Page 142 - SAMENA Trends - September-October 2020

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Japan’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) plans to conduct industry more open and competitive, while in the role of
an investigation into the pricing models and sales chief cabinet secretary, he backed the 2018 campaign
practices employed by the country’s mobile network calling for a 40% reduction in mobile fees. Although
operators (MNOs) in a bid to foster market competition, the big three MNOs – NTT DOCOMO, KDDI (au) and
Japan as part of a plan by new prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, SoftBank Corp – responded with the launch of cheaper
to drive down the cost of mobile services. The Nikkei
plans and compliance with the removal of handset
daily newspaper cites the Commission’s new chairman subsidies, Suga apparently wants to go further and his
Kazuyuki Furuya as saying that it will intervene ‘if subsequent selection as PM prompted the three cellcos
consumer convenience is being undermined’ and that to signal they plan to lower their rates. Furuya told the
his primary goal is to ensure that end user interests Nikkei that despite legal measures to separate handset
are ‘not being harmed by high prices resulting from the sales from service fees and a crackdown on long-term
lack of competition or by low quality services’. When contracts to level the playing field for newcomers, the
Yoshihide Suga announced his candidacy to succeed ‘market share held by discount carriers has not grown’
Shinzo Abe following the latter’s resignation on health and the current levels of competition are still not
grounds, he said: ‘I want to create a framework that enough. ‘Network access fees [charged to new market
allows for greater competition in the [telecoms] field’. entrants] and the lack of the market for second-hand
Suga is an old hand where it comes to telecoms policy handsets might be hindering competition,’ he said,
and has long trumpeted the need for lower mobile seemingly confirming that the FTC will look into those
service rates. As minister for internal affairs and areas. The FTC chairman did not say when the review
communications in the 2000s he strove to make the will begin. (October 19, 2020) commsupdate.com

The State Communications Agency (SCA) confirmed CommsUpdate, the regulator had scheduled three
on its website that a series of auctions for wireless auctions for 4/7/8 September, offering ten-year
spectrum licenses in the 2300MHz-2400MHz TDD concessions for frequencies in all regions across the
range have been declared invalid due to absence of country except the capital Bishkek and second largest
Kyrgyzstan bidders. As previously reported by TeleGeography’s city Osh. (September 21, 2020) commsupdate.com

Telecoms watchdog the Regulatory Authority for Post governmental bodies, such as the Kosovo Intelligence
and Electronic Communications (Autoriteti Rregullator Agency (Agjencia Kosovare e Inteligjences, AKI) and
i Komunikimeve Elektronike dhe Postare, ARKEP) has the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) to investigate
briefed the Parliamentary Committee for the Economy any potential risk to national security and to assess
Kosovo on the progress of the sale of full-service provider the suitability of the would-be purchaser. Much of
the committee’s discussion surrounded concerns
IPKO by its parent, Telekom Slovenije. Local news
outlets quote a senior ARKEP official as stating that regarding the potential takeover of IPKO by Serbian
the number of entities that had registered their interest state-owned provider Telekom Srbija on national
in purchasing IPKO ‘was two digits’, but the Slovenian security grounds. Whilst the ARKEP members present
telco did not disclose the exact number, nor the names confirmed that they would look to block the sale to the
of the parties. The official added that the seller is not Serbian telco, MPs highlighted a potential barrier in
required to share such information at this stage of the that ARKEP’s board lacks a quorum and its decision-
sale, but will provide the relevant information to ARKEP making could therefore be considered illegitimate or
once it completes the second phase of the process, illegal. The issue was dismissed by ARKEP officials,
currently scheduled to take place by mid-November. At however.
that point, ARKEP will pass the information on to other (October 7, 2020) commsupdate.com

National regulator the Liberia Telecommunications the deployment of its fiber-optic network to homes,
Authority (LTA) has issued a mobile network businesses and educational institutions, but will now
services license to state-owned PTO Liberia be able to join incumbent operators Lonestar Cell-MTN
Telecommunications Corporation (LIBTELCO), allowing and Orange Liberia in the domestic market, offering a
Liberia it to offer GSM-based services. Front Page Africa notes range of voice and mobile data services. As previously
a statement from the LTA as saying that ‘Liberians would
reported by TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate, in August
now have a wider choice in determining the network of this year the House of Representatives voted to amend
their convenience’. LIBTELCO has been focusing on the Telecommunications Act of 2007 to expand the

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