Regulation

African payments technology company Flutterwave says it has been granted a Switching and Processing License by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). This license allows Flutterwave to offer a wide range of services to a diverse selection of customers.

The Malaysian government said it is working to get all operators to buy shares in its 5G Agency Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) this month, after Maxis and U Mobile reportedly declined the offer earlier this week, reported Reuters.

Argentina’s sell-off of unused 4G spectrum in the 2600MHz band has raised US$27.7 million for the country’s National Communications Agency ENACOM (Ente Nacional de Comunicaciones).

Lithuania’s Communications Regulatory Authority (RRT) has concluded the 700MHz spectrum auction that commenced in May.

In another attempt to speed up mobile services rollout across a vast country, an effort made even more urgent given the imminent arrival of 5G, India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has again amended the rules concerning right of way (RoW).

In a somewhat disturbing turn of events it has been alleged that the authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have banned some telecommunications executives from leaving the country in response to their companies’ apparent unwillingness to pay a tax on mobile services introduced in June.

The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) said it is close to awarding new company Malcel a licence, enabling it to become the country’s third mobile operator, a move it hopes will bring competition against Airtel and Telekom Networks Malawi. 

The Papua New Guinea Government said it will make a final decision on the partial privatisation of operator Telikom PNG soon.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) gave 5G license winner Mafab Communications a five-month deadline extension to deploy its 5G services, reported Agence Ecofin.

It’s being widely reported in the South African press that telecom regulator the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) is planning to license additional radio frequency spectrum for mobile networks, although whether via auction or some other process is not clear.

Israel’s Minister of Communications Yoaz Hendel has announced plans to incentivize cellular companies to maintain cell site partnerships, which will include sharing passive network components, such as the mast, structure and electricity, along with antenna sharing.

New rules on data storage have been introduced in Vietnam, further limiting the room for manoeuvre of social media companies that are already trying to deal with guidelines that were announced last year.

According to local press reports, Jordan has taken the first steps towards formalising 5G adoption, after the country’s Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) signed an agreement late last week with two operators, Orange and Umniah, in preparation for the introduction of 5G services in the kingdom.

The South African government disapproved of operator Rain touting a potential merger between it and to merge with rival Telkom.

Major operators and the Kenya Communications Authority (KCA) have mutually agreed to set new interim mobile termination rates (MTR) and fixed termination rates (FTR). 

Lithuania’s three main operators have all procured spectrum holdings following the conclusion of the regulator’s auction of 5G-ready 3.5GHz airwaves.

The Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) has updated its roadmap for the issue of 5G spectrum, covering airwaves in the 700MHz, 2600MHz and 26GHz bands.

The Ghanaian government has extended the deadline for people to register SIM cards with the Ghana Card, the document mandated for SIM registration.

It’s been a busy weekend for social media controversies in Kenya, as both Facebook and the government have scrambled to deal with bad news regarding alleged online hate speech.

Indonesia’s new licensing law faced an unexpected issue on Saturday after the Indonesian communication ministry blocked PayPal due to its failure to meet a deadline under new licensing rules.

Morocco’s National Agency of Telecommunications Regulation (ANRT / Agence Nationale de Reglementation de Telecom) has issued Maroc Telecom Group a cumulative fine of MAD2.45 billion (US$238 million).

The third part of Estonia’s 3.5GHz 5G auctions appears to be over, but with much less excitement than the other two; operator Tele2 had no opposition to its bid on the first or second day.

India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has sought views on the need for overhauling laws governing the telecommunications sector.

Guinea is the latest African country in which a telecoms regulator has seen fit to step in over allegations of unacceptable quality of service by an operator.

India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has approved four bidders for the auction of 5G spectrum in India scheduled to start on 26 July.

Google and Twitter have yet to comply with a new licensing law in Indonesia, which could result in services being taken offline in the country.

The Montenegrin telecoms regulator EKIP made reforms to pricing by demanding operators cut prices, in a move to spur the country’s telecoms industry.

Indonesia has told technology companies that they must register soon under licensing rules first unveiled in late 2020 or run the risk of having their platforms blocked.

Tanzanian telecoms regulator TCRA called out operators Vodacom, Tigo, Airtel, Tanzania Telecommunications Company and Halotel for subpar connectivity services, particularly in 15 districts.

Romanian regulator ANCOM (National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications) has begun a consultation on its upcoming 5G spectrum auctions.