Page 122 - SAMENA Trends - May-June 2023

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

The Ministry of Information Technologies and the resolution.
Communications (Ministerio de Tecnologias de la • On 10 November (estimated) MinTIC will be open for
Informacion y las Comunicaciones, MinTIC) has applications from interested parties.
announced that the country’s long-awaited 5G multi- • Any corrections must be noted by 8 December
Colombia band spectrum auction will commence on 20 December (estimated).
2023. • On 20 December the spectrum auction will officially
The auction schedule is as follows: commence.
• In August MinTIC will publish a resolution setting While this week’s announcement does not break down
out the technical conditions, legal requirements for the spectrum bands that are scheduled to be included in
participation, and the auction mechanism. the auction, MinTIC has previously indicated that it will
• In September the reserve price, obligations and distribute spectrum in the 700MHz, 1900MHz, 2.5GHz,
guarantees will be revealed. 3.5GHz and 26GHz bands.
• October will see the publication of the final version of (Jun 15, 2023) www.commsupdate.com

The Ministry of Science, Technology and Executive Agreement No. 031-2023-TEL-MICITT. Sutel is
Telecommunications (Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnologia in charge of staging a public consultation, establishing
y Telecomunicaciones, MICITT) has formally instructed eligible bidders and running the tender process. While
the Superintendency of Telecommunications the 5G auction will chiefly comprise spectrum in the
Costa Rica (Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones, Sutel) to 3.5GHz band, frequencies in the 2600MHz band may
initiate the country’s 5G auction process. The decision also be included. The auction is earmarked to take place
was included in the Official Gazette on 2 May 2023, via in the second half of 2023. (May 5, 2023) www.commsupdate.com

The Dominican Telecommunications Institute (Instituto spectrum blocks could also go under the hammer, with
Dominicano de las Telecomunicaciones, Indotel) has the watchdog noting: ‘The administration … has focused
announced plans to stage an auction of unused 700MHz on the reorganization of disused radio spectrum, so that
frequencies. The tender will be launched in the coming it can be used to improve the coverage of the services
Dominican months and the auction process is expected to conclude offered by the providers in the national territory … In
the same sense, they have taken concrete measures,
at the beginning of 2024. The 700MHz frequencies
Republic were originally included in 2021’s 5G spectrum auction, such as the closure of more than 50 stations that were
alongside 3.5GHz airwaves, but failed to attract any operating illegally, the recovery of idle spectrum and the
bids. Nine 2×5MHz blocks of 700MHz spectrum were cleaning up of radio communication bands.’
included in the original tender. Other, as-yet-unspecified (May 24, 2023) www.commsupdate.com

The Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory licenses while Telia bid EUR1.602 million and Tele2
Authority (Tarbijakaitse ja Tehnilise Jarelevalve Amet, offered EUR1.600 million. The three operators already
TTJA) has announced that the three incumbent cellcos have live 5G networks. 3.5GHz concessions were
have won 5G licenses in the 26GHz (24.7GHz-27.1GHz) auctioned in a three-stage process in mid-2022, while
Estonia band. Each 400MHz license had a starting price of the incumbents all won 700MHz licenses in November.
EUR800,000 (USD878,000). After a single round of (May 11, 2023) www.commsupdate.com
bidding Elisa agreed to pay EUR1.626 million for two

A consultation on proposed fees for communications usage the ECA has proposed annual fees ranging
licenses and annual usage fees for radio spectrum between USD3,935 per MHz per year for spectrum in
has been launched by the Ethiopian Communications the 3500MHz band and USD84,396 per MHz per year
Authority (ECA). Having published its proposed for 800MHz frequencies. Meanwhile, with regards
Ethiopia ‘Communications Services and License Fee Directive,’ to communications service license fees, proposed
the regulator has called for comments from charges include: USD100,000 per year plus 1% of gross
stakeholders by a deadline of 15 June 2023. Among annual revenue in local currency for a ten-year ‘Internet
the notable proposals, with regards to spectrum Service Provider License’; USD5,000 per year plus 0.5%

122 MAY-JUNE 2023