Page 104 - SAMENA Trends - July-September 2024

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Policy-makers and industry leaders will consider coming together to develop the standards required
priorities for international standards to support for people and economies to thrive while pushing new
industry growth, innovation, and trust in new frontiers. That's what our standardization processes
technologies at ITU's World Telecommunication are built for." WTSA-24 will be the first meeting of ITU's
India Standardization Assembly (WTSA), taking place governing conference on standards to take place in
from 15 to 24 October at New Delhi's Pragati Maidan
Asia. (September 16, 2024) www.itu.int
conference and exhibition Centre. Standards from
the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) The government collected 113.40 billion rupees ($1.35
support cost-effective, interoperable advancements billion) from the auction, which was far less than the
in technology at a global scale. By capturing and total spectrum on sale, simply because demand for the
creating a basis for continuous innovation, standards spectrum is too low. The sale fell short of the 962.38
provide the foundation for new industries to grow billion rupees worth of spectrum on offer. The auction
and established industries to evolve. Organized every covered spectrum in the 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800
four years, WTSA is the governing conference for MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300 MHz,
the standardization work of ITU, the United Nations and 26 GHz frequency bands, but it was the 900 MHz,
Agency for Digital Technologies. "Standards are taking 1,800 MHz, 2100 MHz and 2500 MHz bands that were
Centre stage in global governance discussions," said snapped up by the operators. “The unsold spectrum will
Doreen Bogdan-Martin, ITU Secretary-General. "When again be put to auction next time,” confirmed the Indian
countries gather in New Delhi for WTSA-24, they Ministry of Communications. The country’s second
will have an opportunity to foster digital inclusion largest telco Bharti Airtel topped the auction spending
and trust — values that are more important than 68.57 billion rupees ($820.80 million), followed by 35.1
ever to ensure that innovation in fields like artificial billion rupees from Vodafone Idea ($420.5 million)
intelligence, the metaverse, and quantum information and then market leader Reliance Jio with 9.74 billion
technologies helps us create the future we want." ITU's rupees ($116.7 million). The last spectrum auction in
standardization work is driven by the contributions India took place in 2022. This auction was much larger,
and consensus decisions of ITU's membership, with 51.2 GHz of radio frequencies sold for a record 1.5
including 193 Member States and over 1000 member trillion rupees, mainly because much of this spectrum
companies, universities, and international and regional was on sale for the first time. In this auction, Bharti
organizations. WTSA directs the agency's activities Airtel, and Vodafone Idea all took home spectrum
on standards and reviews the strategy, structure, licenses. Since then, both Jio and Airtel have been hard
and working methods of ITU's standardization arm at work rolling out their 5G networks, while Vodafone
(ITU-T). The conference also approves the mandates Idea delayed the process due to financial strain. But
and appoints the leadership teams of ITU-T expert despite swift rollouts from the country’s two largest
groups for international standardization. "Standards operators, uptake has been slow to follow, with both
agreed by consensus create the confidence to continue operators reporting relatively little in the way of 5G
innovating and investing," said Seizo Onoe, Director revenues in their latest financials, and are therefore
of ITU's Telecommunication Standardization Bureau. reluctant to spend heavily on spectrum at the moment.
"With every breakthrough in science and technology (July 1, 2024) www.totaltele.com
comes wider transformation, and we must keep

The Republic of Ireland’s competition authority opened at Cellnex, though following a change in strategy
an in-depth investigation into the implications of announced in November 2022, the company has
Cellnex’s proposed sale of its local business to peer been more focused on cutting debt and disposals
Phoenix Tower International (PTI). Cellnex announced in Europe. On announcing the proposed sale of its
Ireland the €971 million deal in March, with the Competition Ireland business, Cellnex CEO Marco Patuano said it
was in line with a “goal of consolidating, simplifying
and Consumer Protection Commission opening a
first stage probe into the proposal shortly afterwards. our corporate structure and focusing our efforts in
In a brief statement, the regulator said its detailed the existing growth opportunities in the main markets
investigation would “establish whether the proposed in which we operate”. Figures released by the Irish
transaction will result in a substantial lessening of authority noted Cellnex operates 1,720 macro sites
competition”. Cellnex Ireland’s portfolio comprises containing passive infrastructure and 173 real estate-
sites acquired when it bought local player Cignal in only sites in the country. PTI also already operates in
2019, alongside assets purchased as part of a series the country, entering in 2020 when it acquired operator
of deals with 3 Ireland parent CK Hutchison. The Eir’s passive infrastructure business Emerald Tower.
buys came at a time of significant acquisition activity (July 26, 2024) www.mobileworldlive.com

104 JULY-SEPTEMBER 2024