Page 93 - SAMENA Trends - August-September 2025

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

FCC Tightens Rules on Foreign Firms Building Undersea Cables, Citing Security

The Federal Communications Commission has adopted new rules
to make it more difficult for foreign firms to apply for licensing to
build out submarine cables, citing the need to protect the continued
construction of critical undersea cables that underpin the internet
and transcontinental communications. The rules would require the
FCC to presumptively deny “certain foreign adversary-controlled
license applicants” from obtaining licenses needed to operate in
U.S.-controlled waters. It would also restrict undersea capacity
leasing agreements, ban the use of unspecified covered equipment
and establish a range of physical and cybersecurity requirements
on those same firms. The FCC said that as the U.S. seeks to become
“the unrivaled world leader in critical and emerging technologies
and secure AI dominance,” the cables responsible for powering reported submarine cable incidents, but cybersecurity threats
that data explosion must be protected from acts of foreign and cable-cutting techniques like anchor dragging are also rising.
sabotage. According to figures provided by the FCC, there are 90 Commissioner Anna Gomez noted that the FCC had not updated its
cable systems already licensed by the agency. The FCC expects rules around submarine cables in decades, despite their evolution
those numbers to grow significantly in coming years as businesses into the backbone of global internet communications. “As national
and governments continue to build out additional infrastructure. security risks increased and our Government took steps large and
In a statement, Chair Brendan Carr said the FCC’s order was small to protect our networks from foreign adversaries on multiple
meant to “facilitate, not frustrate” this expansion of submarine fronts, the Commission long coordinated with key federal agencies
cable infrastructure, while making it harder for foreign nations to to protect submarine cables,” Gomez said. One key challenge facing
potentially gain influence or access to that infrastructure through policymakers as this expansion continues will be putting hard
an affiliate third-party company. “We not only want to unleash the security restrictions in place without slowing things down. “The
deployment of new undersea cables — we want to make sure those hard work of this item really was in finding the balance between, on
cables are secure. In recent years, we have seen submarine cable the one hand, necessary security measures to protect critical U.S.
infrastructure threatened by foreign adversaries, like China,” Carr communications infrastructure against foreign adversary threats
said. An assessment by Recorded Future’s Insikt Group in July and, on the other hand, clarifying and streamlining processes
found that the growing submarine cable industry is facing a threat to provide economic certainty that will facilitate investment
landscape that has “very likely escalated” over the past 18 months. and minimizing regulatory burdens by removing duplicative or
Accidents continue to be the primary means of damage in publicly unnecessary requirements where possible,” Gomez said.

NCC Approves MTN Nigeria Spectrum Deal with T2 Mobile

There’s been an interesting new development in the ongoing sto- 2025 strategy, which focuses on expanding broadband access
ry of the repositioning of Nigerian operator 9mobile as T2 Mobile. and improving cost-efficiency through partnerships, infrastructure
It involves a spectrum deal with one of the country’s leading op- sharing and environmentally sustainable practices. Indeed, Karl
erators, MTN Nigeria. Specifically, MTN Nigeria has received ap- Toriola, CEO, MTN Nigeria is widely quoted as saying: “By lever-
proval from regulator the Nigerian Communications Commission aging additional spectrum resources, we are enhancing network
(NCC) to lease frequency spectrum from T2 Mobile Limited. Under capacity in a cost-efficient and environmentally sustainable way.”
the agreement, effective 1 October 2025, MTN Nigeria will lease He also argues that MTN is fostering a more collaborative telecom
5MHz FDD in the 900MHz band and 15MHz FDD in the 1800MHz ecosystem, not just by its a national roaming agreement with T2
band from T2 Mobile for an initial period of three years. Accord- but also by onboarding mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs).
ing to MTN, the lease arrangement is a key enabler of its recent- News service Techpoint Africa says that as part of this spectrum
ly announced national roaming agreement with T2, ensuring the realignment, MTN will not be renewing its ongoing one-year lease
operator can manage increased network traffic from T2’s cus- with service provider Natcom Development & Investment Limited
tomer base on its infrastructure. The initiative is said to highlight (NTEL), which is set to expire on 29 November. That lease current-
a broader industry push towards collaboration, spectrum sharing, ly covers 5MHz in the 900MHz band and 10MHz in the 1800MHz
and expanding broadband access. It’s also being described as band across 17 states. This seems to be yet another piece of pos-
aimed at boosting network capacity and advancing digital inclu- itive news for T2 Mobile, whose overall market share, while small,
sion across the country. Of course, for MTN the extra capacity will seems to be stabilizing. However, as our recent overview indicates,
support growth in demand for data and voice services, but it could the company may still have a long way to go after a turbulent few
also be good for the environment. MTN Nigeria has described the years.
new lease and roaming agreement as aligned with its Ambition

93 AUG-SEP 2025