Page 75 - SAMENA Trends - September-October 2020

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WHOLESALE NEWS

ARCEP Extends Free Mobile-Orange Roaming Deal To 2022

French telecoms regulator ARCEP has operators for the benefit of users ‘unacceptable competitive advantage and
approved a two-year extension to the and the development of investment, had serious anticompetitive implications
national roaming agreement between innovation and competitiveness in the for the market’, while Alternative Telecom
Orange France and Iliad’s Free Mobile, electronic communications sector’, argued it would damage competition in the
with Free Mobile users now allowed to despite strong opposition from Altice wholesale segment. Free Mobile initially
access Orange’s 2G/3G networks (subject France (SFR), Bouygues Telecom and applied for the extension in April 2020,
to an down/uplink cap of 384kbps) until industry group Alternative Telecom. citing difficulties matching the coverage of
the end of 2022. The regulator said that All three critics provided comments in its more established rivals.
it believed the move would not hinder the ARCEP’s consultation phase, with Altice
‘effective and fair competition between France claiming that the deal provided an

NCC Approves MTN and 9mobile National Roaming Trial

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has subscribers to access MTN network service within the National
revealed its approval for MTN Nigeria and Emerging Markets Roaming trial geographical area without the need for an MTN SIM
Telecommunication Service (9mobile) to carry out a trial of card,’ Danbatta said.
national roaming. The tests can be conducted for a period of
three months, from 1 August to 31 October 2020, in a few local
governments, designated as the ‘National Roaming geographic
area’, in Ondo State. According to the Executive Vice Chairman
of the NCC, Umar Garba Danbatta, the primary objective of the
national roaming trial is to encourage network resource sharing
among operators. He said this will lead to operational expenditure
optimization and capital expenditure efficiencies, thereby freeing
up resources to expand mobile network coverage to unserved
and underserved communities across the country, which will
result in improved quality of service delivery to subscribers.
‘The successful implementation of the trial will enable 9mobile

ACCC Confirms Reduction in Regulated Transmission Prices

Wholesale transmission services prices in said is significantly lower than the previous costs and risk for providing undersea
many regional and rural parts of Australia regulated prices. As an example, it said cable services to Tasmania and Christmas
are to be reduced ‘substantially’, following that regulated prices for high capacity Island. The prices for the DTCS will apply
the Australian Competition and Consumer services will be 60% lower than the until 31 March 2025. Commenting on the
Commission’s (ACCC’s) decision to reduce previous FAD, while low capacity services matter, ACCC chair Rod Sims said: ‘We
the regulated prices for the declared will see prices fall by 35%. The prices set expect these lower prices will promote
Domestic Transmission Capacity Service out in the FAD are reportedly based on a competition in downstream retail markets
(DTCS). In a press release regarding the benchmarking model developed by the which will lead to lower prices as well as
matter, the ACCC noted that it regulates ACCC in 2016, which uses transmission new, innovative services for consumers
transmission services in areas where there prices on competitive routes to determine … The downward trend in commercial
is little competition between transmission appropriate prices on regulated routes. transmission prices has continued over
providers or limited infrastructure. In its According to the regulator, the 2020 FAD the past five years, which is reflected in the
2020 DTCS final access determination reflects the overall decline in prices since lower regulated DTCS pricing.’
(FAD) the regulator has set pricing which it 2016, while also considering the higher

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