Page 151 - SAMENA Trends - April-May 2021

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

any technical issues with the implementation. The coverage and quality of service. The firms plan to
operators also laid out their roadmap for the overseas install over 500 cell sites by 2025, as well as deploying
territories to ARCEP, stating that they would provide new infrastructure in French Guinana by end-2022.
annual progress reports as they look to boost mobile (April 15, 2021) developingtelecoms.com

Ghana is all set to begin re-registration of SIM cards Vice President also noted that the SIM registration
with Ghana Card, the country’s smart national ID, or exercise is aimed at helping curb activities such as SIM
risk getting their SIMs blocked. The Vice President, box and Mobile money fraud. The SIM Box, which can
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has stated that the Minister house between 100 to 1000 SIM cards, is being used by
Ghana for Communication and Digitalization will between fraudsters to make huge financial gains. A six-month
June and July announce the re-registration of all SIM
grace period has been earmarked to get all Subscriber
cards in use in Ghana as part of measures to help in Identity Module (SIM) numbers re-registered with the
the formalization of the Ghanaian economy. Following Ghana Card. The re-registration doesn’t require going
this, a tweet was released by Ghana’s Ministry of to any telecom outlet as the process can be carried out
Communications stated that the re-registration on mobile devices with a dedicated USSD code, as long
process commences in June and runs till December, as one has the Ghana Card. With a population of over
after which all unregistered SIMs will be blocked. The 29 million people, the number of mobile subscriptions
Government’s decision to formalize the Ghanaian in Ghana as of 2019 was 40.93 million, according to
economy has made it necessary for the various Statista.
identity cards to be brought under one umbrella. The (May 26,2021) developingtelecoms.com

German parliament this week adopted a law regulating a single law so that the legal situation is clearer and
data protection and privacy in telecommunications more consistent,” Social Democrat (SPD) MP Falko
and telemedia. For the first time, the legislator Mohrs told EURACTIV. According to Christian Democrat
transposed EU requirements on cookies from the (CDU) MP Hansjörg Durz, it was a “good day for data
Germany bloc’s e-privacy directive. German data protection protection.” Speaking in parliament, the conservative
was until recently regulated by a series of laws. That lawmaker also stressed that the new law had created
led to legal uncertainty due to partially contradictory the “basis of the data economy of the future”. The new
provisions. Both the Telemedia Act (TMG) and the law, known by its acronym TTDSG, has also come under
recently amended Telecommunications Act (TKG) fire from critics. In a statement, MP Mario Brandenburg
have prompted uncertainty in some quarters. The of the liberal FDP said the new rules undermined “the
Data Protection Act passed on Thursday (20 May) right to anonymity on the internet.” The law could in
intends to unify the country’s rules and bring them in any case soon be superseded by European law since
line with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation the EU is currently holding intense talks on the new
(GDPR). “Until now, questions about data protection ePrivacy Regulation, which regulates data protection
and privacy were split between these two laws. These across Europe.
different data protection rules will now be merged into (May 21, 2021) euractiv.com

The Communications Authority (CA) has announced a at 2.5GHz/2.6GHz and 80MHz at 4.9GHz can be
wireless spectrum auction for the fourth quarter of this deployed in both indoor and outdoor locations for the
year to sell 325MHz of spectrum. The sale will include provision of public mobile services, while the 70MHz
220MHz of 5G-capable frequencies in the 600MHz, in the 600MHz band is designated for indoor use to
Hong Kong 700MHz and 4.9GHz bands, plus 105MHz of reassigned improve availability in areas such as shopping malls.
spectrum in the 850MHz and 2.5GHz/2.6GHz bands. TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database notes that
The auction reserve prices will be set by the Secretary Hong Kong conducted sales of 5G-capable spectrum
for Commerce and Economic Development (SCED) in the 3.3GHz, 3.5GHz, 4.9GHz and 26GHz ranges in
nearer the time, while the spectrum utilization fee (SUF) 2019, with licenses acquired by the four incumbent
will be determined at auction. All frequencies become operators, Hutchison 3, HKT, China Mobile HK (CMHK)
available to winning bidders in December 2021, apart and SmarTone. The cellcos launched commercial 5G
from the 2.5GHz/2.6GHz spectrum, which will be services in April and May 2020.
released in March 2024. The 85MHz of spectrum in (March 31, 2021) commsupdate.com
the 700MHz and the 850MHz bands, plus the 90MHz

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