Page 109 - SAMENA Trends - August 2019

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

REGULATORY ACTIVITIES BEYOND

THE SAMENA REGION

Telecoms watchdog the Electronic and Postal obligations requiring 25%, 50% and 75% of the nation’s
Communications Authority (Autoritetit Te territory to be covered with six, twelve and 18 months,
Komunikimeve Elektronike Dhe Postare, AKEP) has respectively. The regulator had previously sought to
opened a tender for the allocation of two 2×10MHz auction the airwaves last year, originally intending
Albania blocks in the 800MHz band, requesting bids by 9 to split the available frequencies into six 2×5MHz
September. The two blocks of spectrum on offer blocks. The sale was modified and delayed several
are 791MHz-801MHz/832MHz-842MHz (A1) and times, however, with the final deadline pushed back to
811MHz-821MHz/852MHz-862MHz. The concessions February 2019. Vodafone Albania was the only provider
have a duration of 15 years, and a starting price of to purchase any of the frequencies, however, securing
EUR7.44 million (USD8.34 million). Under the terms of the ‘A2’ block at 801MHz-811MHz/842MHz-852MHz.
the license, a new entrants would be subject to rollout (August 13, 2019) telegeography.com

International auditing group KPMG has been selected for tenders, to be launched ‘soon’ according to the
to evaluate bids for Angola’s fourth mobile license. An Finance Ministry. In April 2019 Angola’s President
inter-ministerial working group overseeing the tender Joao Lourenco cancelled the award of the fourth
for the country’s fourth cellular operating license mobile network operating license to local start-up
Angola chose KPMG Angola to provide expert advice on the Telstar Telecomunicacoes for non-compliance with
evaluation and review of all tender documentation, as certain procedures. Lourenco demanded higher levels
well as the evaluation of applications, offers and the of transparency in a relaunched tender for the license,
preparation of the tender process. KPMG Angola will which will also include rights to offer fixed network and
also support the international promotion of the call TV services. (August 20, 2019) Agence Ecofin

The legacy Nextel Argentina iDEN network was serving 182,000 subscribers as of 30 June, albeit down
deactivated on 30 June 2019, parent company Telecom from a peak of 2.023 million in December 2013. The
Argentina has confirmed. The telco stated: ‘All the iDEN statement was included in Telecom Argentina’s
services that were identified under the brand Nextel 1H19 financial report. The telco generated consolidated
Argentina (including the radio service over the iDEN network) revenues of ARS94.8 billion (USD1.7 billion) in the first
ceased to be active. For this reason, Telecom through half of 2019, while OIBDA for the first six months of
its corporate services brand FiberCorp, presented the year amounted to ARS31.8 billion. Net income,
‘Smart Radio’, a new option for customers and their meanwhile, amounted to ARS6.7 billion in 1H19. Nextel
businesses so they may continue communicating. Communications Argentina was absorbed by its sister
Smart Radio is a new service for direct and immediate company Cablevision on 1 October 2017 and ‘dissolved
voice connections with multimedia messaging for without liquidation’. All assets and obligations passed
companies and governments, which offers the best to Cablevision, which itself became part of Telecom
benefits of the Personal 3G/4G network.’ According Argentina on 1 January 2018.
to the Buenos Aires-based telco, the network was still (August 14, 2019) telegeography.com

Australia’s Department of Communications and the for any feedback. According to the DCA, the Regional
Arts (DCA) has released a discussion paper which Connectivity Program will ‘tailor solutions to individual
it says is designed to ‘help inform the design of the regions’ as part of the state’s AUD220 million (USD149
Regional Connectivity Program, aimed at improving million) ‘Stronger Regional Digital Connectivity
Australia digital connectivity in regional Australia’. In a press Package’. The program forms part of the government’s
release the government body said it was encouraging response to the 2018 Regional Telecommunications
submissions from people in the telecommunications Review, which examined the communication needs of
industry, all levels of government and other interested people living in rural and remote areas of the country.
stakeholders, and it has set a deadline of 9 September (August 12, 2019) telegeography.com
109 AUGUST 2019