Page 121 - SAMENA Trends - November-December 2021

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

The Ministry of Transport and Communications of high speed mobile broadband connectivity on
(Liikenne-ja viestintaministerio, MoTC) has announced the archipelago, it has confirmed the licenses being
that it has begun accepting applications for spectrum offered are tech-neutral. Applications are requested by
in the 700MHz band for use in the Aland region. a deadline of 20 January 2022 and the MoTC has also
Finland With the ministry saying that its aim in offering up confirmed that the permits to be issued will be valid
the frequencies is to promote the construction of 5G
from 15 March 2022 to 31 December 2033.
infrastructure in Aland, and to improve the availability (December 10, 2021) commsupdate.com

The Federal Network Agency (FNA, or BNetzA) The Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital
has announced that it has completed the review Infrastructure has revealed that more than 95% of
to determine whether mobile network operators the country’s 41.6 million households were able to
met the coverage requirements of the 2015 multi- access broadband speeds of at least 50Mbps as of
Germany band spectrum auction. According to the regulator, mid-2021. In addition, almost 90% of homes could
Vodafone, Telefonica and Telekom Deutschland all
access rates of 100Mbps or more, an increase of 3.9
achieved the target to supply all main traffic routes with percentage points year-on-year, with this proportion
LTE services, including federal motorway and ICE rail standing at 69% in rural areas, representing a rise of
routes. Last year the trio belatedly fulfilled an obligation over 460,000 homes since mid-2020. When it comes
to provide mobile data speeds of at least 50Mbps to to even higher speeds, the Ministry reports that around
98% of households nationwide and 97% of households 62% of German households have access to gigabit
in each federal state by 1 January 2020. Having fulfilled connections, an increase of 2.6 million connections
the requirements from the 2015 allocation, the FNA compared to mid-2020 and 14.5 million connections
states that the coverage obligations from the 2019 since the end of 2018. In rural regions in particular, the
spectrum auction must now be implemented. As such, federal government supports the expansion of faster
successful bidders must supply 98% of the households fiber-optic networks through the federal broadband
in each federal state and all federal motorways, the expansion program, for which around EUR12 billion
most important federal highways and railways with (EUR13.7 billion) has been earmarked. Roughly EUR9.4
mobile data speeds of at least 100Mbps by the end of billion has already been committed, with the aim of
2022. By the end of 2024, all other federal motorways enabling around 2.7 million high speed broadband
are to be supplied with rates of at least 100Mbps, connections for households, companies, schools and
while all state highways, seaports, the most important hospitals nationwide. So far, over 800,000 connections
waterways and all other railway lines must be supplied have already been completed.
with at least 50Mbps speeds. (November 16, 2021) commsupdate.com
(December 1, 2021) commsupdate.com

The government has completed its takeover of mobile not been revealed, the Minister for Communications
network operator (MNO) AirtelTigo, according to Bharti and Digitalization, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, claimed in a
Airtel’s regulatory filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange. Facebook post earlier this year that the government
The Indian group confirmed that 100% of the shares had acquired the company for just USD1. Bharti Airtel
Ghana in AirtelTigo, a joint venture between Bharti Airtel and and Millicom International Cellular (MIC) merged
their Ghana operations in October 2017 to create the
Millicom International Cellular, had been transferred
to the Government of Ghana following completion of country’s second largest cellco at the time, although it
the transaction. The Ghanaian government executed has since slipped to third place behind rival Vodafone
a definitive deal with AirtelTigo’s parent companies – Ghana. According to the latest figures released by
Bharti Airtel and Millicom International Cellular Africa the National Communications Authority (NCA), the
– in April this year to acquire 100% of the telco’s shares operator had 7.98 million mobile subscribers at 30
as well as its customers, assets and agreed liabilities. June 2021, equivalent to 19.1% market share.
Although financial details of the transaction have (November 8, 2021) commsupdate.com

The Ministry of Digital Governance has expanded the country. The tender forms part of a wider EUR1.2
the latest phase of its Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFBB) billion public-private scheme to develop broadband
project. Having previously estimated a budget of infrastructure and digital services in Greece, with an
around EUR700 million (USD808 million), the Ministry estimated EUR400 million to come from public sources.
Greece is now preparing a tender worth EUR868 million as it (November 11, 2021) Kathimerini
seeks contractors to deploy fiber infrastructure across
121 NOV-DEC 2021