Page 95 - SAMENA Trends - May-June 2022

WHOLESALE UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

ACCC Says Smaller ISPs Boosted Market Share in 1Q22 as It Releases

Wholesale Indicators Report

development, ACCC Commissioner Anna
Brakey said: ‘The smaller internet providers
are growing, and in doing so they are
increasing competition in the residential
broadband market … The presence of
smaller players with competitive offers is
keeping the larger providers on their toes.’
Meanwhile, in terms of other key findings
from the report, it was revealed that as
of 31 March 2022 there were almost
8.7 million residential fixed broadband
subscriptions being served via the NBN,
of which close to three-quarters were on a
Smaller Australian broadband providers shares decline slightly – to 43.7%, 23.3% plan offering downlink speeds of at least
increased their market share in the and 13.9%, respectively. Vocus, the fourth 50Mbps. Notably, however, the number of
National Broadbandn Network (NBN) largest operator in terms of wholesale what the ACCC refers to as ‘very high speed
wholesale market in the opening three NBN subscriptions was reported to have services’ (i.e. those connecting at 100Mbps
months of 2022, doing so at the expense of remained steady at 7.3%, meanwhile. By or faster) dropped by around 140,000 – or
the nation’s larger operators, the Australian comparison, the regulator noted that the 40% – in the quarter, with this attributed to
Competition and Consumer Commission combined market share of all other retail the end of promotional discounts which
(ACCC) has reported. In publishing its service providers increased by almost one had been implemented as part of NBN
latest ‘NBN Wholesale Market Indicators percentage point, to 11.8%, with growth led Co’s ‘Focus on Fast’ campaign, which was
Report’, the ACCC revealed that in the first by Aussie Broadband, which increased its launched in October 2020.
quarter of this year Telstra, TPG Telecom market share to 6.1% (up 0.5 percentage
and Optus all saw their wholesale market points). Commenting on the market

Safaricom ET and Ethio Telecom Reach In-Principal Deal on Interconnection,

Infrastructure Sharing

Safaricom Telecommunications Ethiopia that ‘the deal is very important and critical Hopefully [we will launch] soon but we don’t
(Safaricom ET) is reported to have reached for our commercial viability and launch. have a date yet’.
an agreement in principle with local tele-
coms incumbent Ethio Telecom related
to interconnection and the sharing of
cell sites and tower assets. According to
Business Insider Africa, a final agreement
remains pending though, with Safaricom
ET’s Public Relations Manager Tewedaj
Eshetu cited as confirming earlier this week
that ‘we are yet to sign a final agreement’.
Meanwhile, with Safaricom ET having
been expected to launch a commercial
service this month, it would appear that
as work towards concluding the deal with
Ethio Telecom continues, this will mean a
delay to that timetable. Indeed, to that end
Michael Joseph, Group Chairman of Kenya-
based Safaricom was reported to have said

95 MAY-JUNE 2022