Page 62 - SAMENA Trends - September 2023

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

REGULATORY NEWS

CST Publishes Frequency Spectrum Regulations for Maritime Services

The Communications, Space and
Technology Commission (CST) of Saudi
Arabia has published the Frequency
Spectrum Regulations for Maritime
Services, which aims to regulate the use of
maritime radio services, raise the efficiency
of spectrum use by organizing the channels
for these services, and ensure international
harmonization to protect these services
from harmful interference. The document
highlights the main elements for regulating
maritime services, such as types of
licenses, management of numbering
resources, technical terms and conditions
for licensing, and frequency allocations for
maritime radio services. The maritime radio
services are of essential help to the maritime
sector, in communications, navigation,
distress and safety. According to CST, this
document plays a role in managing the
use of maritime radio services, raising the
efficiency spectrum use in the Kingdom,
according to best international practices,
and providing spectrum for all maritime
radio services in the Kingdom while
ensuring compliance with international
regulations and protection from wireless
interference. The document can be viewed
on CST website.

ARPCE Issues Formal Notice to Airtel and MTN Over SIM Registrations

the matter, the data presented by Benjamin MTN was said to have registered 48% of
Mouandza, Director of Electronic Commu- SIMs correctly, unchanged from the regula-
nications Networks and Services, revealed tor’s findings for that provider a year earlier.
what he termed ‘a general weakness in the There were reportedly some bright spots
identification process, and demonstrates with Airtel said to have been found to regis-
that the ban on the sale of pre-activated ter 100% of SIMs in the Ngo district, while
SIM cards decreed by the law is not re- MTN did likewise in the town of Gamboma,
The Republic of Congo telecoms regulator, spected by the operators. Having conduct- and both achieved 100% registration rates
the Regulatory Agency for Electronic Com- ed a number of SIM registration checks in Kinkala. More damning, however, was
munications and Post (L’Agence de Regu- between 4 July and 4 August in more than the ARPCE’s claims that it had found that
lation des Postes et des Communications 16 locations across the country, the ARPCE both cellcos had failed to correctly register
Electroniques, ARPCE), has issued a new said it had recorded mixed results. Accord- any SIMs whatsoever in some larger cities,
formal notice to the country’s incumbent ing to the regulator, Airtel was found to have including Pointe Noire and Dolisie. For the
mobile operators, Airtel Congo and MTN registered only 40% of SIMs on average capital, Brazaville, meanwhile, the regulator
Congo, regarding failures related to SIM during the monitoring period, albeit that said Airtel and MTN had registered just 7%
registration. In a press release regarding this was up from 19% in 2022. For its part, and 22% of SIMs correctly, respectively.
62 SEPTEMBER 2023