Page 73 - SAMENA Trends - December 2023
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WHOLESALE UPDATES  SAMENA TRENDS

        NBN Co Outlines Details of New Wholesale Broadband Agreement for Retail

        Providers


        Australia’s NBN Co has announced that it will implement a new   of CVC (capacity) charges for the ‘Home Fast’ wholesale service
        Wholesale Broadband Agreement (‘WBA5’) for the nation’s retail   at downlink speeds of 100Mbps or higher. With regards to price
        service providers (RSPs) on 1 December 2023. In a press release   reductions, NBN Co singled out an AUD10 (USD6) discount which
        regarding  the  matter,  NBN  Co  said  that  the  revised  three-year   will  be  applied  to  the  entry-level  12Mbps/1Mbps  ‘Basic  Bundle’,
        agreement reflects the wholesale price terms of the Special Access   making that available for a wholesale price of AUD12 per month. A
        Undertaking (SAU) Variation which was accepted by the Australian   25Mbps/5Mbps tariff will receive an AUD11 discount, meanwhile,
        Competition  and  Consumer Commission  (ACCC)  last  month.   reducing its monthly wholesale charge to AUD26. Counter to that,
        According to the operator, the new agreement will see ‘significant’   NBN  Co’s  50Mbps/20  Mbps  product will  actually  see  an  AUD5
        reductions in the wholesale prices of entry level and higher speed   wholesale price increase, to AUD50 per month, but the operator
        tiers,  while  supporting  fast  internet  speeds  and  improved  cost   claims  to  have  ‘incorporated  greater  value  into  the  plan’  with  a
        certainty  for retailers and  customers. Among the  improvements   34% increase in the data allowance. To date, a total of 38 RSPs,
        highlighted  by  NBN  Co  for the  new  wholesale  agreement  is  the   including  ‘Australia’s  largest  internet  retailers’,  are  said  to  have
        implementation  of  flat-rate  prices  with  the  immediate  removal   signed up to WBA5.




        Mali Signs Two Roaming Agreements, with Benin and Togo


        Mali has entered into two mobile roaming agreements with fellow   memorandums of understanding  (MoUs) with  its  Beninese  and
        West  African countries  Benin  and  Togo, with  implementation   Togolese regulatory counterparts on 9 December with the aim of
        expected before the end of February 2024, Agence Ecofin reports.   eliminating roaming charges to reduce communication costs for
        The Malian Authority for the Regulation of Telecommunications/  mobile phone users travelling between the respective countries.
        ICT and Post  (L’Autorite  Malienne  de  Regulation  des   Under the terms of the agreement, roaming users will be able to
        Telecommunications/TIC et des Postes, AMRTP) signed bilateral   receive calls free of charge during the first 30 days of their visit.
                                                               In addition, local calls will cost a maximum of XOF79 (USD0.13)
                                                               per minute; calls to the roamers’ home country will be capped at
                                                               XOF150 per minute; and mobile internet will be billed at a maximum
                                                               XOF2.2 per MB. The Mali/Benin/Togo regulators’ joint statement
                                                               said: ‘Regulatory authorities will continue, with the support of their
                                                               respective  governments,  efforts  to eliminate  roaming charges
                                                               between ECOWAS [Economic Community of West African States]
                                                               countries  through the  multiplication  of similar  agreements  to
                                                               achieve the objective of mobility and community digital integration.’
                                                               Previously, Benin and Togo signed a bilateral roaming agreement
                                                               in October this year, before Togo reached a roaming pact with Cote
                                                               d’Ivoire on 6 December. Earlier, at the end of June Cote d’Ivoire and
                                                               Ghana launched mutual roaming without surcharges via ECOWAS
                                                               regulations, while Ghana and Togo are in the process of finalizing a
                                                               similar arrangement under the ECOWAS framework. Furthermore,
                                                               according to the latest report, a roaming agreement should also
                                                               become effective between Cote d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso from 15
                                                               December 2023.




        Another Roaming Deal Signed in West Africa


        The telecoms regulators of Cote d’Ivoire and Togo have signed a   Regulation 21/12/17 of December 2017, ECOWAS has called on
        mobile roaming deal which will cut costs for travelers between the   member states to implement free cross-border roaming. The first
        two countries. The agreement is the latest among members of the   such agreement was signed in July this year between Cote d’Ivoire
        Economic  Community of West  African States  (ECOWAS), an   and Ghana.
        organization  which  includes  15  West  African  nations.  Under  its

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