunications network productivity of the national operator, in order to increase
license has been renewed, while a new license for the the supply of quality electronic telecommunications
establishment and operation of a nationwide transport services at affordable prices.’ (March 16, 2020) ITWeb Africa

Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science & Economic phone packages that include 2GB to 6GB of monthly
Development, Navdeep Bains, has issued a directive data. If the big MNOs do not comply, the government
to the country’s three large national mobile network ‘will take action with other regulatory tools to further
operators (MNOs) – Rogers, Bell and Telus – to lower increase competition and help reduce prices,’ the
Canada their prices by 25% in the next two years for mobile minister stated, adding that the aim was to increase

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