Page 149 - SAMENA Trends - September-October 2022

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Government Urged to Extend Energy Price Cap to Telecoms Sector

The Association of Mobile Operators in Romania (Asociatia Ordinance No. 119/2022, which prolongs and amends the energy
Operatorilor Mobili din Romania, AOMR) – which includes Orange cap and subsidy scheme until the end of August 2023, will have
Romania, Vodafone Romania and Telekom Romania Mobile ‘a major destabilizing effect on telecommunications services and
Communications – has urged the government to include telecom seriously affect investment plans in the industry.’ The companies
operators among the sectors covered by measures approved notably warned that failure to guarantee them capped electricity
last week capping electricity prices at a subsidized rate of prices could reduce their interest in bidding for 5G spectrum later
RON1 (USD0.21) per kWh for 85% of their consumption, reports this year and lead to price rises for end users.
Economica.net. The AOMR warned in a statement that Emergency

Far EasTone Calls for NCC to Resolve Spectrum Dispute Ahead of Merger
Hearings

Far EasTone (FET) has called on Taiwan’s National Communications
Commission (NCC) to deal fairly with matters concerning spectrum
that are expected to arise from the proposed merger of Taiwan
Mobile and Taiwan Star. Local press outlet The Taipei Times notes
that the urging from FET comes ahead of two public hearings that
are scheduled to be held by the regulator this week regarding the
proposed tie-up of the two companies, as well as FET’s planned
acquisition of rival Asia Pacific Telecom. With the Taiwan Mobile-
Taiwan Star merger expected to give the enlarged entity a total
of 60MHz of spectrum in the sub-1GHz band range, FET has
highlighted that this would surpass the upper limit of one-third
of all auctioned spectrum in that range, which was set under the
‘Regulations for Administration of Mobile Broadband Businesses’.
For its part, Taiwan Mobile has argued that such a spectrum cap
would be unreasonable in the wake of the two planned mergers,
and has instead suggested that the NCC relax the rules so that the
limit companies can hold be raised to 40% of all auctioned sub-
1GHz spectrum.

Senator Pushes for 3.1GHz-3.45GHz Auction; Funds Can Be Used for Rural

Rip-and-Replace Scheme

US Senator Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, has introduced a USD3 billion shortfall as it seeks to reimburse small-scale US
bill that would require the Federal Communications Commission operators who need to remove Huawei/ZTE equipment from their
(FCC) to auction spectrum in the 3.1GHz-3.45GHz band. Senator networks on national security grounds. As directed by the Secure
Lee explains the bill as follows: ‘To auction spectrum and to and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019, the FCC is
authorize the FCC to borrow funds from the Treasury, to be repaid taking steps to reimburse communications providers with ten
out of auction proceeds, to ensure rural communications providers million or fewer subscriptions to remove, replace and dispose of
have the resources to replace communications equipment and Chinese-built equipment. The reimbursement program is being
services to protect their networks from Chinese Communist funded by a USD1.9 billion congressional appropriation, but
Party espionage.’ If passed, the FCC would have to seven years ‘Priority 1 applicants’ (operators serving fewer than two million
to auction 350MHz of spectrum in the band. The bill, which was subscriptions) have submitted approximately USD4.640 billion in
introduced on 12 September, has been referred to the Committee cost estimates that are reasonable and supported.
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The FCC faces a

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