Page 94 - SAMENA Trends - May-June 2023

WHOLESALE UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

WHOLESALE NEWS

Zain, Omantel Combine for Wholesale Play

will have their wholesale requirements met by the new entity.
The pair noted bringing the two operations together will reduce
costs and increase their competitiveness. VOI will be led by
current Omantel VP wholesale Sohail Qadir. It plans to target a
variety of global connectivity and infrastructure providers with
its services. Alongside managing existing assets, the VOI will aid
in development of various new subsea and terrestrial systems.
Zain CEO Bader Al-Kharafi noted the new entity is “positioned
to evolve into a significant international player on the wholesale
Operator group Zain and Omantel formed a joint venture targeting telecommunications scene that will benefit both Zain and Omantel
providing regional providers, international carriers, global on financial, commercial and operational levels”. Qadir added VOI
hyperscalers and various other players with wholesale services will deliver “differentiated services to regional and international
in the Middle East. The Zain Omantel International (VOI) venture customers alike, and providing increased value and enhanced
will combine relevant assets of both companies and aims to customer-experience to all associated stakeholders across our
be the leading sector player in its region. Between them, Zain extensive operational footprint”.
and Omantel have operations in eight markets in MEA, which

ACCC Begins Consulting on Wholesale Regulation

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)
has instigated a combined public inquiry into whether nine
wholesale telecommunications services should continue to be
regulated. With existing declarations for the nine market segments
in question set to expire in June 2024, the regulator has published
a discussion paper and is seeking submission from interested
parties by a deadline of 12 July 2023. The nine declared services include services that are regulated under NBN Co’s Special Access
which are the subject of this inquiry are: domestic transmission Undertaking or ‘Superfast Broadband Access Services’ on high
capacity service; unconditioned local loop service; line sharing speed networks other than the National Broadband Network (NBN).
service; wholesale line rental (WLR); local carriage service; fixed Commenting on the matter, ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey
originating access service; fixed terminating access service; said: ‘Our inquiry will consider whether ongoing regulation of these
wholesale ADSL; and domestic mobile terminating access service. declared services promotes the long-term interests of Australians.
Broadly speaking, these services: enable access to fixed line We want to know if recent developments including investments
incumbent Telstra’s legacy access network, interconnection of in optical fiber, the completion of the NBN and declining usage
networks for the purpose of voice calls, the resale of analogue of Telstra’s copper network mean that competition is protecting
fixed line phone services, data transmission, and ADSL resale. customers and what that means about whether or how we should
Notably, the service being examined as part of the inquiry do not regulate these services.’

Regulator Approves Mila Wholesale Tariff

The Electronic Communications Office of Iceland (ECOI) has without VAT per month for every 100 lines of connector headers
approved the cost analysis of Icelandic wholesale operator Mila as in a connector rack. This is a 27% increase on the current tariff for
the basis for the wholesale tariff for access to copper cables and monthly fees, which came into effect on 1 June 2019. The increase
connection infrastructure. The fee for access to copper home lines is partly because set-up fees are being abolished. The new tariff
will be ISK1,978 (USD14.52) per month without VAT and ISK1,553 comes into effect from 1 June.

94 MAY-JUNE 2023