Page 77 - SAMENA Trends - May 2020

WHOLESALE UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

TRAI Publishes Consultation Paper on International Roaming

Sector watchdog the Telecom Regulatory request; tariff offerings available and carried out unilaterally at a national level,
Authority of India (TRAI) has published a the selection of applicable tariffs – the were not very effective. The regulator goes
consultation paper on international mobile TRAI notes that some providers ‘have the on to state that its preferred approach
roaming services, requesting feedback on flexibility to apply [international roaming] is to empower consumers by making
potential regulatory changes. The paper packs even when the consumer has not information more readily available. Further,
primarily focuses on the reduction or specifically asked for the same before the TRAI points out that the current
elimination of bill shocks for subscribers traveling abroad; and consumer protection regulatory framework does not provide
by identifying their specific causes and measures such as SMS alerts for customers for price regulation of international mobile
evaluates the capacity of the current when they reach certain thresholds of their roaming services, as its forbearance
regulatory framework to address the issue allowance or when they arrive in a country regime instead aims to grant service
as well as the possible need for a revision not covered by their international roaming providers ‘the freedom to design the tariffs
of that framework. Amongst the issues pack. Regarding potential implementation suited to the prevailing market conditions’.
raised by the paper are: the activation of of price regulations for international The watchdog has requested feedback
international roaming, whether the facility roaming services, the TRAI was reluctant from industry stakeholders by 23 June,
should be automatically enabled on every to consider such an option, citing the with counter-comments to be submitted
SIM sold or activated only at the user’s ITU as saying that such measures, when by 7 July.

Nkom Confirms New Wholesale Mobile Market Decision

Norway’s National Communications
Authority (Nasjonal kommunik-
asjonsmyndighet, Nkom) has announced a
new regulatory decision related to Market
15 (wholesale market for access and call
origination on mobile networks), which
will apply from 1 June 2020 and last for
around three years. In a press release,
the telecoms regulator confirmed that –
having analyzed the local mobile market
– it had determined that Telenor Norge
still held significant market power (SMP)
with regards to Market 15, and as such
would continue to have special obligations
imposed upon it. The regulator’s decision is
partly designed to facilitate the continued
rollout of a third nationwide mobile network
by ice, and with the operator now looking
to extend coverage in more sparsely
populated areas, the Nkom has suggested
that detailed requirements related to
co-location and the introduction of new
pricing models for the purchase of data
traffic should ‘give ice better opportunities
for efficient development’. Meanwhile, with
Telenor also obliged under the ruling to
provide access to its network to MVNOs on a 3% market share for the reference MVNO monitor the market closely in the coming
non-discriminatory terms, the Nkom said operator at the level of aggregation of the years for any signs of ‘sustainable tacit
the cellco will be required to do so at prices test. With the EFTA Surveillance Authority coordination’ between Telenor and the
that will allow virtual operators to achieve (EFTA) having examined the regulator’s market’s other established MNO, Telia
positive margins. Specifically, for MVNOs decision, it said it supported the Nkom’s Norge.
access prices will reportedly be based on analysis of the Norwegian mobile market,
a full margin squeeze test, which assumes but has encouraged the regulator to

77 MAY 2020