Page 141 - SAMENA Trends - May-June 2022

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

The final batch of contracts to deploy open access 5G strategy. (June 30, 2922) commsupdate.com
networks in rural areas of Italy have been awarded to
a consortium comprising tower company INWIT and The Italian government’s Infratel unit has launched a
two of its telco shareholders, Telecom Italia (TIM) and new tender for state-subsidized 5G network rollouts
Italy Vodafone. The tender was split into six regional lots in rural areas after its initial call for partners earlier
plus a separate contract covering the provinces of
this year failed to attract sufficient interest. Under the
Trento and Bolzano, worth a combined EUR345.7 million revised plan, EUR567 million (USD598 million) will be
(USD362.6 million). Winning bidders will get up to 90% made available via six separate lots, each of which
of their rollout costs paid by the government and must covers several Italian regions. Operators must agree
guarantee transmission speeds of at least 150Mbps to cover a minimum number of areas in each set of
to at least 40% of the 2,000 communities included allocated regions, with up to 90% of rollout expenses
in the tender. Work must be completed by end-June paid by the government under its National Recovery and
2026. TIM had previously won tenders worth EUR725 Resilience Plan. Networks should offer download rates
million for another batch of rural 5G rollouts. The Italian of at least 150Mbps, with uplinks of at least 30Mbps.
government says it has now committed EUR5.5 billion Rollouts must be completed by mid-2026.
in public and private funding to its national broadband (May 23, 2022) commsupdate.com

A next step towards the licensing of 5G-suitable local enabling activities for tender winners’ in H1 2023,
spectrum has been announced by the Jersey with the issuance of spectrum licenses by Ofcom taking
Competition Regulatory Authority (JCRA), with the place in that same timeframe. Submissions to the
publication of an updated ‘Statement of Intent’ which JCRA’s consultation are being accepted until 23 August
Jersey contains details of spectrum packages that will be 2022. Of note in its Statement of Intent, meanwhile,
available to interested operators. Furthermore, the the JCRA confirmed it plans to ensure Islanders have
regulator has also begun consulting on the proposed access to ‘widescale quality 5G services’ by issuing
process of applying for these spectrum packages, via three ‘Full Service’ spectrum packages; each of these
the publication of a consultation on its ‘Draft Invitation to will contain up to 100MHz of contiguous spectrum in the
Tender’. As per the latter document, the JCRA noted that 3.4GHz-3.8GHz band and 2×10MHz of paired spectrum
in terms of a proposed licensing timetable, it expects to in the 700MHz band. Alongside these allocations, the
publish a final invitation to tender in September 2022, regulator has set out plans to ‘create opportunities
while it envisages announcing the winners of the tender for Islanders or local organizations to receive specific
and making recommendations for spectrum awards innovative 5G services’ by offering several ‘Limited
to UK telecoms regulator Ofcom – which manages Service’ packages; these will each contain up to 30MHz
frequencies in Jersey – in Q1 2023. Pursuant to that, in the 3.4GHz-3.8GHz range.
the Authority expects to have completed the ‘required (June 29, 2022) commsupdate.com

The Communications Authority (CA) has extended to go to achieve 100% compliance’ – with Safaricom
the deadline for the country’s mobile phone users to reporting that so far 67% of its SIMs have been updated,
register their SIM cards with their service providers by followed by Airtel with 55% and Telkom Kenya with a
a further six months, to 15 October 2022. In February compliance level of 33% – the CA has decided to extend
Kenya the regulator directed the country’s mobile operators the deadline to 15 October. At this date, the watchdog
to ensure that the personal details of their subscribers said it will conduct a detailed compliance audit on each
were fully updated by 15 April 2022, in accordance of the operators and revealed that ‘any case of non-
with the Kenya Information and Communications compliance by either the operators or subscribers will
(Registration of SIM Cards) Regulations 2015. However, attract immediate penalties as laid out by law’.
after determining that ‘operators still have a long way (April 20, 2022) commsupdate.com

Sector watchdog the Regulatory Authority for Post Under the proposals the range would be divided into
and Electronic Communications (Autoriteti Rregullator 80 1×5MHz blocks of TDD spectrum, with 300MHz
i Komunikimeve Elektronike dhe Postare, ARKEP) has (3400MHz-3700MHz) to be allocated on a nationwide
launched a public consultation regarding the distribution basis to be used for mobile or fixed wireless networks.
Kosovo and use of spectrum in the 3400MHz-3800MHz band The remaining 100MHz would be issued on a local basis
for mobile/fixed communications networks (MCFN).
for private networks and the regulator intends to handle
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