Page 122 - SAMENA Trends - Oct-Nov 2023

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

The Commerce Commission has released its draft expects to release its final determination in early
determination on the allocation of payments for the December. The TDL is paid by providers earning more
government’s Telecommunications Development Levy than NZD10 million per year from telecommunications
(TDL) for the period covering 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023. services, including internet, mobile, and data services.
New The regulator proposes that mobile network operators The government uses the funds collected by this levy to
Spark, One and 2degrees and wholesale fixed line
pay for telecommunications infrastructure and services
Zealand provider Chorus collectively pay 87% of the NZD11.25 that are not commercially viable, including the relay
million (USD6.55 million) levy, with the remainder divided service for the deaf and hearing-impaired, broadband
among other liable providers. Stakeholders have until 9 for rural areas, and improvements to the 111-emergency
November to submit their feedback. The Commission service. (October 26, 2023) www.commsupdate.com

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) The NCC says it has also stepped down planned
has announced that it has restored regulatory services enforcement actions against Globacom over its breach
to telecoms operator Globacom. The move comes of regulations by failing to pay its debts despite several
Nigeria after the firm successfully cleared its outstanding demand notices. The NCC had temporarily withdrawn
the suspension of regulatory services to Globacom in a
debt obligations to the regulator for unpaid spectrum
and numbering fees, and the annual operating levy. letter dated 22 May 2023. (October 17, 2023) www.commsupdate.com

The National Communications Authority (Nkom) 96.9% and 70.4%, respectively, in 2022. Despite these
has reported that 96.6% of the country’s residential coverage improvements, Nkom notes that around
households and 95.9% of businesses now have access 85,000 premises are still unable to access a fixed

Norway to a fixed broadband service offering downlink speeds broadband service offering 100Mbps download speeds.
According to the regulator, around 12,000 of these are
of 100Mbps or more. In publishing the findings of its
Draft
most recent broadband coverage survey, the watchdog in ‘commercially attractive’ areas where government
noted that rural areas have experienced the greatest support is unlikely to be needed. A further 24,000
improvement – 82.2% of homes now have access premises are expected to gain coverage via support
to 100Mbps-plus speeds, up from 71.5% in 2022. By being offered under a 5G discount scheme, while 15,000
comparison, 99.4% of homes in densely-populated homes will be covered by schemes in 2024 which have
areas now enjoy a minimum 100Mbps service at the already been allocated government funding. To reach
aforementioned downlink speed, up from 98.0% in the final 34,000 premises, Nkom has suggested that
2022. Nkom also confirmed that gigabit broadband is state will need to invest between NOK580 million and
now available to 95.1% of Norwegian homes, compared NOK860 million (USD53 million-USD78 million) in 2025.
to 92.5% in 2022, with 98.6% of premises in urban areas (November 6, 2023) www.commsupdate.com
and 77.0% of rural homes having such access, up from

The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) terminal equipment. As such, the ministry explained
has scrapped plans to reorganize the 800MHz band that the reorganization of the band might not lead to
for 4G services, citing uncertainty regarding the device more efficient use of the spectrum and cancelled the
ecosystem for the band. The MTC claimed that limited process. The MTC began the process in November last
Peru exploitation of the band for 4G services elsewhere year as the current assignment of the spectrum is non-
contiguous and not uniform at the regional or national
led to a risk of there being insufficient economies of
scale for network equipment in the short and medium level, making it ill-suited for the provision of advanced
term and questioned the availability of compatible services. (November 2, 2023) www.commsupdate.com

The Philippines’ Court of Appeals (CA) has dismissed Court’s Special Ninth Division tossed out the case after
a legal case brought by NOW Telecom against the ruling the plaintiff had failed to prove its argument that
National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) it had legal rights to the ‘concomitant frequencies’ it
relating to the former’s application for a provisional was after. Further, the CA adjudged that NTC had not
Philippines authority (PA) to operate a mobile (cellular) service neglected its duties or obligations regarding the case.
using specific frequency ranges. In its decision, the
NOW Telecom was seeking to force the regulator to
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