Regulation

Ghana’s Minister of Communications, Samuel Nartey George, has revealed plans to establish an interministerial committee aimed at addressing the high cost of data in Ghana.

Thai telco True Corp says that while it welcomes plans by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to hold a new spectrum auction in April, it objects to the reserve prices and the requirement that telcos must pay at least 50% of their winning bid upfront.

Thailand has said it will suspend electricity supply to some border areas with Myanmar in an effort to curb scam centres.

Nigeria’s Federal Executive Council (FEC), one of the three arms of government that conduct the affairs of the country at the federal level, has approved two major initiatives to advance Nigeria’s digital economy: the Nigeria Universal Communication Access Project and the National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Trust.

The Zambian Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) has penalised Airtel Zambia with a ZMW4 million (US$143,000) compensation bill following continuous service disruptions on its network.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Tuesday issued its recommendations for auctioning off millimetre wave (mmWave) spectrum for 5G services at a relatively lower price than previous auctions.

The latest African roaming agreement comes from the west of the continent, where the governments of Liberia, The Gambia and Sierra Leone have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at reducing telecommunications costs through improved roaming services.

The Indian government is reportedly projecting a 33% drop in telecoms revenue in its fiscal year 2026, although that’s partly due to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) raking in more telecoms revenue than expected for FY2025.

It looks like SIM card registration in Ghana, supposedly over and done by May 2023, isn’t quite finished yet, at least according to Ghana’s Minister-Designate for Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovation, Sam Nartey George.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) – Nigeria's largest labour union – has reportedly called for a nationwide protest next week to oppose a government-approved plan by telcos to raise tariffs by 50%, as the GSMA has waded in to support the increase.

The board of Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has reportedly approved draft rules that would require telcos to add biometrics to their SIM card registration processes.

Officials from China, Myanmar and Thailand have reportedly reached a consensus on eradicating telecommunication fraud centres in Myanmar, a country with a long-standing fraud problem, exacerbated by the ongoing war in that country.

Indonesia’s antitrust watchdog has ordered technology giant Google to pay IDR202.5 billion (US$12.4 million) for monopolistic practices related to payment services on its app store.

This could be the year in which Pakistan starts to roll out 5G, according to documents cited this week in the local press relating to a 5G service launch schedule.

Mexican telecoms regulator, the Federal Telecommunications Institute (FTI), has cancelled the auction for 5G spectrum that was scheduled for this month.

The Communications Regulatory Authority of Mozambique has completed a nationwide assessment of telecom operators’ quality of service, revealing significant disparities in performance and compliance. Movitel emerged as the worst-performing operator for data services, while Vodacom demonstrated the highest reliability.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has reportedly issued an ultimatum for nine banks: pay up on their Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) codes or be disconnected before the end of this month.

Local media reported that India-based Adani Group is planning to release the 5G spectrum it acquired in 2022 as India’s telecoms regulator pushes the company to fulfill its coverage obligations.

Seven prequalified companies have confirmed to Costa Rica’s regulator Sutel their participation in the 5G spectrum auction in Costa Rica, which will take place this month.

Burkina Faso has announced the launch of plans to tax e-commerce. Sales of goods and services rendered through e-commerce platforms in Burkina Faso are now subject to value added tax (VAT) for the year 2025.

Proposed new licensing rules and fees from regulator the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) could financially impact distributors of terminal electronic devices and complex network equipment as well as satellite internet service providers (ISPs).

Philippines central bank, The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) says it has lifted its moratorium on new electronic money issuers from non-bank financial institutions (EMI-NBFI). The move is said to be aimed at enhancing digital payments in the country.

The military government in Myanmar, which seized power in a coup in February 2021, has enacted a new cybersecurity law which imposes wide-ranging controls on the flow of information. The measures were announced last Friday in state-run newspapers, though reports suggest they came into effect two days’ earlier.

Two very different announcements regarding SIM registration have made headlines in two African countries in recent days: Togo is pursuing the policy, while Mauritius seems to be rejecting it.

While the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has been widely reported as dismissing speculations that it plans an upward review of tariffs by January next year, it does seem as though one operator, satellite internet service Starlink, will have its planned tariff increase approved.

An internet law that gives the government power to regulate online content took effect in Vietnam last week. Decree 147, as the law is known, expands government control over access to information on the internet for reasons of ‘national security’ and ‘social order’.

The IFT-12 tender, in which spectrum will be made available for 5G networks in Mexico, will begin on 27 January when an invitation to would-be buyers to express their interest begins, according to an announcement from regulator the Federal Institute of Telecommunications (IFT).

Colombia’s Communications Regulatory Commission (CRC) and its Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies (MinTIC) have announced the launch of a public consultation focused on OTT (over the top) digital services. It began on 11 December 2024 and will continue until 31 January 2025.

Sudan’s telecoms regulator, the National Telecommunications Corporation (NTC), has partnered with mobile network operator Sudatel and NGOs to connect relief workers in the conflict-ridden country.

There’s been a new development in the ongoing issue of how much local input must be included in smartphones sold to Indonesians. The Indonesian government is now reportedly planning to increase the local component requirement for such phones.

Nigerian news outlets are reporting a strong response by consumer association the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS) to the latest government attempt by the government to tax telecoms.

The ongoing story of Brazilian digital infrastructure solutions company and neutral fibre optic network owner V.tal’s plans to buy financially troubled telecommunication company Oi's broadband unit has taken a positive turn as Brazilian competition regulator Cade has approved the purchase – though it’s far from over yet.