Regulation

Hungary’s upcoming auction of 32GHz spectrum has attracted three bidders - Magyar Telekom, CETIN Hungary, and Vodafone Hungary.

Following Monday’s news that Uruguay’s president had ordered the country’s regulator to hold a 5G spectrum auction within 30 days, URSEC has now confirmed the date as 28^th April and invited bidding applications from interested parties.

The Lithuanian communications regulator Rysiu Reguliavimo Tarnyba (RRT) won a spectrum dispute against Russia, as Lithuanian airwaves along its borders gained international protection against its neighbour. 

Mexico’s Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones (IFT) has granted an additional 30 years of validity to concessions held by fixed line providers Telmex and Telnor.

Uruguay’s regulator URSEC has until the end of April to hold 5G spectrum auctions after the tender’s specifications were cleared by the country’s President Luis Lacalle Pou on 30^th March.

French regulator Arcep awarded 5G spectrum to operators in French Guiana, Saint‑Barthélemy and Saint‑Martin, paving the way for next-generation connectivity on the islands.

Another SIM registration drive is underway, this time in Argentina, where regulator Enacom has kicked off what will be a 60-day process as identity validation through biometric data for mobile telephony comes into force.

The GSMA has laid out what it calls the mobile industry’s vision of how to maximise the benefits of mobile spectrum for billions of people worldwide ahead of spectrum allocation deliberations at the crucial ITU World Radio Communication Conference (WRC-23) in November and December.

The Telecommunications Operators Association of Zimbabwe (TOAZ), the industry body that represents Zimbabwe’s telecommunications companies, has petitioned the country’s parliament to change the law so that operators can charge economically sustainable tariffs.

Estonian regulator TTJA (Tarbijakaitse ja Tehnilise Jarelevalve Amet / Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority) has opened applications for its upcoming auction of 5G-ready 26GHz spectrum.

Oman is the latest country to announce plans to phase out 3G services. The country’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has said it will stop providing 3G mobile services gradually, starting from the third quarter of 2024.

In a bizarre turn  of events, the city government of Makati, the financial district of Manila, the Philippines capital, has reportedly padlocked the headquarters of wireless carrier Smart Communications over a tax and permit dispute.

The Costa Rican telecom regulator Sutel has recommended that the country’s science, technology and telecommunications ministry MICITT should start the tender to award spectrum for 5G networks. This follows a feasibility study and a public consultation.

Brazilian regulator Anatel enabled broadband providers to tap into the 6GHz spectrum band unlicensed for the next decade via higher-powered devices, a move that will enhance WiFi broadband coverage, and deliver US$163.5 billion to the Brazilian economy, according to industry bodies Abrint and the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance (DSA).

Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have approved the creation of a new regulator known as ARPTIC.

Tanzania deactivated 970,046 SIM cards despite extending the deadline for its SIM registration law, a move to combat fraudulent activity through mobile phones.  

South African regulator the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has addressed submissions relating to an earlier Draft Radio Frequency Spectrum Assignment Plan with a new round of consultation. The authority had previously highlighted ten bands for public consultation in March last year.

The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) has commenced its auction process for 4G and 5G-capable spectrum in the 700MHz and 800MHz bands.

Last week’s decision by Mexico’s regulator – the Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones (IFT) – to open only the lower portion of the 6GHz band for license-exempt applications such as Wi-Fi has been met with some disappointment – notably from the collaboration forum known as the Wi-Fi Alliance. But is this really bad news?

Ethiopia has reportedly publicised a demand of US$150 million from Safaricom for the operator to deploy its M-Pesa mobile money platform in the country, with talks to be held this week.

The GSM Association (GSMA) is keeping up the pressure on India’s decision-making bodies to identify and support 6GHz band spectrum for 5G.

The Uganda Communications Commission has come under fire from the country’s government for failing to recoup a penalty of UGX2 billion (US$540,000) from beleaguered operator Smile Communications.

Zimbabwe’s telecoms regulator gave operators permission to raise prices by up to 50% this April to combat rising operating costs.

The European Commission (EC) adopted a proposal to include roaming into an agreement to support war-torn Ukraine, a move that will enable Ukrainians to not pay additional charges in EU territories.

Somalia’s National Communications Authority (NCA) has confirmed that the country’s operators have implemented the interconnection agreement signed in December 2022.

The Philippines reported operators have signed up over 30 million SIM cards in days since the introduction of the SIM card registration law to combat hackers and fraudulent activity.

Paratus Zambia, a part of the pan-African telecommunications company Paratus Group, has been awarded a data gateway licence in Zambia; this is, apparently, the country's last available such licence.

Veon has confirmed that the sale of its Russian unit VimpelCom has been approved by Russian regulators.

Hard on the heels of last week’s request by Brazilian service provider Oi for debt-related ‘urgent precautionary relief’ from the 7th Corporate Court of the Court of Justice of Rio de Janeiro, regulator Anatel has set up a working group to monitor the Oi Group.

Operator MTN Nigeria has been given permission by regulator the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to disconnect a number of value added service (VAS) providers that have not paid their interconnect debts.

Tunisia’s Ministry of Communication Technologies has announced plans to launch the second phase of its white spots (areas that are currently uncovered) coverage project.