Page 77 - SAMENA Trends - September-October 2020

WHOLESALE UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

NBN Co to Create ‘Business Fiber Zones’ and Cut Wholesale Enterprise

Broadband Prices

Australia’s NBN Co has announced it will initiatives, the company has allocated for Enterprise Ethernet, for an estimated
invest up to AUD700 million (USD508 AUD50 million over three years to work 90% of business premises in the National
million) over the next three years in with local councils and state and territory Broadband Network (NBN) footprint, it will
what it called a ‘multi-faceted package governments to identify opportunities to not charge the retailer for building the fiber.
of initiatives’, with a view to supporting extend business-grade services outside Further, should an RSP sign up for a three-
business innovation, productivity and of its designated Business Fiber Zones. year Enterprise Ethernet plan, NBN Co has
growth. As its first initiative, the company As an additional element to its plans, said it will not charge the retailer an up-
will create up to 240 ‘Business Fiber Zones’ NBN Co has announced that when a retail front connection cost.
across the country, including a presence in service provider (RSP) places an order
85 regional centers. All businesses within
these zones will reportedly have access
to Enterprise Ethernet at significantly
reduced wholesale prices and in total
these zones are expected to cover more
than 700,000 business premises. NBN Co
has already revealed the locations of the
first 130 Business Fiber Zones, with these
including 61 in regional locations such
as Bunbury, Mount Gambier, Devonport,
Shepparton, Port Macquarie and
Rockhampton. Meanwhile, the company’s
second initiative will see Enterprise
Ethernet pricing reduced by up to 67% for
those businesses in Business Fiber Zones.
Such a move will, NBN Co claims, give
thousands of regional businesses access
to the same support as businesses in
capital city centers, at the same wholesale
price. Thirdly, as part of its package of

Roaming Rate Reductions Imminent In South America

Roaming charges for mobile users in Argentina, Brazil and Colombia have been entirely by 1 January 2022. This trend is
Argentina and Chile are to be abolished. discussed for some time and are seen by no means limited to South America. As
That’s the promise of an agreement as potentially beneficial not just for end we recently reported, the Central African
first mooted more than two years ago users – especially in border areas – but Economic and Monetary Community
and scheduled for last year – and then for businesses and the tourist industry. (CEMAC), made up of Cameroon, Congo,
rescheduled for May this year. However, Andean community (CAN) member states Gabon, Chad, Equatorial Guinea and the
this time, according to TeleGeography's Peru, Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador had Central African Republic, plans to abolish
CommsUpdate, the scrapping of roaming also been aiming for an agreement to end roaming charges by the start of next year.
charges will actually go ahead. Whether international roaming – in this case as early The Economic Community of West African
this will signal a wider attempt to promote as mid-2019. Although that didn’t happen, States (ECOWAS), meanwhile, agreed to
regional roaming is an interesting question. international roaming rates in voice and remove roaming fees for its 15 members
Plans to eliminate roaming charges for data communications are now falling and back in 2017.
Chilean subscribers travelling in Peru, the hope is that they can be abolished

77 SEP-OCT 2020