Page 129 - SAMENA Trends - May-June 2023

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Vietnam’s Viettel was the winner of Peru’s 4G spectrum main operator in Peru with 30.05% of mobile customers,
auction. Investment promotion agency ProInversión according to the latest figures from regulator Osiptel.
offered two blocks of 15MHz each in the AWS-3 band It is followed by Claro with 29.74% of users and Entel
and one 30MHz block in the 2.3GHz band. Viettel was with 23.04%. Viettel is the fourth operator with 16.7%
Peru awarded blocks A and B of the AWS-3 band with a of the mobile market, the figures show. Last year, the
total of 44,241 points, more than 10,000 points above
same tender had to be suspended due to concern
competitor Claro. It was also awarded the spectrum in among interested companies about investment and
the 2.3GHz band with a score of 18,955. Each award rural coverage commitments. (June 13, 2023) www.bnamericas.com
is for 20 years. Telefónica did not take part in the
auction. The auction was not based on revenue but The Ministry of Transport and Communications
on investment commitments, which are expected (Ministerio de Transportes y Comunicaciones, MTC) has
to amount to more than US$600mn, according to passed a decree establishing ‘exceptional measures’
ProInversión. Points considered coverage and areas to guarantee the continuity of the operation of the
difficult to reach with mobile connectivity, among other National Fiber Optic Backbone (Red Dorsal Nacional de
factors. As a result of the contest, 3,825 rural areas will Fibra Optica, RDNFO). The decree authorizes the MTC,
have 4G mobile services, of which 3,282 are due have operating through the National Telecommunications
the services in the first year of the concession contract Program (Programa Nacional de Telecomunicaciones,
and 543 in the second year. In addition to Viettel and Pronatel), to continue with procedures to ensure the
América Móvil’s Claro, Entel submitted bids. Claro continued operation of the RDNFO including issuing
came second in bidding for the AWS-3 spectrum while contracts to specialized operators to oversee provision
Entel came second in the case of 2.3GHz. Telefónica of service until the system can be transferred on a
had already announced that it would not participate in permanent basis. The MTC noted that it has started the
the auction. “We are not going to participate because process of hiring a company to temporarily manage the
the cost of the obligations in Peru was well above the network whilst Pronatel has launched a study on the
international cost and did not justify participating,” potential options for selecting a company to manage
Miguel Calderón, the company's director of strategy and the network on long-term basis.
public policy, told BNamericas recently. The company (May 30, 2023) www.telecompaper.com
had pre-qualified for the tender. Spain’s Telefónica is the

A report from Poland says the government is set to 100MHz while keeping the reserve price for each block
announce the start of the long-awaited auction of at PLN450 million (USD108 million). At the same time,
5G-capable 3.5GHz licenses in the next few weeks. network coverage obligations were reduced. The lack
The Office of Electronic Communications (Urzad of 3.5GHz licenses has not stopped Polish cellcos
Poland Komunikacji Elektronicznej, UKE) will soon invite launching 5G. Orange, Play, T-Mobile and Plus all
switched on commercial networks between May and
applications for four concessions, with spectrum now
expected to be allocated in the fourth quarter, missing July 2020, using their existing spectrum holdings in the
the original August deadline. Following an initial public 2100MHz and 2600MHz bands. Among EU countries,
consultation in December 2022, last month UKE kicked only Poland and the Netherlands have failed to award
off a second consultation process, having increased 3.5GHz concessions to support 5G.
the spectrum offered by each license from 80MHz to (May 25, 2023) Puls Biznesu

The telecommunications regulator (L'Autorite de they should also have a valid license authorizing them
Regulation des Telecommunications et des Postes, to establish and operate a network open to the public
or ARTP) has issued a call for applications for 5G and to provide electronic communications services as
licenses. The call is the regulator keeping its promise of the application submission date," the regulator said in
Senegal to launch commercial ultra-broadband in the country in a statement. The country's 5G launch is in line with the
2023, furthermore, requesting that interested investors country's drive to strengthen high-speed connectivity
must submit their applications by July 14, 2023. In May and digital use in the country. This is also linked to the
2023, the regulator announced that it would allocate 5G Digital Economy Acceleration Project (PAEN), which the
licenses to telecom operators by the end of July. "Only World Bank is funding for US$150 million.
companies incorporated under local law can apply and (June 2, 2023) www.connectingafrica.com

129 MAY-JUNE 2023