Page 146 - SAMENA Trends - April-May 2021

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

The government has announced that it is allocating over 100Mbps are available for 80% of households
EUR1.4 billion (EUR1.7 billion) by 2026 to accelerate the and 43% have gigabit-enabled connections. After
expansion of high speed broadband services across the the new public funding has been finalized, the new
country. The new funds consist of EUR891 million from funding guidelines will be sent for consultation to
the EU’s recovery and resilience fund, a further EUR166 determine where the money will be allocated, before
million already earmarked in the current budget, as well the guidelines are sent to the EU for notification. At the
as EUR389 million generated from the 2019 and 2020 same time, work is being done on an amendment to the
spectrum auctions. At present, almost all of Austria’s Telecommunications Act to create investment-friendly
approximately 3.9 million households already have a measures for the private-sector expansion of fixed and
basic supply of fixed broadband services, 89% of which mobile internet services.
are faster than 30Mbps, while connection speeds of (April 26, 2021) commsupdate.com

Telecoms regulator the Belgian Institute for Postal and 1Gbps by 2030. ‘Achieving digital transformation,
Services and Telecommunications (BIPT) has granted which is also part of the green transition, will be
telecom operator Citymesh permission to use its essential. However, we must ensure that no one is left
licenses in the 3.5GHz band across the entire country. behind,’ stressed Minister De Sutter. ‘For the moment,
Belgium The decision follows a request submitted by the B2B too many of our fellow citizens do not have fast internet.
wireless connectivity provider in December 2020 for its Every month, mayors from remote municipalities or
permit to be extended to all Belgian communes except parliamentarians ask me questions about this, and
Vresse-sur-Semois, Bievre, Gedinne and Bouillon, rightly so, because each of us has the right to access a
where the frequencies have already been granted to quality internet. This is all the more true as in the future
sister company Gridmax. Citymesh’s user rights for teleworking and remote learning will be increasingly
the frequency block 3430MHz-3450MHz/3530MHz- common.’ Under the plan, every white zone – estimated
3550MHz are valid until 6 May 2025. to be around 2% of territory – will be mapped as a
(May 10, 2021) commsupdate.com first step to facilitating the deployment of high speed
services, for example by stimulating investment by
The Federal Council of Ministers officially launched on operators. In addition, a special government unit
30 April a national plan for fixed and mobile broadband with responsibility for implementing the plan and
which aims to eliminate the remaining ‘white zones’ monitoring progress will be set up, while a ‘Broadband
where high speed services are unavailable. Telecom Competence Office’ will also be established to deal
Minister Petra De Sutter explained that some 138,000 with all relevant issues relating to 5G and support
households are still unable to access high speed implementation of the EU Connectivity Toolbox. The
broadband, and that the issue must be addressed if government will determine an exact budget for the plan
Belgium is to achieve an EU target for all homes to at a later date.
have access to download speeds of 100Mbps by 2025 (May 5, 2021) commsupdate.com

The Ministry of Digital & Digitalisation (MND) has Benin’s MNO market is currently a duopoly of private
launched a tender to license a new mobile network sector operators MTN and Moov, while state-owned
operator (MNO), open to foreign companies with Beninese Digital Infrastructure Company (Societe
existing telecoms network operations. Applicants must Beninoise d’Infrastructures Numeriques, SBIN)
Benin have the required technical and financial resources and has been earmarked by the government as a third
not be directly or indirectly controlled by an existing MNO, with Senegal-based Sonatel chosen as SBIN’s
licensee. Applications are due by 18 May 2021, subject management company in March 2021 under a remit
to a non-refundable XOF5 million (USD9,100) fees. The to make SBIN ‘a major GSM operator’ over five years.
tender was authorized by a Council of Ministers decision The Council of Ministers decision which delegated
of 24 March 2021, with an invitation for applications SBIN’s management to Sonatel also authorized the
dated 26 April 2021 subsequently published on the MND to ‘initiate the opening of a procedure for granting
website of the Authority for Regulation of Electronic a third license for mobile electronic communications
Communications & Post (l’Autorite de Regulation des networks for the benefit of the SBIN’.
Communications Electroniques et de la Poste, ARCEP). (May 6, 2021) commsupdate.com

146 APRIL-MAY 2021