The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced it is focusing its attention on the implementation of mobile number portability (MNP) now that its SIM registration programme is nearing completion, local newspaper Business Day reports. The telecoms regulator has not specified when the service, which allows mobile phone subscribers to keep their number if they switch service provider, will be implemented. It is expected that MNP will increase competition in Nigeria’s wireless market, which is Africa’s largest by subscribers, with over 90 million cellular users at the end of March 2011.

See Press Release 
Source: Total TeleGeography

 

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is reportedly considering the cancellation of just 15 mobile telephony licences for failure to meet network rollout requirements, compared to the more than 60 suggested in November 2010 by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), India’s Economic Times reports. According to the report, two unnamed DoT officials have claimed that the TRAI’s method of assessing network rollout was flawed, and it is understood that the DoT will send a communication to it in the next few days making this assertion.

See Press Release 
Source: Total TeleGeography

Orange Switzerland says that it is modernising its GSM network and getting its 3G mobile network ready for the future. Modernising the entire mobile network will also reduce its electricity consumption by up to 30%. This will take about two years to complete and forms part of an investment programme of more than CHF700 million (USD780 million) for network expansion over a period of five years. ‘Mobile data transfer has increased more than thirtyfold in just three years, while the explosive growth in smartphones and mobile data services continues apace,’ said Gabriel Flichy, Orange Switzerland’s VP of Network & IT. ‘We will be making huge improvements in urban areas with HSPA+, which allows us to offer theoretical connection speeds of up to 42Mbps. And as an advantageous offshoot of the modernisation, we are also introducing EDGE to our GSM network. This will enable users in rural areas without 3G coverage to surf the Orange network more comfortably. br>

See Press Release
Source: Telegeography 

­The Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) has cancelled the mobile network operating license held by Rwandatel for allegedly failing to meet its license conditions. The network is to be shut-down on Friday April 8, 2011 at midnight, affecting over half a million customers.

The company was given until this Friday to close its network so that customers could use up outstanding credits on their prepay accounts. The telecom company is partially owned by Libyan investment group - LAP Green - with an 80% stake and the Social Security Fund of Rwanda (SSFR) which has 20 percent. It will continue operating fixed lines, which are mainly used in offices. The move is not related to UN sanctions on Libyan assets held overseas.Rwandatel has over 535,710 subscribers, putting it third behind MTN Rwanda with 2.3 million and Tigo Rwanda with 685,000 users.

See Press Release
Source: Cellular-News

The President of ANCOM, Mr. Cãtãlin Marinescu, and the Minister of Communications and Information Society, Mr. Valerian Vreme, signed at the Ministry’s headquarters the Non-reimbursable Financing Contract for the creation of the online application enabling the end-users to compare between the electronic communications offers.

ANCOM is continuously striving to offer the users tools whereby to enable them to better manage their relation with the providers of communications services, the decision concerning the electronic communications providers’ obligations to inform the end-users being one of the decisions adopted by the Authority to this end. One of the provisions under Decision no.77/2009 obligates the operators to provide ANCOM with the information necessary for the Authority to create and make publicly available a web portal which would allow the tariffs and terms offered by the providers of mobile telephony, fixed telephony, and broadband Internet access to be compared by means of a „price calculator”-type interactive application. The application will enable the user to insert a set of consumption options and will carry out a comparative analysis of the offers existing on the market (introduced in the database), ranking afterwards the most advantageous offers as price is concerned, in direct connection to the options expressed by the user.

See Press Release 
Source: ANCOM

EriTel, Eritrea’s state-owned incumbent telecoms operator, has completed the first phase of its network expansion and upgrade project, local newspaper Shabait reports. According to the company’s head of trade, Tekle Woldeslasie, EriTel has fully renewed its network connections and changed all transmitters in the past two years. To ease mobile network congestion, the company has constructed additional stations in Asmara, Keren, Mendefera and Massawa, among other areas, while new telephone stations have been installed in Merhano, Tsaeda Kristian, Arbaete Asmera, Bisha, Foro and Massawa to accommodate more customers. Additionally, EriTel is rolling out a third-generation mobile network in order to upgrade data and internet services, and is also considering expanding its 2G network nationwide.

See Press Release
Source: Telegeography

Europeans are becoming increasingly "digital" according to a European Commission Eurobarometer survey which questioned 27,000 households throughout the EU on their use of internet, telephones and TV. More Europeans are subscribing to broadband internet and digital television in fixed-cost bundled 'packages'. Increased broadband take-up means even more Europeans are going online with 35% now using social networking websites. However, they have concerns about cost, quality of service and security, as well as online freedom. One fifth of fixed and mobile internet users reveal that they have experienced problems with blocked content and applications. The Commission's May 2010 Digital Agenda for Europe not only sets ambitious targets to bring broadband internet to all of Europe's citizens but also outlines measures to boost competition, trust and security.

See Press Release
Source: Europa

"ICT for all - Technology supporting an inclusive world" has been published. This report explores Europe's vision for a society where every individual can make a valuable contribution. Investments in pioneering and commercially focused research will produce information and communication technologies (ICTs) that should help everyone - including the elderly, disabled and marginalised - to fulfil their potential.

Source: Europa

INF 7 0100 IST-R policy report-eInclusion_final studio.pdf (604,32 KB)

The Australian Communications and Media Authority will conduct a formal inquiry into customer service and complaints handling in the telecommunications industry following the on-going high volume of complaints to the industry ombudsman. Announcing the inquiry today, ACMA Chairman Chris Chapman said, ‘Many would share the ACMA’s concern about whether the current arrangements which underpin telecommunications consumer protection are really effective in dealing with the issues that concern consumers most. ‘The trend-line growth and sheer quantum of complaints about complaint handling and customer service —up to 900 every working day—reflects poorly on the entire industry. Whether this is evidence of a failing regulatory system or just a perception of that failure, I now believe this issue has to be confronted directly and urgently otherwise we will be talking about these same issues for years to come.

See Press Release
Source: ACMA

Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações has adopted a draft decision on the obligation to control prices in the wholesale markets for voice call termination on individual mobile networks. According to the draft decision, which will only become final following the conclusion of a public consultation and once all comments received under this consultation have been reviewed, mobile termination rates will continue to move gradually downwards, over a period of time which will allow Portugal to comply with the European Commission Recommendation on termination rates while avoiding disruption.

See Press Release

Source: Portugal ANACOM

El Instituto Dominicano de las Telecomunicaciones (Indotel), ordenó auditar la calidad de los servicios de telecomunicaciones que prestan las operadoras, con miras a garantizar a los usuarios el óptimo funcionamiento del sistema en el país. La información la ofreció hoy el secretario de Estado y presidente del Indotel, doctor José Rafael Vargas, quien anunció la realización en los próximos días, a través de una reconocida firma internacional radicada en la República Dominicana, un estudio sobre la calidad en los servicios de telecomunicaciones provistos por las diferentes prestadoras que operan en el sistema nacional.

“Con este análisis, el órgano regulador de las telecomunicaciones procura identificar los  principales inconvenientes que presentan los usuarios a la hora de hacer uso de los servicios de telecomunicaciones y en consecuencia propiciar los ajustes o correctivos de lugar que garanticen el óptimo funcionamiento de los mismos”, expresó el secretario de Estado y presidente del Indotel, doctor José Rafael Vargas.

Dijo que el estudio a realizarse abarca desde aspectos técnicos, calidad en la atención de servicio al cliente, satisfacción en la facturación de los servicios, entre otras consideraciones, todas a evaluarse por las dos (2) tecnologías desarrolladas en el  país, CDMA y GSM, y desagregado por las diferentes operadoras de servicios.

See Press Release

Source: Instituto Dominicano de las Telecomunicaciones

Bajo el marco de la Ley del Consumidor, la Subsecretaría de Telecomunicaciones y el Sernac requerirán a la operadora móvil, Claro, un proceso de descuentos que incluya, sin diferencias, a todos sus clientes afectados por el corte de servicio ocurrido entre el martes y miércoles de esta semana.

"No pueden haber clientes de primera y segunda categoría. Todos los usuarios tienen los mismos derechos, independiente de su modalidad de pago", sostuvo el Subsecretario de Telecomunicaciones, Pablo Bello.

Ver artículo
Fuente: Ministerio de Transporte y Telecomunicaciones - Subsecretaría de Telecomunicaciones

The Commerce Commission has finalised its first review of backhaul services. Backhaul is the final link connecting competitors’ networks to Telecom's local loop, so those competitors can provide services such as landlines and broadband to consumers.

The review looked at a number of backhaul routes and examined whether there was actual or potential competition to Telecom on those routes. Where the Commission finds that there is actual or potential competition on a backhaul route, it is not subject to regulation. By contrast, routes that the Commission finds not to be competitive are regulated.

See Press Release
Source: New Zealand - Commerce Commission

Italy’s leading fixed line operator by subscribers, Telecom Italia, has established an independent supervisory body aimed at ensuring equal access to the country’s fixed line infrastructure, Wall Street Italia reports. The board will monitor the quality and availability of open access infrastructure supplied by Telecom Italia to its rivals. Quarterly reports will be submitted to the regulator, the Autorita per le Garanzie Comunicazioni (AGCOM), the board will also publish an annual report.

See Press Release
Source: Telegeography

The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) published for the first time the statistics of local mobile data usage, which sees a surge to 147 Terabytes as of January 2009, or an average amount of 44 Mbytes per 2.5G/3G mobile user for that particular month. This represents 4 times and 14 times the mobile data usage over the same period in 2008 and 2007 respectively.

"We are truly appreciative of the investment that the mobile network operators have been putting in our infrastructures such that mobile services of higher speed and better quality are continually provided to the community. The strong growth of mobile data usage is also attributable to the offer of competitive service packages by mobile network operators and the increasing popularity of a variety of smart phones available in the market," a spokesperson of OFTA said..

See Press Release
Source: Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA)

Canada  announced the upcoming launch of the redesigned CRTC Web site thereby making changes to better meet the needs of
visitors to crtc.gc.ca and to meet the new standards for federal government Websites. Visit  online for more information on the CRTC Web site revitalization.

 Telecommunications companies will need to significantly improve their performance when it comes to contacting people on the Do Not Call Register, with 55 per cent of complaints received by the Australian Communications and Media Authority stemming from unwanted calls promoting phone plans and other related services.

‘This is a matter of obvious concern,’ said Chris Chapman, ACMA Chairman. ‘Consumers register their telephone numbers because they want to reduce the number of telemarketing calls they receive and it is unacceptable to see that some telcos are not respecting that decision. Businesses have had ample time to adjust to the new laws and by now should have robust compliance measures in place.’

See Press Release
Source: ACMA - Australia

El Consejo Nacional de Telecomunicaciones (CONATEL) dio luz verde al proyecto de nuevos índices de calidad para la telefonía fija. A partir de enero del próximo año las operadoras deberán cumplir con estos nuevos parámetros que toman en cuenta los avances tecnológicos en este tipo de servicio.

En cuanto a la reparación de problemas, el 70% de los reclamos deberán ser solucionados en las primeras veinte y cuatro (24) horas. El restante podría ser resuelto en las siguientes cuarenta y ocho (48) horas o en cinco (5) días.

See Press Release
Source: CONATEL

The second quarterly report on broadband quality has been released by the Commerce Commission. Commissioned from broadband measurement consultancy Epitiro and ICT analysts IDC, the report examines the quality of broadband service provided by New Zealand’s internet service providers (ISPs).

Commerce Commission Chair Paula Rebstock said, “The Commission is pleased to note that the report indicates there was an overall improvement in the June quarter in the performance of the five largest ISPs.” “This is a very promising signal that the regulatory interventions being taken to encourage competitive prices, better quality and incentives to invest are beginning to have an effect,” said Ms Rebstock.

See Press Release, Full Report
Source: Commerce Commission

In today’s Europe, citizens are free to work in and re-locate to any EU Member State and companies carry out business across the EU. When doing so, they need to communicate with administrations of other Member States. Member States in turn need to communicate with each other to serve the citizens and businesses in the best possible way. To avoid the creation of electronic barriers (e-barriers) between European administrations, the Member States and the Commission need to strengthen their efforts to ensure barrier-free communication within the internal market. In response to the need for coordination and cooperation at EU level, the ISA programme proposes to establish and promote commonly agreed solutions to avoid e-barriers at national borders. Over the period 2010-2015, the ISA programme aims to support and promote cooperation between European public administrations. ISA focuses on providing cross-border solutions for public administrations by making available common frameworks, common services and generic tools and promoting reuse as well as exchange of experience and good practices.

ISA is the follow-on programme to the IDABC programme (interoperable delivery of pan-European e-government services to administrations, businesses and citizens) which comes to an end in December 2009. The IDABC programme was itself launched in January 2005 as the successor of the IDA programme “interchange of data between administrations”. The ISA programme will be based on the achievements of the IDA and IDABC programmes and will, as its predecessors, contribute to the further development and implementation of the European e-government strategy.

See Press release

Source: Europa

TRAI’s Regulation on Unsolicited Commercial Call completes one year of effective operation. 100 million telephone numbers cross checked by Telemarketers with NDNC before calling on 25th September 2008.

The National Do Not Call Registry (NDNC) is a data base of telephone numbers of those subscribers who do not want to receive Unsolicited Commercial Calls. It was set up under the “Telecom Unsolicited Commercial Communications Regulations, 2007” issued by TRAI and has come into operation w.e.f 12th October 2007. All the registered telemarketers before making marketing calls are required to submit / upload the list of telephone numbers which they want to call for telemarketing purpose to the NDNC. The NDNC takes out (delete) the telephone number of subscribers who are already registered with NDNC from this list and returns the clean list to the telemarketer for calling. Presently, there are 19,163 telemarketers registered with Department of Telecommunications.

See Press Release
Source: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)

The Consumer Protection Test for telephone number allocation will prohibit the allocation of 070 personal numbers, 0871/2/3 special service higher rate numbers and 09 premium rate numbers by Ofcom to anyone who appears on either of two lists. The lists, which will be published on the Ofcom website, will name companies and individuals that have in the past used telephone numbers to cause serious or repeated harm to consumers or are involved in cases that we are currently investigating. In compiling the lists, Ofcom will assess individuals and companies (including company directors) that have come to its attention by being subject to a decision from a relevant authority (such as PhonepayPlus, the Office of Fair Trading or the police) and where telephone numbers were central to the behaviour that led to the decision concerned. Scams, frauds and other abuses carried out by individuals and companies using telephone numbers cause serious consumer harm and threaten confidence in certain numbers. Ofcom is responsible for managing the UK’s telephone numbers and for ensuring that best use is made of this resource. Ofcom allocates telephone numbers to a broad range of providers who may then sub-allocate them to organisations, businesses and individuals to use themselves.  From 1 January 2009, the test will apply to numbers newly allocated by Ofcom to communications providers.  Ofcom will allow communications providers to take a self-regulatory approach to introducing a similar consumer protection test in their own number allocation processes and strongly encourages providers to do so.  Ofcom will monitor progress to see if this approach is sufficient and will consider additional regulation where necessary.

See Statement
Source: OFCOM

The Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA), acting on behalf of the government, has imposed a daily fine equivalent to five million Rwandan francs 5,000,000 Rwf for two weeks for poor network services.

During that period, MTN Rwandacell shall submit to RURA, a clear roadmap showing the actions to be undertaken to meet the quality of service standards. The road map shall ensure that MTN will be able to solve the problem within a period not exceeding two months. The road map shall be subject to the Regulatory Board approval.

See Press Release / Decision
Source: Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency

Ofcom has  published an independent review by TRAQS Limited on quality of service information in the telecoms, broadband, pay TV and mobile industries.  The review accompanies Ofcom’s consultation published on 17 July 2008, Review of quality of service information phase 1: information on quality of customer service. This review was compiled for Ofcom by a third party and does not represent the views of Ofcom. The review has been redacted by Ofcom to remove information which may be confidential.

The TRAQS Limited review can be found here

Source: OFCOM
 

Ofcom has today published recommendations to the Mobile Broadband Group (MBG) to consider in its review of the UK Code of Practice for the self-regulation of new forms of content on mobiles. The Code was published by MBG in 2004 to restrict mobile access to adult content for anyone who could not verify that they were over 18.  The Code applies to content provided directly by the mobile operator, commercial content provided by third-party providers and content accessed on the internet. The industry has made a significant investment in this initiative. Ofcom has found that overall the Code is effective in restricting young people’s access to inappropriate content and is a good example of industry self-regulation. It has also made recommendations for MBG to consider in its review.

The full review can be found here.
The Mobile Broadband Group consultation can be found here.

Source: OFCOM

The following publication(s) was added to the ComReg website: 

Programme of Measurement of Non-Ionising Radiation Emissions: Methodology for the Conduct of Surveys to Measure Non-Ionising Electromagnetic Radiation from Transmitter Sites

Spectrum Management Strategy Statement 2008 - 2010
 
Source: Comreg

Statement by The Minister Energy Water and Communications, Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications:

"I would like to announce the Government’s decision to increase broadband services to the whole country. This is necessary given that Malaysia’s broadband penetration rate, at 18% is very low as compared to other more developed nations in Asia like Singapore (at 78%), Hong Kong (80%) and Korea (93%).

The implementation of nationwide broadband services will significantly contribute to the development of the country’s social-economic development. In the past, water supply and electricity were important factors in attracting foreign investment and today, broadband connectivity has become a basic necessity."

See Press Release
Source: Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission

Five major broadband internet service providers (ISPs) have made a significant step in enhancing the transparency of their service performance by making known to the public their first batch of performance statistics against their services pledges for the first quarter of 2008 (3-month period ending 31 March 2008).  

This is one of the major joint initiatives of the industry and the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) in further enhancing the quality of customer service of the internet service industry. The five ISPs who have published the service performance statistics include Hong Kong Broadband Network Limited (HKBN), Hutchison Global Communications Limited (HGC), New World Telecommunications Limited (NWT), PCCW IMS Limited (PCCW-IMS) and Hong Kong Cable Television Limited (HKCTV).

See Press Release
Source: OFTA

Para impulsar el desarrollo de las telecomunicaciones y la economía del país, así como acercar nuevas tecnologías a la población y permitir la entrada de nuevos inversionistas a este sector, el secretario de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT), Luis Téllez, dio a conocer el Nuevo Programa de Licitaciones de Frecuencias que incorpora una nueva banda para el Tren Suburbano.

Con este programa, los consumidores tendrán más y mejores opciones para acceder a servicios fundamentales como la banda ancha. Las nuevas frecuencias anunciadas hoy, permitirán también que aquellos operadores de radiofrecuencias que han llegado a su límite de capacidad puedan continuar creciendo.

See Press Release
Source: Secretaria de Comunicaciones y Transportes

Africa’s incumbent telco operators are sidling towards offering their customers triple play. This week Ghana Telecom announced the introduction of IP-TV and Mozambique’s cable operator has approached the Mozambique regulator for a voice licence. Coming from the other side of the convergence divide, Nigerian broadcaster AIT is going through an IPO which it says will see it deliver triple play.

See Press Release
Source: Balancing Act - Africa

The Commerce Commission has issued its final recommendation to the Minister of Communications on the regulation of mobile roaming. It has recommended that the mobile roaming service not be designated, which means that it will not be subject to price regulation. The Commission is also recommending that the definition of the service be amended to make it compatible with modern technology.

The Commission considers that there are insufficient grounds to recommend extending the mobile roaming service to include the determination of price. Vodafone and NZ Communications Ltd, a new mobile company, already have a commercial agreement for the provision of roaming services. In the Commission’s analysis, the difference between the price in the commercial agreement and a price likely to be set under designation was too small to justify intervention, when the cost delay and uncertainty of designation was taken into account.

See Press Release
Source: Commerce Commission

The Commission is preparing a Recommendation that will address the issues raised by the use of RFID in terms of privacy, data protection and information security. As part of this preparation, and given the importance of this forthcoming Recommendation, the Commission has decided to put up for public consultation all the articles that are currently being considered in its draft Recommendation. This will allow all stakeholders to voice their opinion on the subject. The public consultation will be open until 25 April. The Commission services will then analyse the received contributions and put forward a draft Recommendation for adoption before the summer of 2008.

See Details
Source: Europa

The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) has said that users of telephones in Nigeria should feel free to hold telecoms operators responsible for the poor quality service being experienced in the country even as the regulatory body revealed that the problem is likely to continue till the third quarter of this year.

According to Engr. Ndukwe, NCC's Executive Vice Chairman, NCC has been doing all things possible to compel the operators to improve on thier services, adding that the operators have been cooperating and have promised to improve on their services.

See News Details
Source: allAfrica.com

Australia’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the rural sector are reasonably connected online and on the phone, with 92 per cent of SMEs and 74 per cent of farms having an internet connection, and 93 per cent and 85 per cent respectively reporting the use of a mobile phone.
The reports found that broadband take-up is high especially among SMEs, with 91 per cent of those connected using broadband. For the farm sector, there is a continuing reliance on dial-up internet connections: 53 per cent of respondents with an internet connection reported using dial-up. Satellite connection accounts for almost 50 per cent of those respondents with broadband.

See Press Release
Source: ACMA - Australian Communications and Media Authority

The Office of the Telecommunications Authority launched an on-line database service today making available a channel for the public to access readily via the internet the coverage information of Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) services on a building-by-building basis.

See Press Release
Source: OFTA

The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) today (7 January 2008) reported that digital terrestrial television (DTT) broadcast has no bearing on the interference of analogue television services, after conducting investigation into over half of the public complaints received since the launch of DTT services on 31 December 2007.

The investigations were carried out by this office in the past four days in responding to public concern about the suspected interference between DTT and analogue TV signals following the simulcasting of the two services.

See Press Release
Source: OFTA

Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) reported that digital terrestrial television (DTT) broadcast has no bearing on the interference of analogue television services, after conducting investigation into over half of the public complaints received since the launch of DTT services on 31 December 2007.

The investigations were carried out by this office in the past four days in responding to public concern about the suspected interference between DTT and analogue TV signals following the simulcasting of the two services.

See Press Release
Source: Office of the Telecommunications Authority

The Regulator in Mauritania has confirmed that it had completed the 15th control mission of QoS  of telecommunications operators. In terms of coverage of mobile operators, quality was acceptable, but some concerns arise in relation to other indicators. Operators have one month to take steps to improve QoS.

See Press Release
Source: Autorité de régulation

House of Representatives Committee on Communication, last week in Abuja, threatened to recommend revocation of MTN's operational licence over poor service. Briefing newsmen, Jerry Mamwe, Chairman of the Committee, said MTN had been given three weeks within which to improve its services or have its licence revoked.

Mamwe said the committee had directed MTN to suspend sales of its SIM cards to customers, pending when it improves its roll out capacity, adding that the decision was informed by its refusal to improve its services, in spite of the committee's several official and informal appeals. "While we must agree that GSM operators have enjoyed the benefit of time, the customers have continued to suffer poor services rendered by MTN to be specific," he said. According to him, MTN account for 85 per cent of poor telecommunication services to customers in the country, which was unacceptable to the committee.

See Press Release

Source: Balancing Act - Africa

Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, today confirmed that the first firm steps had been taken on the road to completing switchover by the end of 2013.

Senator Conroy said that the switchover to digital television was important to all Australians because it offers benefits to viewers such as improved picture and sound quality and greater program choice. It will also make spectrum available for alternate uses such as new mobile services, a fourth television licence and wireless broadband services. “We are moving quickly to maximise the benefits for all Australians and keep pace with the rest of the world,” Senator Conroy said. “Setting a firm date of 2013 for the switchover from analogue to digital television transmission in Australia has given industry the certainty it needs to drive consumer uptake of digital television.

See Press Release

Source: Minister of Broadband, Communications and Digital Economy

Ivory Coast has decided to act in prevention of environmental hazards related to telecommunications antennas.
According to Balancing Act, two projects have been adopted to regulate effects to protect population through norms to be respected by operators.


Source: Balancing Act

Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) decided to require the three operating companies Celtel, MTN, and UTL to suspend the following promotions effective from 24th October 2007.

1. Celtel offer of 50% free airtime between 10.00pm-8.00am
2. MTN offer of 50% extra airtime between 10.00pm -8.00am
3. UTL offer of 100% free telephone calls between 11.00pm-7.00am

The decision of the Commission was based on the concerns of the quality of service experienced on the networks during the time of promotion.

See Press Release

Source: Uganda Communications Commission

The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (“OFTA”) has completed an investigation into the competitiveness of local leased circuit (“LLC”) provision in Hong Kong. The purpose of the investigation was to obtain an updated picture of the state of competition in relation to LLC services, especially from the perspective of users.

The main conclusion to be drawn is that there are effective competitive constraints on traditional LLCs. Alternative technologies and service platforms are increasingly viable, and the various competing service providers are closely chasing each other on service quality and network coverage. The competitive pressure from new entrants and new service platforms is maintaining the overall trend of lower prices for local data connection services in Hong Kong.

See Press Release

Source: Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA)

The EU Telecoms rules require Member States to ensure that it is possible to call the emergency services free of charge by using the single European emergency number 112. They also have to ensure that telecoms operators provide emergency authorities with the caller location information for calls to 112 from fixed and mobile phones.

Today, the Commission is referring Poland and Latvia to the European Court of Justice since they have failed to ensure the availability of caller location information to emergency services for mobile calls to 112. The preparations to ensure the provision of caller location information are under way in both Member States but the implementation of the necessary systems is still not complete.

Furthermore, the Commission is opening an infringement proceeding against Romania by sending it a letter of formal notice on the same issue.

See Press Release

Source: Europa

In its Small incumbent local exchange carriers' show cause – Follow-up to Telecom Decision 2006-14, the Commission (CRTC)
* determines that the local winback rule and the competitive safeguards for promotions will not apply to the small incumbent local exchange carriers (SILECs);
 * forbears from regulating the retail access-independent local voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services provided by the SILECs but does not forbear from regulating the access-dependent local VoIP services provided by the SILECs;
* determines that the other aspects of the VoIP framework – including local number portability, digital subscriber loop service providers' access, directory listings, and equal access obligations – will apply to the SILECs; and
* determines that the quality of service rate rebate plan detailed in Telecom Decision 2005-20 will not apply to the SILECs. Instead, the Commission directs the SILECs to continue to use their complaint-based system.

See the Decision

Source : CRTC

Cualquier operador de telefonia fija o movil debe permitir la realizacion de llamadas de larga distancia a traves de los operadores habilitados y segun lo soliciten los suscriptores, reitero la Comision de Regulacion de Telecomunicaciones -CRT-.

El Director Ejecutivo de la CRT afirmo que los cambios recientes en el servicio de telefonia de larga distancia no modificaron los derechos de los usuarios, por lo cual ninguna empresa que preste servicios de telefonia fija o movil puede imponer o restringir un operador determinado para cursar a traves del mismo llamadas de larga distancia.

See Press Release

Source: Comision de Regulacion de Telecomunicaciones (CRT)

The French regulatory network, FRATEL, held a meeting on QoS and consumers' protection, on November 7-9, 2007.  Documents and presentations are downloadable on FRATEL's website.

See more

Source : FRATEL

In order to draw up the Position Paper on the Regulatory Strategy for the Romanian Electronic Communications Sector up to 2010, ANRCTI and its consultant, TASC Strategic Consulting, undertook a diagnosis-analysis of the Romanian electronic communications sector which outlined, among others, the fact that Romania lags behind most of the other EU Member States in terms of the penetration of its electronic communications services. Main gap in penetration falls in the broadband and fixed telephony services, whereas penetration of subscription TV services is higher than the European average.  

 

Mobile telephony and subscription TV services fueled the Romanian market growth. Whereas revenues from subscription TV registered the highest annual average growth rates (40%), mobile telephony became the most important source of revenues within the sector (56.7% of the total gross revenues). Therefore, both segments reached high levels of penetration (62.5% as regards subscription TV and, respectively, 90.5% for mobile telephony). On the contrary, the penetration rate of broadband Internet access services is still unsatisfactory, in spite of the accelerated growth, while fixed telephony seems to continue its ”zero growth” from both revenues and penetration standpoints. Full press release

 

Source: ANRCTI, Poland

O Conselho Diretor da Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel) decidiu hoje, em sua 459º Reunião, submeter à consulta pública proposta de alteração do Plano Geral de Metas para a Universalização (PGMU) e Termo Aditivo ao Contrato de Concessão da telefonia fixa. A proposta prevê a substituição de 8.461 Postos de Serviços de Telecomunicações (PSTs) por backhauls com infra-estrutura de banda larga em todos os municípios brasileiros, o que beneficiará 3.570 municípios sem banda larga. A consulta ficará disponível para contribuições entre os dias 8 e 19 de novembro. Full press release

Source: Anatel, Brazil

The Korea-Uzbekistan IAC (Information Access Center) has opened in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. The center is expected to play a leading role to establish IT infrastructure and provide IT education in Uzbekistan.

The MIC and Agency of Communication and Information of Uzbekistan held the opening ceremony of the Korea-Uzbekistan IAC in the morning of October 25th at the main hall of the Tashkent Information and Communications University. High ranking officials of both countries participated in the ceremony, including Minister Younghwan Yoo of the MIC, Director General Abdulla N. Aripov of Communications and Information Agency (Deputy Prime Minister), Korean Ambassador Jemin Kyun in Uzbekistan, President Youn-gi Sohn of Korea Agency for Digital Opportunity and Promotion, and President Kashimov of Tashkent University of Information Technologies. Full press release

Source: Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC), Korea

According to the latest figures released by the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) today (4 November 2007), out of the total 2.5 million households in Hong Kong, 1.98 million households and 1.36 million households are provided with at least two and three customer access networks (CANs) self-built by fixed network operators. In other words, 79% and 55% of households have a choice of at least two and three fixed carriers respectively.

"We are pleased to see the continual investment made by fixed carriers in constructing their networks. The initiative taken by the fixed carriers has enabled consumers to enjoy more choices of telecommunications services," said the OFTA's spokesperson. Full press release

Source: OFTA, Hong Kong

Amendments to the Telecommunications (Emergency Call Service) Determination 2002 came into effect today that confirm the obligation to provide free-of-charge access calls to Triple Zero from voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services with both dial-in and dial-out functionality.

‘These amendments provide greater certainty for consumers about access to police, fire and ambulance assistance, as new and innovative services are introduced,’ said Chris Chapman, ACMA Chairman. ‘Many VoIP providers already provide free-of-charge access for emergency calls, and the amended Determination makes it very clear that from today all VoIP providers of two-way services are obligated to provide access to Triple Zero and the special emergency number (106) for the Deaf and hearing impaired community.’ Full press release

Source: ACMA, Australia

During the first half of 2007, ANACOM received 10,259 written complaints and 363 requests for information from users of communications services and from the general public about their dealings with providers of communications services and the use of these services. In addition, a further 2,347 consultations were made by phone or in person.

Compared to the same period of 2006, the overall volume of complaints has increased by 28% from 8,004. Complaints made using the complaints book system made up around 66% of the total volume of complaints received by this Authority during the first half of 2007 (6,764 of an overall total of 10,259). Full press release

Source: ANACOM, Potugal

Washington, DC – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today adopted a Report and Order (Order) banning the use of exclusivity clauses for the provision of video services to multiple dwelling units (“MDUs”) or other real estate developments.  The Order finds that nearly 30% of Americans live in MDUs and these numbers are growing.

 

With this proceeding, the Commission is taking another step to foster greater competition in the market for the delivery of multichannel video programming.  These rules will increase choice and competition for consumers residing in MDUs and other real estate developments.   In this Order, the Commission prohibits the enforcement or execution of existing exclusivity clauses and the execution of new ones by MVPDs subject to section 628 of the Communications Act. Full press release

 

Source: FCC, United States

On Wednesday, October 31, 2007, Dan Georgescu, President of the National Regulatory Authority for Communications and Information Technology, together with Mihail Tarniceanu, Business Strategy&Regulatory Affairs Manager, were present at Mologesti, in order to launch the telecentre Vodafone Romania installed therein within the national programme for the implementation of the universal service initiated by ANRCTI.

“So far, more than 17,000 children living in the communities where telecentres have been installed have access to Internet, information and communication. It is a great pleasure for us to be able to offer the children of Mologesti the opportunity to be connected with other children like them, living in the communities that benefit from telecentres, as well as with children living worldwide. Due to the programme for the implementation of the universal service initiated by ANRCTI, approximately 230,000 people from 271 localities where telecentres were installed are able now to communicate easier with friends or relatives from abroad and may always be informed”, Dan Georgescu, the President of ANRCTI, declared. He also announced that in Valcea county, out of the 45 telecentre to be installed following the tenders organised by ANRCTI, 30 telecentres are currently functional. Full press release

Source: ANRCTI, Romania

As faixas destinadas ao Serviço Móvel Pessoal (SMP) podem ser usadas para a prestação da telefonia celular independentemente da tecnologia. Segundo o conselheiro José Leite Pereira Filho, com esse entendimento da Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel), fica permitido o uso das freqüências destinadas ao serviço móvel para a tecnologia IMT-2000, conhecida como de terceira geração (3G).

Também em sua 458ª reunião, realizada hoje, o Conselho Diretor da Anatel decidiu submeter a consulta pública a revogação da Resolução 227/2000, que destina as faixas de 1,9 GHz e de 2,1 GHz ao uso exclusivo da IMT-2000. A consulta pública está prevista para receber contribuições no período de 6 a 26 de novembro de 2007. Full press release

Source: Anatel, Brazil

 

New Delhi, 30^th October, 2007: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) today directed all Access Service providers, including BSNL and MTNL, the following:

            (i) To provide the facility of unsubscribing of any value added service through telephone calls and SMS, free of charge, and through e-mail or FAX or any other means and also give adequate publicity to such facilities through their websites and by communication through SMS and other means.

            (ii) In case of any offer for any value added services made to the customer in writing or through SMS or FAX or e-mail, such offer shall contain all relevant details of the value added service offered, including the charges thereof, and before activation of such value added service the explicit consent of the customer shall be obtained through telephone or SMS or FAX or e-mail or by other electronic means. Full press release

Source: TRAI, India

 

 

Peru is expected to end 2009 with over 1mn broadband subscribers, local newspaper Gestión quoted Mario Norero, area manager at French equipment supplier Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU), as saying.

The government has previously said it expects to reach this figure at end-2010.According to Norero, the goal will be reached earlier because the broadband segment is enjoying a particularly rapid growth rate and new technologies such as WiMax are expected to be launch in the country next year. Full press release

Source: Business News Americas

The Australian Communications and Media Authority is seeking comment on proposed changes to a number of legal instruments ahead of the introduction of a new regulatory framework for internet and mobile content in January 2008.

ACMA is seeking comments on three draft legal instruments: a new Restricted Access Systems Declaration, a draft amendment to the Telecommunications Service Provider (Mobile Premium Services) Determination 2005 (No.1) and a draft amendment to the Numbering Plan. Full press release

Source: ACMA, Australia

A Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel) abriu consulta pública para ouvir a sociedade a respeito do cumprimento das metas de universalização por parte das operadoras de telefonia fixa que atuam no regime público. O Plano Geral de Metas de Universalização (PGMU), previsto no decreto 4.769, de 27 de junho de 2003, estabelece as obrigações de expansão do serviço a partir de 1º de janeiro de 2006.

Entre as metas a serem cumpridas estão a instalação de Telefone de Uso Público (TUP), conhecido como orelhões, em cada localidade com mais de 100 habitantes e o atendimento com linhas individuais em cada localidade com mais de 300 habitantes. Elas devem ser cumpridas por todas as operadoras de telefonia fixa que atuam no regime público: as concessionárias na modalidade local, nas suas áreas de atuação - Brasil Telecom, Oi/Telemar, CTBC Telecom, Sercomtel e Telefônica - e a concessionária na modalidade longa distância - Embratel -, com atuação em todo o território nacional. Full press release

Source: ANATEL, Brazil

ANRCTI launches for public consultation the Decision of the President of the National Regulatory Authority for Communications and Information Technology on the conditions and procedure for the designation of the Universal Service providers in the field of postal services.

 

The draft decision submitted to public consultation today aims at adapting the Regulatory framework to the amendments brought to the Government Ordinance no.31/2002 on postal services by the Government Emergency Ordinance no.70/2006 on the amendment and completion of several normative acts in the field of electronic communications and postal services, approved with amendments and completions by Law no.133/2007, and will replace the ANRC President’s Decision no.1.351/2003 on the conditions and procedure for the designation of the universal service providers in the field of postal services. Full press reelase

 

Source: ANRCTI, Romania 

Los especialistas que participan en la reunión 36 de APECTEL, analizan los desafíos que impone la seguridad de las redes de telecomunicaciones y los ataques informáticos. La cooperación entre los operadores de la industria y la protección de los consumidores, son materias de preocupación para las economías del Asia Pacífico.

La importancia de Internet como una infraestructura indispensable para el desarrollo de las actividades socioeconómicas del mundo global, ha motivado a las Economías miembros de APEC a enfrentar el incremento y la especialización de los ataques informáticos con una estrategia común. Full press release

Source: SUBTEL, Chile

The Australian Communications and Media Authority is proposing to change the way it rolls out new prefixes for telephone numbers in geographic areas.

The proposed new approach would identify all the new prefixes likely to be required in the next ten years in a single variation to the Telecommunications Numbering Plan 1997. The variation would also include a trigger that would only make the new prefixes available when there are no existing numbers available to meet an applicant’s request.

There are 38 areas that may require additional numbers in the next ten years. They comprise ten in the (02) Central East Region, ten in the (03) South East Region, seven in the (07) North East Region and 11 in the (08) Central and West Region (for more detail on the areas see backgrounder). Full press release

Source: ACMA, Australia

In relation to the work of the committee on ISP, ARCEP will launch a process leading to a list of QoS indicators for each Intenet Service Providers (ISPs) and a public consultation on the cost model regarding ISP's.

See the Press Release

Source : ARCEP

A Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel) aprovou, hoje, o Regulamento de Proteção e Defesa dos Direitos dos Assinantes dos Serviços de Televisão por Assinatura, que abrange os usuários de TV a Cabo, Serviço de Distribuição de Sinais Multiponto Multicanais (MMDS), Serviço de Distribuição de Sinais de Televisão e de Áudio por Assinatura via Satélite (DTH) e Serviço Especial de Televisão por Assinatura (TVA).

De acordo com dados do primeiro semestre de 2007 da Anatel, o regulamento afeta cerca de cinco milhões de usuários (9,4 assinaturas por centena de domicílios). O usuário passará a ter direito ao recebimento, em dobro e em dinheiro, das quantias pagas em decorrência de cobrança indevida feita pela prestadora. Além disso, qualquer valor novo instituído pela operadora, diferente do acordado em contrato, deverá ser previamente informado ao assinante em data anterior à cobrança e aceito por ele. Full press release

Source: Anatel, Brazil

Vietnam's mobile service operators have complained of problems when it comes to installing base station antennae due to complicated procedures in obtaining construction licences, and strong objections from local residents fearful of possible health problems. Hanoi and northern Ha Nam province project are significant problem areas. The number of stations to be installed has shot up this year with Vinaphone and MobiFone, both owned by state-run incumbent Vietnam Post and Telecoms (VNPT) planning 6,000 new stations between them.

See more

Source : Telegeography

On April 4, 2007, the Media Bureau (“Bureau”) of the Federal Communications Commission (“Commission”) announced a filing window opening on Friday, October 12, 2007 and closing on Friday, October 19, 2007 for FM reserved band (channels 201 – 220) applications for noncommercial educational (“NCE”) FM new station and major change applications. On August 9, 2007, the Commission issued a public notice (the “Notice”) seeking comment on a proposed limit of ten NCE FM new station applications during the window for any party. For the reasons stated below, the Commission is adopting the proposed ten-application limit on NCE FM new station applications filed by any party during the window. Full press release

 

Source: FCC, United States

Chile's government has assigned US$80mn to subsidize projects designed to boost internet coverage during 2008-09, Pablo Bello, head of the telecoms regulator Subtel, told press.

Bello made the announcement at a presentation of the latest broadband internet index for Chile developed by US networking equipment vendor Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO) and tech consultancy IDC. The latest Barometer report for Chile shows broadband penetration of 7.9% at the end of June, with 1.2mn connections, up 33% year-on-year. Full press release

Source: Business News Americas

La Comisión de Regulación de Telecomunicaciones publica para conocimiento y comentarios del sector, el documento “Modelo Inicial de Medición del Nivel de Satisfacción del usuario para los servicios de Larga Distancia, Móvil, e Internet”, que describe las principales características de la metodología propuesta para realizar la Medición del NSU de los mencionadas servicios, así como los formatos de las encuestas a utilizar para la prueba de campo. Full report

Source: CRT,Colombia

Tuesday, October 4, 2007, the Decision on the general terms regarding the inter-operability of interactive digital TV services, as well as of the consumers’ digital TV equipment has been approved in Government session. This decision provides for the TV receivers on the market – for sale or rental – to be endowed with an external interface connector, standardized at a European level, which should enable certain functions, so that to ensure the receiving of digital signals.

 

Thus, an analogue TV receiver should have at least one external interface connector that allows for the simple connection of peripherals, especially of digital receivers. Moreover, digital TV receivers should be able to relay all the components of a digital TV signal, including information on interactive services and on restricted access services. The inter-operability of these services will enable the decoding of TV signals transmitted according to the European encoding algorithm. Full press release

 

Source: ANRCTI, Romania

 

Consumers in the European Union have been paying up to 60% less for using their mobile phone abroad since this summer. The transition to the Eurotarrif by Europe's mobile phone operators is proceeding according to plan. This is the result of a study carried out by the 27 national telecom regulators – united in the European Regulators Group (ERG) – in collaboration with the European Commission.

(04/10/2007) Mobile operators have generally complied with the requirements to introduce, offer, and make available a "Eurotariff" (tariffs no higher than 49 eurocents per minute for calls made abroad and no higher than 24 eurocents for calls received abroad, excluding VAT) for all their roaming customers from 30 July. By 30 August, around 200 million EU consumers had already switched to the Eurotariff. Many operators have moved faster than legally required and activated the Eurotariff already in July or in August. The ERG study also shows that operators are generally on track to implement the new transparency provisions introduced by the EU Roaming Regulation.. Full press release

Source: Europe's Information Society

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has declared a protection zone over a submarine telecommunications cable of national significance off Perth, Western Australia. The protection zone will take effect on 1 February 2008.

The SEA-ME-WE3 cable is nationally significant as it is a high capacity cable linking Australia to global communications systems and is vital to the national interest.

Activities that could damage the SEA-ME-WE3 cable are restricted or prohibited within the protection zone, and significant criminal penalties apply for breaches of the legislation. Full press release

Source: ACMA, Australia

Ofcom today published the UK’s first comprehensive review of the children’s television market. The review assesses the current state of children’s programming and the prospects for the future delivery of a wide range of high-quality and original content for children.

Ofcom’s study reveals significant changes in the children’s media market, including:

• Children have an increasing range of media available to them - nearly two thirds of 12-15 year olds have access to the internet and mobile phone while ‘media stacking’ is becoming increasingly common – over 80% of this age group regularly watch TV while engaging with other media devices...Full press release

Source: OFCOM, United Kingdom

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The Canadian government plans to criminalize identity theft to give police the ability to stop such activity before any fraud has actually been carried out, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said on Tuesday.

He said he would introduce legislation targeting the actual gathering and trafficking in credit card, banking and other personal data for the purposes of using it deceptively.Full report

Source: Reuters

1 de octubre, 2007) Según estudios de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), las Tecnologías de Información y Comunicación (TIC) aportan entre 10% y 24% a la tasa de crecimiento del PIB de América Latina. Pero aunque representan herramientas importantes para el desarrollo económico y social de la región, el debate en torno al impulso a estas tecnologías está apenas iniciado.

Para avanzar en la adopción de las TIC y establecer nuevas metas concretas para el acceso e inclusión digital, creación de capacidades y conocimientos, entre otras materias, la CEPAL y el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Internacional y Culto de la República Argentina han organizado la Reunión de Consulta Regional preparatoria de la II Conferencia Ministerial sobre Sociedad de la Información de América Latina y el Caribe, este 4-5 octubre de 2007 en el Palacio San Martín, sede de la Cancillería Argentina, en Buenos Aires, Argentina. Full press release

Source: CEPAL

Hoy martes entró en vigencia el bloqueo de las llamadas de larga distancia nacional e internacional, según dispuso el Organismo Supervisor de Inversión Privada en Telecomunicaciones (Osiptel), según informó la agencia Andina.

Telefónica del Perú anunció que ya se procedió a bloquear los códigos "0" y "00" de salida de larga distancia nacional (LDN) e internacional (LDI), respectivamente, a los clientes de telefonía fija que a la fecha no hayan escogido la compañía que les brindará dicho servicio, según el proceso de preselección dispuesto por el Osiptel. Full press release

Source: El comercio news paper, Perú

During the first half of 2007, ANACOM received 10,259 written complaints and 363 requests for information from users of communications services and from the general public about their dealings with providers of communications services and the use of these services. In addition, a further 2,347 consultations were made by phone or in person.

Compared to the same period of 2006, the overall volume of complaints has increased by 28% from 8,004. Full press release

Source: ANACOM, Portugal

En coordinación con la industria, el Pleno de la Comisión Federal de Telecomunicaciones (COFETEL) resolvió anoche diferir la consolidación de cinco Áreas de Servicio Local en distintos puntos del país, a efecto de que dicha medida sea técnicamente más eficiente.

Como se recordará, el pasado 14 de marzo, el Pleno de esta Comisión resolvió favorablemente la solicitud de diversos operadores para consolidar 70 ASL’s a fin de disminuir los destinos de larga distancia nacional en beneficio de millones de mexicanos de diversas regiones del país. Full press release

Source: COFETEL, Mexico

The Australian Communications and Media Authority is seeking public comment on its proposals to make available three multiplex transmitter licences for digital radio services in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and two multiplex licences for Adelaide, Hobart and Perth. The multiplex licences will provide for the digital transmission of existing wide-coverage national, commercial and community radio services.

The proposals are contained in draft digital radio channel plans released today. The plans include the number and categories of multiplex transmitter licences proposed for issue as well as the transmission frequencies and associated technical data for the main transmission sites. Full press release

Source: ACMA, Australia

Following the tender that ANRCTI organised between June 2007 and August 2007, three providers of electronic communications services were designated to perform the installation of telecentres in other 130 localities of the rural area, with limited or without access to telephony and Internet services. The winning companies are S.C. Orange Romania S.A., National Radiocommunications Company S.A. and S.C. Vodafone Romania S.A.

Orange Romania shall install telecentres in 42 villages of 18 counties, the National Radiocommunications Company shall install telecentres in 54 villages of 23 counties, whereas Vodafone Romania was designated to perform the installation of 34 telecentres in 17 counties. The tender was launched for 131 localities, but no winner was designated for Valea Mare village in Band commune, Mures county, since none of the qualified applicants has submitted an offer for this locality.

The list with the localities where the universal service providers shall install telecentres is available for consultation here, on the ANRCTI website. Full press release

 

Source: ANRC, Romania 

The monitoring tariff due for 2007 was established at 0.171%, based on the financial statements submitted to the National Regulatory Authority for Communications and Information Technology by 2,436 electronic communications providers and postal services providers, out of the 2,510 providers authorised by ANRCTI. Last year, the monitoring tariff that providers owed to ANRC was calculated as 0.125% of the turnover or of the revenues achieved from the provision of electronic communications networks or services and of postal services.   

 

ANRCTI asserted that 500 electronic communications operators and 65 operators of postal services of the total number of providers who submitted the documents necessary for the calculation of the monitoring tariff have the obligation to pay it. The total value of the monitoring tariff for 2007, established as a percent either of the turnover or of the revenues achieved from the provision of electronic communications networks or services and of postal services, amounts to RON 23,871,803. Full press release

 

Source: ANRC, Romania

Activities that could damage submarine communications cables will be prohibited or restricted in protection zones off the Sydney beaches Narrabeen and Tamarama/Clovelly from 1 October 2007, following their declaration by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

Prohibited activities include trawling and dredging. Other activities are restricted according to their potential risk of damaging a cable, for example, restriction on anchoring depends on distance from shore, water depth, anchor weight and anchor line breaking strain. Marine users should be aware that significant criminal penalties apply to those engaging in prohibited or restricted activities. Full press release

Source: ACMA, Australia

The total number of multichannel households in the UK has reached 21.4 million homes, 85% of the UK total, according to research published today by Ofcom. This is up 13 percentage points over the year – the strongest twelve months’ growth to date.

Ofcom’s Digital Television Progress Report for the second quarter of 2007 (April-June) also shows that digital terrestrial television accounted for 81% (763,000) of the growth in the digital television market during the quarter. Full press release

Source: OFCOM, United Kingdom

La Comisión Federal de Telecomunicaciones (COFETEL) inició el proceso de mejora regulatoria de las Especificaciones Operativas para la implementación de la Portabilidad, que permite a los usuarios conservar su número telefónico en caso que decidan cambiar de proveedor.

De esta manera, el regulador cumple con el Calendario de Implantación de la Portabilidad, en el que se establece que las Especificaciones Operativas deberán ser enviadas a la Comisión Federal de Mejora Regulatoria dentro del plazo de 100 días naturales luego de la entrada en vigor de la Resolución de Portabilidad, publicada el pasado 12 de junio en el Diario Oficial de la Federación. Full press release

Source: COFETEL, Mexico

A Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel) publicou ontem a Resolução nº 481, que aprova a Norma para a Certificação e Homologação de Baterias de Lítio e Carregadores Utilizados em Telefones Celulares. As baterias e os carregadores, que antes eram analisados em conjunto com os telefones, passarão por teste específicos de segurança e qualidade. Entre eles, está o que permite avaliar a bateria quando submetida a ações que podem provocar elevação excessiva da temperatura, o que pode desencadear a explosão do material que compõe a célula de armazenamento de energia.

A expectativa é de que as novas regras ajudem a reduzir o comércio dos produtos de origem duvidosa. Com a norma, que afeta um mercado de mais de 110 milhões de linhas móveis, as baterias de celulares deverão portar um selo de segurança, para facilitar a identificação da origem pelo usuário. O selo trará a logomarca da Anatel e o número da homologação, que será um requisito obrigatório para o comércio do produto. Full press release

Source: ANATEL, Brazil

Washington, DC -- The Commission has released an updated agenda for its Digital Television Consumer Education Workshop to be held Wednesday, September 26, 2007, at FCC Headquarters, 445 12^th St., NW, Washington, DC, in the Commission Meeting Room.  It will begin at 8:00 AM and end at 4:15 PM.   The updated agenda is attached.

 

Source: FCC, USA

La actual gestión ha publicado un proyecto de modificación del Reglamento de Calidad de los Servicios Públicos de telecomunicaciones, que establece metas de calidad obligatorias por hora y por componente de la red, bajo apercibimiento de sanción. Además, incorpora nuevos indicadores para regular la calidad de acceso a la red, mensajes de texto, calidad de voz y cobertura y que exigirá para su correcta supervisión de una adecuada provisión de recursos en el Organismo Regulador. Full report

Source: OSIPTEL, Perú

Biel-Bienne, 17.09.2007 - The e-licensing project of the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) is one of the winners of Germany's 7th eGovernment competition and receives the 2007 special prize for Switzerland. The competition awards prizes to projects which drive modernisation of public administration through the use of internet technologies. The award ceremony took place on 14 September in Berlin. The competition is held under the auspices of the German Interior Ministry and is organised by Cisco and Bearing Point.

This year, the children in Padureni village, Botosani county, have one reason more to be happy that school starts – today, September 17, 2007, in the first day of school, Dan Georgescu, President of the National Regulatory Authority for Communications and Information Technology, together with Sorin Vasilescu, Junior Project Manager Orange Romania have been present at Padureni at the launching of the telecentre which Orange Romania installed here, at ANRCTI’s initiative.

“So far, more than 17,000 children of the communities where telecentres have been installed have access to knowledge and are closer to the world. It is a great joy for us to be able to offer to the children of Padureni, as well, the opportunity to be connected to other children as them, both locally and worldwide. The programme initiated by ANRCTI enabled approximately 230,000 people of 253 localities where telecentres were installed to communicate easier with their friends and relatives from abroad and to be always informed. In Botosani county, 10 telecentres are already functional and, following the tender ANRCTI organised in June, two more telecentres shall be installed”, Dan Georgescu, President of ANRCTI, declared.  Full press release

 

Source: ANRC, Romania

New Delhi, 14 September, 2007 Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), today issued regulation on Domestic Leased Circuits(DLC). These regulations would benefit both the customers and the service providers. These regulations are expected to enhance competition, allow consumers a wider choice of service providers and make DLCs available at a reasonable price. For service providers these regulations open up the possibility of meeting customers’ demand for end-to-end leased circuits by obtaining DLC or Local Lead from other service providers if such need arises. Full Press release

Source: TRAI, India

A Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel) promove - em conjunto com o Ministério das Comunicações; a Comissão de Ciência e Tecnologia, Comunicação e Informática, da Câmara dos Deputados; e a Comissão de Ciência e Tecnologia, Inovação, Comunicação e Informática, do Senado Federal - a Conferência Nacional Preparatória de Comunicações. O encontro, que acontece na próxima semana, de 17 a 19 de setembro, no Congresso Nacional, terá como tema "Uma Nova Política para a Convergência Tecnológica e o Futuro das Comunicações". Full Press release

Source: ANATEL, Brazil

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has directed Queanbeyan Community Radio Inc, the licensee of community radio station 2QBN, to take steps aimed at ensuring it complies with the conditions of its community broadcasting licence and the Community Radio Code.

The directions are issued under new enforcement powers conferred on ACMA in February 2007, to enable it to more effectively address contraventions of the Broadcasting Services Act 1992. Full press release

Source: ACMA, Australia

Bolivia's telecoms regulator Sittel is in the process of evaluating technical reports presented by mobile operators explaining why they have failed to meet minimum traffic congestion standards, Sittel's public affairs chief Erick Butrón told BNamericas.

Mobile operators had until September 4 to present these reports. According to Butrón, the regulator may decide this week when its technicians will present their final conclusions to the board. Full Press release

Source: Business News Americas

On 4 September 2007 ITU has released a major publication, Trends in Telecommunication Reform: the Road to NGN. This is the 8^th of a series of reports focusing on the ongoing transformation in the telecom/ICT sector to inform regulators and policy makers around the world.

During the past week, the report got news coverage by numerous leading national and international media, witnessing the interest of the ten chapters of research and analysis dedicated to issues related to the transition towards Next Generation Networks (NGN). You can find links to some of the news reports in the attached document.

More information about the 2007 report is available at the “On the Road to NGN” website.

The publication is available for sale at the ITU bookshop.

FCC CLARIFIES GEOGRAPHIC AREA OVER WHICH WIRELESS CARRIERS MUST MEET ENHANCED 911 LOCATION ACCURACY REQUIREMENTS

The Federal Communications Commission (Commission) today adopted a Report and Order (Order) which clarifies that wireless carriers must meet the Enhanced 911 (E911), Phase II location accuracy requirements at the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) service-area level. To accomplish this, the Order requires carriers to meet interim, annual benchmarks over the next five years in order to ensure that they achieve PSAP-level compliance no later than September 11, 2012.

See FCC release
More info : See the FCC home page for statements
Source: FCC

New Delhi:8^th Sept 2007-The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (the Authority) had issued “Telecom Unsolicited Commercial Communications Regulations, 2007”,on 5^th Jun‘07 for putting in place a mechanism for curbing the unwanted telemarketing calls. The Regulation prescribed a three months time frame to establish a National Do Not Call Registry (NDNC).

 

1. For the implementation of the Regulation, the Department of Telecom (DoT) has authorized NIC for installation, operation and maintenance of NDNC Registry.

2. DoT also issued guidelines on 6^th June,2007 to the existing telemarketers to get themselves register with the DoT through their telecom service providers by 31^st August, 2007.

3. It was envisaged that the NDNC registry would be implemented in three phases:-

i. Online registration of the telemarketer

ii. Registration of telephone users not wanting commercial calls/unwanted calls with their respective telecom service providers so that unsolicited calls are stopped after 45 days of their registration with Telecom Service Providers.

iii. Telemarketers to first check their subscriber calling list with the National Do Not Call Registry, so that such registered numbers are not sent the unsolicited commercial communication. Full Press release

 

Source: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), India

Senegal has upheld a fine of USD6.7 million on one of the country’s mobile operators, Orange Senegal (formerly Sonatel Mobile), for its repeated failure to provide an adequate service on its cellular network. The State Council has endorsed an  fine imposed this year by the Telecommunication and Postal Regulation Agency (ARTP), after repeated interruptions on its network.

Source : Telegeography

On Tuesday, September 4, 2007, came into force the decision on establishing certain financial obligations owed by the providers of electronic communications networks or services and of the postal services providers to the National Regulatory Authority for Communications and Information Technology.

 

The maximum term provided for establishing the monitoring tariff owed for 2007, in accordance with the provisions of the Government Emergency Ordinance no.79/2002 on the general regulatory framework for communications, approved with amendments and completions by Law no.591/2002, with the subsequent amendments and completions, is September 15, 2007. Full press release

 

Source: ANRC, Romania

Atendiendo las solicitudes recibidas de diferentes agentes del sector, en las que se manifiesta la necesidad de contar con tiempo adicional para el estudio detallado del documento sobre “Consideraciones para la implementación de la presuscripción en Colombia”, la Comisión de Regulación de Telecomunicaciones amplía el plazo de recepción de comentarios al mismo hasta el 21 de septiembre de 2007. Full note

Source: CRT, Colombia

If Costa Ricans vote in favor of liberalization of the telephony market in an October referendum, the country's mobile business is likely to grow 18% a year until 2012 to total annual revenues of US$1.2bn, according to a report from consultancy Signals Telecoms Consulting.

Currently the mobile market in Costa Rica is monopolized by state company ICE, which has around 1.4mn subscribers and saw revenue of around US$425mn from mobile services in 2006, the report said. Full Press release

Source: Business News Americas

Com o Termo assinado, há a previsão de se beneficiar 782 instituições que assistem pessoas com deficiência auditiva. A Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel) e as concessionárias da telefonia fixa local - Brasil Telecom, CTBC, Oi, Sercomtel e Telefônica - assinaram o Termo de Obrigações de Universalização que prevê o benefício, por meio da instalação de Terminal de Telecomunicações para Surdos (TTS), a 782 instituições que assistem pessoas com deficiência auditiva. A assinatura do Termo ocorreu em cerimônia realizada na tarde de quarta-feira, 5, na Anatel. Full Press release

Source: ANATEL, Brazil

School children from each state and territory will participate today in the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s online safety program, Cybersmart Detectives.

ACMA will run the event in collaboration with Victoria Police, the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) and law enforcement agencies Australia wide. Full Press release

Source: ACMA, Australia

A Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel) e as cinco concessionárias de telefonia fixa local - Brasil Telecom, Oi/Telemar, Telefônica, CTBC Telecom e Sercomtel - assinam o Termo de Obrigações de Universalização que vai beneficiar instituições de assistência às pessoas com deficiência auditiva. A partir da assinatura do termo, as concessionárias terão nove meses para atender a todas as instituições cadastradas na Secretaria Especial de Direitos Humanos da Presidência da República (SEDH) e que tenha assinado o Termo de Adesão. A cerimônia será realizada às 16h desta quarta-feira, 5, no miniauditório da Agência, localizado no Setor de Autarquias Sul, Quadra 6, Bloco E, em Brasília.

Esta é a primeira vez que serão utilizados recursos do Fundo de Universalização dos Serviços de Telecomunicações (Fust). Estão estimados cerca de R$ 1,3 milhão para cobrir a parcela de custo exclusivamente atribuível ao cumprimento das obrigações de universalização que não possa ser recuperada com a exploração eficiente do serviço. O ressarcimento às concessionárias será realizado em parcelas semestrais, ao longo de cinco anos.  O Fundo cobrirá os custos de instalação de uma linha telefônica na sede da instituição beneficiária de isenção do pagamento mensal da assinatura básica e dos equipamentos de interface que permitam a utilização da telefonia fixa pelas pessoas com deficiência auditiva, aparelhos denominados Terminais de Telecomunicações para Surdos (TTS's). Full Press release

Source: Anatel, Brazil

Geneva, 4 September 2007 — ITU has released a major publication, Trends in Telecommunication Reform: the Road to NGN. In its 8th edition, Trends reports on the evolution of circuit-switched telecommunication into "next-generation" networks, as operators around the world fight to remain competitive. The Report aims at enabling regulators and policy-makers in developing countries to better understand the changes transforming the ICT sector so they can evolve their policy and regulatory frameworks to leverage today’s technological and market developments.

What does NGN mean for regulators? They have many choices to make. Some view NGN as the intersection of the telecom and Internet worlds. If so, which regulatory regime should apply? The current heavily-regulated telecom regulatory model? The lightly-regulated Internet model? Or some new hybrid model? The migration to NGN affords an opportunity for regulators to analyze current practices and revise them in light of what makes sense going forward. This Trends report offers a detailed discussion of the kinds of measures that are needed to ensure that regulation keeps pace with technological and market developments so that the best of NGN is available to all of the world’s people.

The ITU press release is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

More information about the content of the 2007 report is available at the “On the Road to NGN” website.

The publication is available for sale at the ITU bookshop.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has issued a written direction to Bytecard Pty Ltd to comply with the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman Scheme (TIO Scheme).

‘The TIO Scheme is an essential consumer protection mechanism that provides consumers with an independent avenue for resolving disputes with their communications provider. Given the nature of a co-regulatory environment, the failure of this provider to comply with the scheme results in its customers not having the same level of protection as other consumers,’ said Chris Chapman, ACMA Chairman. Full Press release

Source: ACMA, Australia

Peru's transport and communications ministry (MTC) issued Friday (Aug 31) a decree obliging all telecoms operators to install emergency network capacity to ensure communication does not fail in the event of a natural disaster, MTC said in a statement.

Decree 030-2007 orders mobile and fixed telephony operators to have reserve capacity available for emergency communications among public bodies and the general public, something that was lacking in the aftermath of the August 15 earthquake. The decree did not specify if additional infrastructure would have to be built. Full Press release

Source: Business News Americas

August 30, 2007, Pravaleni, Hunedoara county. Dan Georgescu, the President of the National Regulatory Authority for Communications and Information Technology together with Alin Gadian, Timisoara Regional Manager, on behalf of Vodafone Romania, have met with the users of the telecentre which Vodafone Romania installed in Pravaleni, Hunedoara county, in order to test the telephony and Internet services it offers.

“Today, with the launch of the telecentre of Pravaleni, we should look behind and make a review of what we have accomplished up to now. So far, in figures, the experience of the telecentres may be resumed as follows: 232 functional telecentres out of the total of 600 which ANRCTI proposed to install in the isolated communities of the rural area. These telecentres shall ensure the access to telephony and Internet services by means of the national programme for the installation of telecentres; furthermore, approximately 200,000 people whose life changed due to ANRCTI initiative, people that are now able to communicate easier with their relatives or friends from abroad, who have access to information, to whom the world seems closer now and, as well, more than 15,000 children able to broaden their horizons, who have access to knowledge and can be informed”, declared Dan Georgescu, the President of ANRCTI. Full Press release

Source: ANRC, Romania

The Australian Communications and Media Authority is proposing to introduce two new number ranges to facilitate trials of new telecommunications services.

‘ACMA recognises that telecommunications providers need to trial new services in order to develop new products for their customers,’ said Chris Chapman, ACMA Chairman. ‘The new trial number ranges give carriage service providers the flexibility they need to trial services, while facilitating the introduction of innovative services into the market.’ Full Press release

Source: ACMA, Australia

TRAI forwarded its recommendations today to the Department of Telecommunications (DOT), Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Government of India on policies that should govern the licensing frame work for access service provision. The recommendations contain proposals on a wide range of inter connected issues that formed the basis of the reference from the DOT dated 13^{th April, 2007.}

DoT’s reference inter-alia required TRAI to make recommendations on key issues like entry regulation in access service market, review of guidelines on Merger & Acquisitions including the provisions relating to cross holding of a licensee company in the same service area, use of combination of technologies (CDMA, GSM & and/or any other) under the same license, roll out obligations etc. Full Press release

Source: TRAI, India

Adopts Measures to Improve the Management, Administration and Oversight of the Fund

In a Report and Order released today, the Commission adopts several measures to further safeguard the Universal Service Fund from waste, fraud, and abuse.  In the Comprehensive Review of the Universal Service Fund Management, Administration, and Oversight proceeding, the Commission fortifies its debarment rule for parties convicted of criminal violations or found civilly liable in connection with acts arising from participation in any of the four universal service programs.  Previously, the Commission's debarment rules applied only to the E-rate Program.  As a result of the changes adopted in this order, bad actors who defraud the program can be prohibited from receiving funds in the High Cost, Low Income, and Rural Healthcare programs. Full Press release

 

Source: FCC, United States

 

Washington, DC – The Federal Communications Commission today announced the agenda topics and tentative speakers for the Digital Television Consumer Education Workshop to be held Wednesday, September 26, 2007, at FCC Headquarters, 445 12^th St., SW, Washington, DC, in the Commission Meeting Room.  It will begin at 8:00 AM and end at 3:45 PM.   

 

          The purpose of the workshop is to provide an opportunity for all interested parties to jointly discuss the challenges associated with the upcoming transition and explore ways to develop coordinated consumer education activities. Organizations representing a broad range of consumers and other stakeholders will be represented, including those who represent senior citizens, low-income consumers, non-English speakers, people with disabilities, tribes, and public interest organizations working on behalf of underserved customers or those living in rural areas.  A preliminary agenda is attached. Full Press release

 

Source: Federal Communication Comission (FCC), USA

A Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel) aprovou na quarta-feira, 22, o Termo de Obrigação de Universalização a ser assinado pelas cinco concessionárias de telefonia fixa. O termo viabiliza a utilização dos recursos do Fundo de Universalização dos Serviços de Telecomunicações (Fust) na implementação do Plano de Metas para a Universalização do Serviço Telefônico Fixo Comutado em Instituições de Assistência às Pessoas Portadoras de Deficiência Auditiva (PMU I), aprovado pelo Decreto n.º 6.039, de 7 de fevereiro de 2007.

O termo é o documento necessário para a implementação do Programa de Atendimento às Pessoas com Deficiência Auditiva, instituído pelo Ministério das Comunicações em abril de 2006. Esse projeto, que viabiliza a utilização dos recursos do Fust pela primeira vez, vai fornecer às instituições que assistem pessoas com deficiência auditiva a instalação gratuita de uma linha telefônica na sede da instituição beneficiada; a isenção do pagamento mensal da assinatura básica; e equipamentos de interface, os Terminais de Telecomunicações para Surdos (TTS), que permitam a utilização da telefonia fixa pelas pessoas com deficiência auditiva. Full Press release

Source: ANATEL, Brazil

OTTAWA-GATINEAU —The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today issued a public notice asking for input on the nature, governance, structure and mandate of the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS).

In April 2007, the federal government called on the telecommunications industry to establish an independent, industry-funded agency to resolve complaints from consumers and small businesses. This new agency (the CCTS) was set up by industry members on a provisional basis and began operations on July 23, 2007. On that same date, the agency’s founding members filed a proposal with the CRTC describing its organization, which the Commission will consider during a public consultation starting on November 14, 2007, in Gatineau. Full Press release

Source: CRTC, Canada

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has instigated its first formal investigation under the Do Not Call Register Act 2006, which established the Do Not Call Register for Australian consumers. ACMA will investigate Lifestyle Dynamics following numerous complaints from people listed on the Register about continuing to receive calls from the company.

The Do Not Call Scheme commenced on 31 May 2007 and has since attracted more than 1.6 million registrations. Since that time, ACMA has worked with industry to build compliance with the new scheme. As part of this approach, ACMA initially wrote to 259 businesses that had been the subject of complaints, warning them of their new obligations and advising them of the penalty provisions for non-compliance. Full Press release

Source: ACMA, Australia

By means of the Electronic System of Public Procurement (SEAP), available from March 2002 on the website address www.e-licitatie.ro, the registered public institutions organize award procedures of the public procurement contracts by electronic means, in which any economic operator may participate. 

Starting January 1, 2007, according to the Government Emergency Ordinance no.34/2006 regarding the award of the public procurement contracts, public work concession contracts and services concession contracts, all state institutions have the obligation to publish the individual service contract forecast, the service procurement notice and the award notices, as well as the invitations to tender related to the requests for quotation within SEAP. So far, the 8,166 contracting authorities registered within the Electronic System of Public Procurement have published 106,134 notices and invitations to tender related to the public procurement procedures. 6,028 of them were published in the Official Journal of the European Union, thus Romania holds the first position in electronic transmission of notices towards OJEU. Full Press release

 

Source: ANRC, Romania

By means of the Electronic System of Public Procurement (SEAP), available from March 2002 on the website address www.e-licitatie.ro, the registered public institutions organize award procedures of the public procurement contracts by electronic means, in which any economic operator may participate. 

Starting January 1, 2007, according to the Government Emergency Ordinance no.34/2006 regarding the award of the public procurement contracts, public work concession contracts and services concession contracts, all state institutions have the obligation to publish the individual service contract forecast, the service procurement notice and the award notices, as well as the invitations to tender related to the requests for quotation within SEAP. So far, the 8,166 contracting authorities registered within the Electronic System of Public Procurement have published 106,134 notices and invitations to tender related to the public procurement procedures. 6,028 of them were published in the Official Journal of the European Union, thus Romania holds the first position in electronic transmission of notices towards OJEU. Full Press release

Source: ANRC, Romania

Consumers and emerging technologies will be the focus of discussion at this week’s inaugural Communications Consumer Dialogue, jointly hosted by the Australian Communications and Media Authority and Communications Alliance.

To be held on Wednesday 22 August 2007, the dialogue will focus on new and emerging technologies and how they will benefit consumers.

‘The dialogue is an opportunity for consumer representatives and those with an interest in consumer issues to focus on how Australia will achieve equitable access in the area of emerging technologies,’ said Chris Chapman, ACMA Chairman. Full Press release

Source: ACMA, Ausralia

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a Report and Order (Order) and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Notice) adopted today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) clarified the roaming obligations of Commercial Mobile Radio Services (CMRS) providers, stating that automatic roaming is a common carrier obligation for CMRS carriers. Automatic roaming allows roaming mobile telephone customers to place calls as they do in their home coverage area, by simply entering a phone number and pressing “send.”

The FCC required CMRS carriers to provide roaming services to other carriers upon reasonable request and on a just, reasonable, and non-discriminatory basis under Sections 201 and 202 of the Communications Act. When a reasonable request is made by a technologically compatible CMRS carrier, a host CMRS carrier must provide automatic roaming to the requesting carrier outside of the requesting carrier’s home market. The FCC also decided to maintain its existing manual roaming requirement, which requires CMRS providers to permit customers of other carriers to roam manually on their networks, for example by supplying a credit card number, provided that the roamers’ handsets are technically capable of accessing the roamed-on network. Full Press release

Source: FCC, United States

Bolivian telecoms watchdog Sittel is due to give local mobile telephony operators 10 days starting Wednesday (Aug 15) to decongest the current mobile traffic on their networks or face sanctions, Sittel head Clifford Paravicini told BNamericas.

According to Paravicini, Sittel's technicians determined last weekend that the average mobile congestion on the networks of the three operators was 20% while regulations allow for a maximum of 5%. Full Press release

Source: Business News Americas

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa will be conducting workshops on regulations with regard to a Code on People with Disabilities. The workshops were preceded by the publication of draft regulations in June 2007. The draft regulations prescribe a Code of Good Practice that defines the approach that should be adopted by all licensees, in providing services to people with disabilities in the communications industry as provided for by the section 70 of the Electronic Communications Act no. 36 of 2005. Full Press release

Source: ICASA, South Africa

El presidente de la Comisión Federal de Telecomunicaciones (COFETEL), Héctor Osuna Jaime, presentó el Informe de Actividades 2006-2007 de la dependencia ante las Comisiones Unidas de Comunicaciones y Radio y Televisión del Senado de la República, documento que refleja el trabajo elaborado para promover el crecimiento del sector y detonar las inversiones que requiere el país.

Acompañado por los comisionados que integran el Pleno de la COFETEL y por los jefes de unidad de la dependencia, Osuna Jaime expuso ante los legisladores las acciones realizadas por el órgano regulador en materia de Prospectiva y Regulación, Servicios a la Industria y Radio y Televisión. Full Press release

Source: COFETEL, Mexico

A Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel) recebe esta tarde comitiva norte-americana composta de representantes do Departamento de Estado, do órgão regulador das telecomunicações - a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) e do Departamento de Comércio. Esse será o terceiro encontro bilateral entre autoridades dos dois países. A agenda do encontro, coordenado pelo presidente da Agência, Ronaldo Mota Sardenberg, prevê a discussão dos seguintes temas: panorâmica das telecomunicações, Internet, espectro de radiofreqüências, certificação e acordos de reconhecimento mútuo, TV e rádio digitais, além de competição. Uma outra reunião será realizada  amanhã, no Ministério das Comunicações, sempre com o objetivo de discutir questões de interesse comum no setor das telecomunicações. Full Press release

Source: ANATEL, Brazil

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has imposed additional licence conditions on the community radio broadcasting licence for the New South Wales 2RBR Coraki community radio service.

‘Community broadcasters have a responsibility to meet the needs and interests of the community within the planned licence area,’ said Chris Chapman, ACMA Chairman. ‘They also must comply with the technical specifications of their apparatus licence and, in particular, they must not broadcast outside the licence area except in limited circumstances.’ Full Press release

Source: ACMA, Australia

Mobile coverage in country parks has been further improved with the launch of a new base station at Long Ke today ( 12 August 2007 ), bringing the total number of base stations in country parks to 13. With three more mobile base stations under construction and scheduled to be completed later this year, the mobile coverage in Sai Kung, southern Lantau and Tai Lam Chung will be further enhanced.

"As one of its on-going initiatives, the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) continues to facilitate and coordinate with the mobile network operators to establish new mobile base stations in the country parks. Thanks to the effort of the industry, the mobile coverage in the country parks has been significantly improved in recent years. On this particular occasion we would like to thank China Mobile Peoples Telephone Company Limited for taking a lead in the construction of the new base station at Long Ke as well as Smartone 3G Limited for joining the project. Other operators will also soon join the project," a spokesperson of OFTA said today. Full Press release

Source: OFTA, Hong Kong

Washington, D.C. – In a Second Report & Order (Order) adopted today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) revised the 700 MHz band plan and service rules to promote the creation of a nationwide interoperable broadband network for public safety and to facilitate the availability of new and innovative wireless broadband services for consumers.

The 700 MHz Band spectrum, which runs from 698-806 MHz, currently is occupied by television broadcasters and will be made available for other wireless services, including public safety and commercial services, as a result of the digital television (DTV) transition. The Digital Television and Public Safety Act of 2005 (DTV Act) set a firm deadline of February 17, 2009, for the completion of the DTV transition. The DTV Act also requires the FCC to commence an auction of the previously unauctioned commercial spectrum in the 700 MHz Band no later than January 28, 2008. Full Press release

Source: FCC, Unites States

Ofcom today announced a change to the law to enable the use of a new technology that wirelessly connects digital devices in the home.

From 13 August 2007 Ofcom will remove the requirement to hold a licence to operate equipment using approved Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology. UWB allows the transfer of large amounts of data (up to 2 Gb/s) over relatively short distances (around 30 metres).

The technology could promote the convergence of communications devices and services by, for example, connecting personal computers, DVD players, portable music players and digital cameras without the need for wires. In addition, research has shown that devices that transfer data using UWB equipment use low power technologies which can enhance battery life compared with other wireless technologies. Full Press release

Source: OFCOM, United Kingdom

Bolivian telecoms watchdog Sittel has given local mobile telephony operators until Friday (Aug 10) to improve the quality of their mobile telephony services or face economic sanctions and risk losing their licenses, state news agency ABI reported, citing official sources.

ABI said Sittel's head Clifford Paravicini confirmed the three main operators had been notified on August 2 of the requirements. In addition, Sittel ordered the telcos to suspend all marketing campaigns until they have satisfied the regulator that improvements have been made. Full Press release

Source: Business News Americas

Balanço preliminar produzido pela Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel) sobre a implantação do novo sistema de tarifação na telefonia fixa local demonstra que 30% dos usuários dos novos planos (Plano Básico e Plano Alternativo de Serviço de Oferta Obrigatório - Pasoo) já receberam pelo menos uma fatura emitida em minutos. Não houve, segundo os dados avaliados, variação no número de reclamações feitas nas centrais de atendimento da Anatel e das concessionárias em função da mudança, o que pode ser considerado um primeiro indício de satisfação do consumidor com o novo método de tarifação.

Dos 35,3 milhões de terminais fixos das concessionárias em serviço no Brasil, 8,8 milhões (cerca de 25%) já pertenciam a outros planos alternativos tarifados em minutos - os que eram oferecidos em pulsos foram convertidos para o novo sistema. Dos 26,5 milhões (cerca de 75%) restantes, que pertencem ao Plano Básico, em torno de 800 mil (cerca de 3%) estão em 2.825 municípios em que o novo sistema ainda não foi implantado, por opção das prestadoras (Brasil Telecom e Oi). Por força da regulamentação, esses usuários não pagarão pelas ligações locais para telefones fixos até que a concessionária implemente, nesses municípios, a tarifação por minuto. Full Press release

Source: ANATEL, Brazil

Brazil's Minas Gerais state-based mobile phone operator Telemig Celular (Nasdaq: TMB) aims to offer 3G technology in state capital Belo Horizonte by the end of the year, Telemig said in a statement.

Telemig, which was acquired by Brazil's largest mobile operator Vivo (NYSE: VIV) for 1.21bn reais (US$644mn) on August 2, expects to launch 3G/WCDMA technology in central and southern parts of Belo Horizonte, Paulo Amador, Telemig's director of engineering, told BNamericas. Full Press release

Source: Business News Americas

 

The Australian Communications and Media Authority and Communications Alliance have come together to present the inaugural Communications Consumer Dialogue, which will focus on how new and emerging technologies might benefit consumers.

Louise Sylvan, Deputy Chair, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, will deliver the keynote address, while award winning journalist Jennie Brockie will be the master of ceremonies and moderator at the event on 22 August 2007.

‘The Communications Consumer Dialogue will see Communications Alliance and ACMA working together for the benefit of consumers. The two organisations will combine to look at how consumers can gain the benefits that future communication technologies will provide,’ said Anne Hurley, Communications Alliance CEO. Full Press release

Source: ACMA, Australia

The Australian Communications and Media Authority will not proceed with the allocation of a permanent community broadcasting licence that was advertised for the Young licence area in New South Wales.

There was one applicant for the permanent licence, Lambing Flat Community Broadcasting Inc., which already provides a temporary community broadcasting service in the area. The applicant proposed to provide a service for the general community within the licence area. Full Press Release

Source: ACMA, Australia

Today, August 2, 2007, at the headquarters of the National Regulatory Authority for Communications and Information Technology (ANRCTI) took place the meeting of the Consultative Council, during which were debated: several decisions regarding numbering – the decision on the National Numbering Plan, the decision on the procedure for requesting and granting licences for the use of the numbering resources, the decision on establishing and collecting the tariffs for the use of numbering resources -, decisions relating to number portability – the decision amending and completing the ANRC President’s Decision no.144/2006 on the implementation of number portability and the decision regarding the adoption of certain technical and commercial conditions for the implementation of number portability, as well as the decision on the interconnection with the public fixed telephone network operated by S.C. “RCS & RDS” – S.A. for the purpose of call termination at fixed locations. Full Press Release

 

Source: ANRC, Romania

Chilean mobile operator Claro is violating consumer protection laws by reporting subscribers that are behind on bill payments to credit reporting agency Dicom, telecom regulator Subtel's head Pablo Bello told press.

According to Bello, Claro, which is owned by Mexico's América Móvil (NYSE: AMX), has been sending subscriber information to Dicom, owned by US credit reporting agency Equifax, for the last six months for late payments of between 15,000 pesos (US$28.65) and 500,000 pesos.

However, consumer protection laws mandate that consumers cannot be reported to Dicom for non-payment of utility bills, José Roa, director of Chile's consumer protection agency Sernac said. Chilean authorities have registered about 180 cases involving Claro reporting subscribers to Dicom, Roa added. Full Press Release

Source: Business News Americas

ANACOM - Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações has decided to apply a deduction of 1% to the weighted average of variation in prices of services reserved to CTT - Correios de Portugal, authorised for 2007. The regulator has further determined that, within a period of 20 working days, CTT shall present a proposal on the measure's implementation, which should be applied by the end of the current year.

ANACOM has made this decision as part of its remit for monitoring and controlling the quality of the universal service provider, and it follows an analysis of the Post Office's 2006 quality of service indicators, which failed to achieve the levels set out in the Universal Postal Service Quality Convention. Full Press release

Source: ANACOM, Portugal

Washington, DC – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) which seeks comment on potential DTV consumer education initiatives. Among other things, the NPRM seeks comment on requiring broadcasters, multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs), retailers and manufacturers to take certain actions to publicize the digital transition. It will facilitate the upcoming transition to digital on February 17, 2009, a deadline established by Congress.  A successful completion of the digital transition depends upon ensuring that appropriate policies are in place to minimize the burdens and costs borne by consumers. It also depends on government and industry working together in promoting consumer awareness. Full Press Release

Source: Federal Communications Commission (FCC), United States

Osiptel anunció ayer oficialmente que el nuevo factor de productividad, o porcentaje de reducción anual de las tarifas de telefonía fija, será de 6,42% para el período comprendido entre setiembre del 2007 y agosto del 2010. La cifra aprobada por el consejo directivo se encuentra casi en el justo medio entre el planteamiento de Telefónica del Perú (4,13%) y el presentado inicialmente por el equipo técnico de Osiptel (8,23%).

La empresa, notificada casi a mediodía, no tardó en rechazar la decisión y aseguró que la cifra "solo beneficiará a quienes ya tienen teléfono", pues, al verse obligada a rebajar sus tarifas, la empresa no podrá seguir invirtiendo en ampliar la cobertura a lugares que aún no están conectados. "El nuevo factor es el más alto de la región, a pesar de que las tarifas actuales están en el tercio más bajo del comparativo internacional", aseguraron. La empresa anunció que "Telefónica está evaluando la resolución emitida por el organismo regulador". Full Press Release

Source: El Comercio News Paper, Peru

O Conselho Diretor da Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel) aprovou hoje, em sua 444ª reunião, alterações no Regulamento do Serviço Móvel Pessoal (SMP). O regulamento define as regras gerais para a prestação do serviço da telefonia móvel, estabelece direitos e deveres (dos usuários e das prestadoras) e também trata das formas de provimento do serviço. As principais alterações aprovadas pela Anatel ampliam e consolidam os direitos dos usuários e aumentam os deveres das prestadoras. Entre as inovações decorrentes das regras aprovadas - que entrarão em vigor seis meses após sua publicação no Diário Oficial da União - destacam-se:

Créditos - As operadoras serão obrigadas a oferecer créditos pré-pagos com validade de até 180 dias e revalidar os créditos expirados a partir da inserção de novos créditos (desde que antes do prazo de rescisão do contrato). Full Press Release

Source: ANATEL, Brazil

Ofcom today published proposals to require certain types of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers to allow users to call 999 by early 2008. This follows research revealing that as many as 78% of VoIP users who cannot use their service to call 999 thought they could, or did not know whether they could.

Ofcom proposes that any VoIP service allowing users to make calls to ordinary phone numbers must also offer access to 999.

Ofcom wants to ensure that users of mainstream VoIP services do not suffer as a result of trying to dial 999 using a service that does not offer them access. If they had to then locate an ordinary landline or mobile phone, users might face a delay of seconds or minutes in getting through to emergency services, which could prove critical. Full Press Release

Source: OFCOM, United Kingdom

The Commission today proposes measures to make it easier and more lucrative for mobile operators in Europe to offer and develop innovative wireless technologies. By opening radio spectrum for advanced mobile data and multimedia services (such as 3G services that allow video streaming and fast downloads on a mobile handset), the Commission proposals, if they become law, will increase the number and choice of wireless services available, and will expand their geographic coverage to the benefit of all European citizens. The new EU measures will also reduce network deployment costs for Europe's wireless communications industry. Full Press Release

Source: European Commission

Consumers in deregulated markets will benefit from increased competition between local telephone service providers, in the same way they already do when choosing between competing long-distance, wireless and Internet services,” said Konrad von Finckenstein, Q.C., Chairman of the CRTC. Full Press Release

Source: Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), Canada

The Australian Communications and Media Authority today declared protection zones around two submarine telecommunications cables of national significance off the coast of Sydney, NSW. The protection zones will take effect on 1 October 2007.

Activities that could damage the cables are restricted or prohibited within protection zones, and significant criminal penalties apply for breaches of the legislation.

These are the first such protection zones to be declared and are the culmination of extensive consultation over the past 12 months with affected and potentially affected parties. ACMA has established a new international benchmark by creating protection zones that safeguard submarine cables and place appropriate restrictions on other activities occurring in their vicinity. Full Press Release

Source: ACMA, Australia

En la Gaceta Oficial de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela N° 38.730, fue publicada este viernes 20 de julio de 2007, la Providencia Administrativa N° 1039 contentiva de las Condiciones bajo las cuales los Operadores de Servicios de Telefonía Móvil podrán ofrecer la facilidad de Mensajería de Texto, de conformidad con lo establecido en la Ley Orgánica de Telecomunicaciones y demás normas aplicables.

A través de esta Providencia Administrativa la Comisión Nacional de Telecomunicaciones establece las condiciones bajo las cuales los operadores de los servicios de telefonía móvil deberán ofrecer la facilidad de mensajería de texto. Full Press Release

Source: CONATEL, Venezuela

"Canada's New Government believes that an independent agency with a mandate to resolve complaints from individuals and small business retail customers is an integral component of a deregulated telecommunications market," said Minister Bernier, Minister of Industry. "We continue to believe that reliance on market forces and competition benefits both Canadian businesses and consumers."

The Telecommunications Policy Review Panel, in its 2006 report, recommended the creation of such a telecommunications consumer agency, noting that it would protect the interests of Canadian consumers in a world where "telecommunications services are becoming more pervasive and increasingly complex for consumers." Full Press Release

Source: Ministry of Industry, Canada

Ampliar a participação da sociedade no processo de regulamentação das telecomunicações, bem como traçar os perfis de usuários que fazem críticas e sugestões a documentos da Anatel disponíveis para consulta na Internet. Foi com base nesses propósitos que o Sistema de Acompanhamento de Consulta Pública (Sacp) passou por alterações recentemente. A grande novidade é que o cidadão, ao fazer seu cadastro ou recadastramento, poderá escolher a opção "receber notificação de novas consultas" - o que implica o recebimento de e-mail toda a vez em que forem disponibilizados novos documentos no sistema. O usuário poderá, além disso, escolher os temas sobre os quais deseja receber a notificação de inclusão de consultas públicas. Full Press Release

Source: ANATEL, Brazil

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation released today a witness list for a full Committee hearing on Protecting Children on the Internet. The witnesses are listed below. At the hearing, the Committee will explore efforts to protect children from online predators. Full Press Release

Source: United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation

Customers with a life threatening medical condition will benefit from new priority assistance arrangements registered today by ACMA.

The priority assistance code seeks to put in place consistent, industry-wide arrangements for the provision of priority services for a residential customer (or an individual in their household) who has a diagnosed life-threatening medical condition.

The priority assistance code was revised to ensure industry wide consistency, revised timelines for priority assistance customers in Connect Outstanding situations and to address the offering of priority assistance using new technologies.

Source: ACMA, Australia

200 telecentres installed so far, namely 1/3 of the total of 600 isolated communities in the rural area where ANRCTI planned to ensure access to telephony and Internet services by means of the national programme for the installation of telecentres. Approximately 200,000 people whose life changed completely due to ANRCTI inititative, people that are now able to communicate easier with their relatives and friends from abroad, who have access to information and to whom the world seems closer. More than 15,000 children will broaden their horizon, can have access to knowledge, can be informed.

The 200^th telecentre was installed in Valea Lupsii, marking one third of the entire national programme for the installation of telecentres initiated by ANRCTI. On July 18, 2007,  Dan Georgescu, President of the National Regulatory Authority for Communications and Information Technology, together with Amalia Fodor, PR Manager Orange Romania, were present at Lupsa to celebrate together with the inhabitants this special moment, as well as to present and test the telephony and Internet services offered by the telecentre which Orange Romania installed.

Source: ANRC, Romania

Ofcom today announced proposals for a new swift and simple process intended to make it easier for mobile customers to transfer their mobile number to an alternative supplier. Ofcom is seeking views on its proposal that, in just over two years, transferred numbers will need to be up and running on the customer’s new network within two hours.

In the meantime, and following a consultation in November 2006, Ofcom is requiring that the current process is completed in just two working days, compared to five days as is the case now.

Ofcom’s objective is to ensure that consumers are able to select a new mobile provider, purchase a new SIM card and receive calls using their old number as quickly as possible. Ofcom also wishes to ensure that there is no reason that mobile phone providers might be discouraged from offering number portability to customers.

Source: OFCOM, United Kingdom

ANRCTI launches for public consultation a draft decision on the rules based on which the Authority will designate the universal service provider which shall have the obligation of making available for the telephony services users a subscribers directory and directory services, that will include the telephone numbers as well as certain identification data of the subscribers of all publicly available telephone services providers.  

 

At present, in Romania, the commercial mechanisms specific to a competitive market do not satisfy the end-users’ right to have access to this type of directories and directory services, set out by the EU Directive which regulates the universal service in the electronic communications sector. The Law no.304/2003 on the Universal Service and users’ rights relating to the electronic communications networks and services, with the subsequent amendments and completions, stipulates that the universal service providers designated by the Authority have the obligation to make available to the end-users at least one subscribers directory, in printed format, electronic format or both, and at least one directory service, which would comprise the subscribers of all fixed or mobile telephone services providers, whether the payment for such services is made in advance (through prepaid cards, for instance) or after the services had been provided.

 

Source: ANRC, Romania

Washington, DC – The Federal Communications Commission today announced it will hold a day-long Digital Television Consumer Education Workshop at its Washington, DC headquarters on Wednesday, September 26, 2007.

 

The purpose of the workshop is to provide an opportunity for all interested parties to jointly discuss the challenges associated with the upcoming transition and explore ways to develop coordinated consumer education activities.  Organizations representing a broad range of consumers and other stakeholders will be represented, including those who represent senior citizens, low-income consumers, non-English speakers, people with disabilities, tribes, and public interest organizations working on behalf of underserved customers or those living in rural areas. 

Source: FCC, United States

New Delhi, 13 July, 2007- Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has been closely monitoring the performance of Service Providers against the Quality of Service (QoS) benchmarks through Quarterly Performance Monitoring Reports (PMRs) received from the service providers. The analysis of the PMRs indicates that some of the service providers are not meeting the quality of service benchmarks in respect of some of the QoS parameters. Apart from monitoring of the Quality of Service through Quarterly Performance Monitoring Reports, TRAI also undertakes objective assessment of the Quality of Service of Basic and Cellular Mobile Services through an independent agency. Based on the analysis of performance monitoring reports of service providers and report submitted by independent agency for the four quarters in the year 2006-07, service providers were informed in June, 2007 by TRAI about shortfall in achieving certain benchmarks of quality of service parameters specified in the regulation on Quality of Service of Basic and Cellular Mobile Telephone Services, 2005 (11 of 2005).

Source: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, India

Paris, 13rd July 2007

The radio spectrum is a highly valuable immaterial asset of the State. Its efficient use is of major concern for both French society and the economy. The Commission’s report on the immaterial economy states that the income generated by the use of radio spectrum is estimated at over €200 billion per year in Europe, and close to 2% of European GDP.

However, the radio resource is being used intensively and is becoming a scarce resource. Currently, the development of innovative technological solutions for the entire country is hampered by restricted access to the radio spectrum.

However, mobile electronic communications services are on the brink of experiencing the same development as fixed services in recent years with the development of ADSL, that is, an accelerated transition towards high speed data rates. Indeed, mobile access to high speed should naturally become an extension of fixed Internet offers in order to provide consumers, wherever they are in the country, with access continuity to their Internet services, whether at home, work or elsewhere.

Source: ARCEP, France

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has registered a code of practice that provides stronger protection for consumers against the unauthorised transfer of telephone services from one provider to another.

The new Customer Transfer Code is a result of the revision of a code registered in 2001. ‘The revised code ensures that the person who is responsible for the service is the one who consents to the transfer. If a service is transferred without the account holder’s consent, the transfer is unauthorised and can be reversed,’ said Chris Chapman, ACMA Chairman. Full Press Release

Source: Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA)

Ofcom today announces the award of seven new community radio licences.

Community radio is a new tier of radio which complements the mix of services already provided by the BBC and commercial radio sectors. Community radio services typically cover a small geographical area and are provided on a not-for-profit basis focusing on the delivery of specific social benefits to enrich a particular geographical community or a community of interest.

Ofcom has awarded community radio licences in the following areas in Scotland and Northern Ireland:

• Stonehaven and the Mearns, South Aberdeenshire
• St Boswells, Borders
• Dunoon, Argyll
• Glasgow
• Barrhead, East Renfrewshire
• Lisburn
• Belfast

Source: OFCOM, United Kingdom

The Commission has today sent Spain a letter of formal notice for failing to comply with the television advertising rules contained in the "Television without Frontiers" Directive. A report by an independent consultant revealed numerous and frequent infringements of the rules by the major Spanish television channels. The infringements relate particularly to the limit stipulated by the Directive, of 12 minutes per hour for spot advertising and teleshopping.

Viviane Reding, Commissioner for Information Society and Media, said "Spain has not taken the requisite measures to ensure effective compliance with all the provisions of the "Television without Frontiers" Directive. Everything must now be done to remedy this situation and to establish a genuine internal market for audiovisual media services". Full Press Release

For further information: Press Pack about the new Directive on audiovisual media services without frontiers: http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/newsroom/cf/itemlongdetail.cfm?item_id=3430

Source: European Commisssion

OTTAWA-GATINEAU — In a decision issued today, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) set out rules for the creation and operation of a National Do Not Call List (National DNCL) for Canadians who wish to avoid unsolicited calls. These rules will come into effect once an operator has been chosen and the list is fully operational.

The Commission also determined that it would seek out an independent operator for the list and issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) later this month to solicit bids from parties. The information made public today ensures that potential bidders on the RFP are fully informed. It also allows the public and the industry to familiarize themselves with the changes and to prepare for the implementation of the National DNCL.

Once an operator has been selected and has taken the necessary steps to put the list into operation, Canadians who prefer not to receive unsolicited calls will be able to add, at no charge, their numbers to the database. Telemarketers will be prohibited from calling consumers who are registered on the list. However, there are certain exemptions to the list, most of which are provided for in the Telecommunications Act. These include unsolicited calls made by or on behalf of:

registered charities;

political parties;

nomination contestants, leadership contestants or candidates of a political party;

opinion polling firms;

general-circulation newspapers;

organizations that have an existing business relationship with a consumer; and

organizations to business consumers.

The CRTC will be in a position to provide clearer timelines once the operator is selected.

Source: CRTC, Canada

Starting Saturday, June 30, 2007, the Regulation adopted in Luxembourg by the 27 EU Member States, which settles the gradual decrease of the international roaming tariffs in mobile networks, came into force.

According to the Regulation adopted on June 7, 2007, the maximum tariff for the initiation of a call abroad shall be 0.49 euro/minute + VAT during the first year of adoption, while during the following two years shall decrease to 0.46 and respectively 0.43 euro/minute. For the received calls, the Regulation provides a maximum tariff of 0.24 euro/minute for the first year, 0.22 euro/minute for the second year and 0.19 euro/minute in the third year.

During July, all the mobile telephony companies which offer international roaming services must contact their clients in order to offer them explanations on the tariffs offered for such type of services. The clients shall decide afterwards whether they choose the new euro tariffs or comply with the provisions of the contract previously concluded, should they benefit already from preferential tariffs for the roaming services. If they do not opt for the euro tariff and they do not have a subscription which would stipulate preferential tariffs for the roaming service, the euro-tariff shall be automatically applied on them.

The roaming service clients which, by the entry in force of the Regulation, have already deliberately chosen a specific tariff or a specific roaming package, other than the roaming tariff which would have been applied if they had not have done such a choice, and which have not expressed their option, shall be charged according to the tariff or package previously chosen. The tariff requested must be activated no later than a month from the receipt of the client’s request by the operator located in the client’s native country.

Moreover, at the end of September, the mobile telephony operators shall be obliged to send to each client that crosses the boarder an automatically generated SMS. The message, which may be deactivated by the persons who do not wish to receive it, shall contain explanations regarding the costs when initiating or receiving a call. Furthermore, the operators shall have the obligation of offering more detailed information related to the tariffs to the persons requesting it.

On the wholesale market, the value of the tariff paid at the offset between operators for the roaming calls must not exceed 0.30 euro/minute + VAT in the first year, 0.28 in the second and 0.26 euro/minute in the third year since the enforcement of the Regulation. On the other hand, the regulation of the wholesale tariffs shall be enforced within two months from the entry in force of the Regulation hereby.

The regulation regarding the roaming tariffs, examined by four specialised commissions of the European Parliament, was subject to a long series of consultations, public hearings, impact analyses, as well as intense negotiations carried between the Members of the Parliament, on the one hand, and the European Union’s German presidency, on the other hand.

The National Authority for Communications and Information Technology is the institution entrusted with the monitoring and surveillance of the compliance with the provisions of the Regulation on Romania’s territory and it is empowered to request all relevant information in this regard from the operators of mobile public telephony networks.

Source: ANRC, Romania

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OTTAWA-GATINEAU — The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today published the report of the Task Force on the Canadian Television Fund (CTF). The report highlights the importance of the role played by the CTF and the Canadian independent production sector in the creation of quality Canadian television programs, and of the contributions paid to the CTF by the Canadian government. The Task Force recommends certain measures to improve the funding of Canadian programs, increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the CTF, and enhance the participation of broadcasting distribution undertakings (BDUs) in the CTF.

“The Task Force’s report recognizes the importance of the CTF for the production of Canadian programs,” said Michel Arpin, the CRTC’s Vice-Chair of Broadcasting and Chairman of the Task Force on the CTF. “The CTF’s mandate must be reviewed to include two components: one that will continue to conform to the Contribution Agreement with the Department of Canadian Heritage and a second with a more commercial outlook in order to reflect the important role of the contributions of the distribution undertakings in the financing of Canadian television productions.”

The Task Force recommends that the CRTC’s Broadcasting Distribution Regulations be amended to better reflect an orientation more focused on the market. It also proposes amendments to the Regulations to clarify that BDU contributions to the CTF are to be made on a monthly basis. In addition, the Task Force proposes that the CTF allocate a portion of its funds to the development of productions for new media platforms.

Independent producers benefit directly from the funds allocated by the CTF while sitting on its Board of Directors, which can give the appearance of a conflict of interest. The Task Force recommends that independent producers should no longer be members of the CTF Board of Directors, but that their perspectives should continue to form an important part of the CTF’s deliberations.

Source: CRTC, Canada

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The Australian Communications and Media Authority has released an issues paper as part of its review of the Children’s Television Standards on free-to-air commercial television. ACMA invites public comment on its Children’s Television Standards Review - Issues Paper by 17 August 2007.

‘ACMA is reviewing the Children’s Television Standards, given that they have not been reviewed for some time,’ said Chris Chapman, ACMA Chairman. ‘We recognise that television content standards—such as the Children’s Television Standards —will need to be comprehensively reviewed over the coming years as the media landscape changes but consider that useful improvements can be made to aspects of the standards now.’

The issues paper outlines key issues to be considered in the review including whether:

• the current Children’s (C) and Preschool (P) program quota levels, classification criteria and time bands are still appropriate today;
• the current classification process for C and P programs impedes innovation in children’s programming; and
• the standards should be amended to specifically address the issue of food advertising directed at children.

ACMA recognises the strong interest in, and debate on, the role of food advertising on television and its impact on children’s health and the paper raises some options for consideration. ACMA has also released a literature review, which has informed development of the issues paper and should provide intending contributors with a guide to some diverse perspectives.

ACMA is also interested in exploring viable options that might help start building a bridge to the future Australian media environment and is therefore interested in whether, for example, a tradeable obligations scheme would be useful and still meet the objective of specifically catering for children in programming.

Instructions on how to make submissions are included in the issues paper. ACMA will publish all submissions as they are received on its website, subject to consideration of any confidentiality claims.

Following the public consultation period, recommendations for any changes will be made and a redrafted Children’s Television Standards released for public consultation, as required under legislation. ACMA expects that the review will be finalised in the first half of 2008.

Source: ACMA, Australia

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The Australian Communications and Media Authority has accepted formal undertakings from Harbour Radio Pty Ltd, the licensee of commercial radio service 2GB Sydney, concerning new training procedures on vilification in response to a number of breaches of a provision of the Commercial Radio Codes of Practice 2004 (the code).

In three investigations over the last six months, ACMA has found the licensee in breach of the vilification provision of the code for broadcasts that occurred between May and December 2005. Clause 1.3(e) of the code provides that a licensee must not broadcast a program which is likely to incite or perpetuate hatred against or vilify any person or group on the basis of a number of attributes, including ethnicity.

In response to these findings, 2GB will introduce a comprehensive training program on vilification intended to ensure its future compliance with the code. These procedures will supplement the revised regime that the licensee of 2GB introduced in mid 2006 and means the licensee’s approach on this matter should better align with the code.

The new training is to be provided to all presenters, producers and on-air staff to the satisfaction of ACMA.

The 2GB Board of Directors will formally review and approve the compliance program for implementation and the licensee will report to ACMA throughout the process on the development and application of the new regime.

If ACMA is not satisfied at any time that the new arrangements will ensure compliance with the code, ACMA will revisit the matter to consider the heightened compliance options available to it.

2GB accepts this position and has reiterated its commitment to meeting its responsibilities under the code.

ACMA welcomes the considered and constructive approach taken by 2GB in developing a program of activities that specifically addresses ACMA’s concerns.

Source: ACMA, Australia

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The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa has issued a notice of its intention to make regulations in respect of the electronic communications, broadcasting and postal sectors to meet the needs of people with disabilities. The purpose of the regulations is to prescribe the Code on people with disabilities to be adhered to by all licence categories. The prescription of Code on people with disabilities is in terms of section 70 of the Electronic Communications Act, no 36 of 2005 as well as section 2 (h) of the Postal Services Act No. 124 of 1998.

Interested parties are therefore invited to submit written representations with regards to the proposed regulations. The representations should reach ICASA by no later than 16h00 on 20 July 2007. They can be posted or delivered to:

Competition Analyst Private Bag x 10002 Sandton 2146

Source: ICASA, South Africa

New Delhi, 15^th June, 2007- Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released a regulation called “Telecommunication Consumers Education and Protection Fund Regulations, 2007”.

 

2. As per the regulation, a Telecommunication Consumers Education and Protection Fund shall be established by the TRAI for the telecom consumers’ awareness, education and for protection of their interests. Telecom Service Providers, who may have charged their subscribers any amount in excess of the rates of telecommunication service determined under any regulation or order or direction made under the TRAI Act, or amount in excess of the rates announced by the service providers where the rates have been notified under market forbearance, which could not be refunded to the concerned subscribers and thus lying as unclaimed with the service providers, shall transfer the excess amount so collected to the credit of the Telecommunication Consumers Education and Protection Fund. The said amount shall be transferred within a period of thirty days after being so directed by the TRAI and in case where no direction has been issued by the TRAI within a period of thirty days after the expiry of 12 months from the date on which such amount became due for refund or after expiry of period of limitation specified under any law. It is estimated that various telecom companies have approximately Rs.10 crore undisbursed amount accumulated over last ten years.

 

3. It is pertinent to note that refunds to a large number of consumers of different service providers became due under various Directions or Orders issued by the Authority from time to time, but a significant amount of these excess moneys could not be refunded to the consumers for different reasons by the concerned service providers and accordingly, such sums of moneys are lying with the service providers in separately earmarked accounts. The retention of such excess charged moneys, which actually belong to the consumers, by the service providers would amount to undue or unjust enrichment and, therefore, these moneys are required to be ploughed by an institutionalised mechanism for utilising such moneys for activities aimed at promotion of telecommunication consumer’s education and protection.

 

4. It has been provided in the regulation that only the income from such amount credited to the corpus of the Telecommunication Consumers Education and Protection Fund shall be utilised for consumers’ education and protection. However, as the generation of income by way of interest may take some time and, in the mean time to undertake activities related to telecommunication consumers’ education and protection, it has been provided that during the initial period of 18 months a small portion limited to five per cent of the initial corpus of the Telecommunication Consumers Education and Protection Fund shall be utilized for said purposes.

 

5. All expenditure from the Telecommunication Consumers Education and Protection Fund shall be incurred on the recommendations of the committee constituted under these regulations which, inter alia, consist of the representatives of the service providers and the consumers’ organizations to ensure transparency. The expenditure shall be incurred for the following purposes:-

(a) to undertake programmes to educate the consumers of the Telecommunication services about various measures taken by the Central Government or TRAI for protecting the interests of consumers of telecommunication services;

(b) to conduct studies and market research projects, either directly or through specialized agencies or institutions on matters relating to protection of the interests of consumers of telecommunication services;

(c) to organize seminars, symposia and workshops on the subject of consumer welfare and consumer education in the field of telecommunication.

 

6. The regulations provide that no amount in respect of which a claim has been filed before any court of law, tribunal or consumer forum or in respect of which an order has been made by any court of law, tribunal or consumer forum shall be transferred to the Fund. The regulations further provide that any person, becoming entitled to refund of any amount in pursuance of an order made by a Consumer Forum under the Consumer Protection Act,1986 or by any court or tribunal, subsequent to the transfer of such amount to the Telecommunication Consumers Education and Protection Fund shall be paid such amount by the service provider in accordance with the order made under that Act or the court or tribunal, as the case may be, and the service provider may apply to the Authority for reimbursement of such amount.

 

7. The Authority expects that the measures for the consumers’ education and their protection as envisaged in the regulation would:

(i) create awareness among the telecommunication consumers in different parts of India in respect of their rights;

(ii) eventually reduce the amount which may remain unclaimed in future by such consumers;

(iii) educate them regarding latest development in the telecommunication sector and telecom laws and steps taken by the Authority and Central Government to protect and promote the interests of the telecommunication consumers; and

(iv) also prevent the avoidable events of excess charging of rates by the service providers at times which is often unintentional due to fast changes taking place in the telecommunication sector and other reasons.

Full text of the “Telecommunication Consumers Education and Protection Fund Regulations, 2007 (6 of 2007)” is available on TRAI’s website: www.trai.gov.in

Source: TRAI, India

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The Australian Communications and Media Authority has decided to extend the community television trial in Adelaide until 4 July 2008. The trial will continue to be conducted by the current operator, C31.

‘C31 continues to meet the criteria for a community television triallist,’ said Chris Chapman, ACMA Chairman. ‘ACMA notes that C31 has not met its projected financial target, but is satisfied that it is currently solvent. C31 has been providing quarterly financial reports to ACMA and will continue to do so in the coming financial year.’

In June 2006, ACMA decided not to allocate a permanent community television licence in Adelaide on the basis that neither of the two applicants for the licence (C31 and OUR TV Adelaide Ltd) satisfied the relevant criteria. Instead ACMA extended the community television trial for six months to 4 January 2007 and sought expressions of interest for a future trial. There were two applications for the trial licence, from C31 and Television Adelaide Ltd.

In December 2006, ACMA decided that C31 met the criteria in the Access and Compliance Statement for a Trial Community Television Service and extended the trial in Adelaide to 4 July 2007. The decision was made on the basis of written undertakings provided by C31 in relation to meeting the needs of the local community, encouraging participation in the service and financial reporting.

Source: ACMA, Australia

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To keep pace with the market developments, the Telecommunications Authority (TA) today (8 June 2007) announced his decisions to update the existing universal service arrangements.

After considering the submissions in response to the consultation paper of "Review of the Regulatory Framework for Universal Service Arrangement" issued on 28 December 2006, the TA issued a Statement today to conclude the review. The existing universal service arrangements were put in place in 1998. PCCW-HKT Telephone Ltd. (PCCW), the only universal service provider, has been compensated under the Universal Service Contribution (USC) scheme for the net cost of providing universal service to unprofitable customers. At present, the compensation is shared by telecommunications service providers who provide external telecommunications services (commonly known as International Direct Dialling (IDD) services) on the basis of the traffic volume handled.

"The TA agrees with the majority of the respondents to the consultation that the universal service arrangements should be maintained so that affordable basic telephone service will continue to be available to all members of the public," a spokesperson of the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) said.

"However, the market landscape has undergone massive changes since 1998. Competitors of PCCW have rolled out customer access networks to connect directly their customers. More than 76% of households are accommodated in buildings connected by at least one alternative access network constructed by PCCW’s competitors. PCCW’s competitors are competing with PCCW in these buildings. To be fair to the competitors of PCCW, PCCW should no longer receive subsidy in the form of USC in those buildings connected by alternative access networks," continued the spokesperson.

"The TA also updated the methodology for the calculation of the universal service cost. For example, the net cost of providing universal service should not be calculated on an individual customer basis. The net cost of serving all customers connected by the same distribution point should be considered instead," the spokesperson elaborated.

The above changes to the existing universal service arrangements will take effect from 1 July 2007.

"Regarding the funding arrangement, the existing mechanism of sharing the cost of providing universal service on the basis of IDD traffic volume will gradually become unsustainable as more and more traffic will be routed through IP-based networks. The TA decides that the status quo will remain until the end of April 2009, when the fixed-mobile interconnection charge is deregulated and the new funding arrangement will be based on the quantity of telephone numbers allocated," the spokesperson added.

The TA Statement, which is entitled "Review of the Regulatory Framework for Universal Service Arrangements", can be downloaded from OFTA's website at www.ofta.gov.hk .

Source: OFTA, Hong Kong

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Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (the Authority) has today issued "Telecom Unsolicited Commercial Communications Regulations, 2007", for putting in place a mechanism for curbing the unwanted telemarketing calls. The Regulation has been made effective with its publication.

�� Proposal to have National Do Not Call Registry (NDNC registry) containing list of telephone numbers of the subscribers who do not want to receive Unsolicited Commercial Communications (UCC). It include SMS as well.

�� DoT authorizes National Informatics Center (NIC) for installation, operation and maintenance of NDNC registry.

�� The NDNC to be established in 3 months time by NIC.

�� After the establishment of NDNC registry, Telephone subscriber (Landline or cellular) who does not wish to receive UCC can register their telephone number with their telecom service provider for inclusion in the NDNC.

�� The telemarketer will have to verify their calling telephone numbers list with the NDNC registry before making a call.

�� Telemarketer will have to register with NDNC Registry to avail the facility of scrubbing their calling list.

�� An amount of Rs 500/- per call / message has been prescribed to discourage telemarketers who makes calls to numbers registered in Do Not Call list. TRAI issued Telecom Tariff Order (Forty-Fifth amendment) 2007 today notifying tariff of Rs. 500/- for each such Unsolicited Commercial Communication.

�� The defaulter telemarketer will face disconnection of telecom service.

Earlier the Authority had sent its recommendations to Department of Telecom (DOT) for authorizing NIC for designing and establishing the National Do Not Call Registry and formulating guidelines for Telemarketers etc. The Authority has notified the Regulation today.

In the Regulation the Unsolicited Commercial Calls has been defined as "any message, through telecommunications service, which is transmitted for the purpose of informing about, or soliciting or promoting any commercial transaction in relation to goods, investments or services which a subscriber opts not to receive, but, does not include, ----

(i) any message (other than promotional message) relating to a service or financial transaction under a specific contract between the parties to such contract; or

(ii) any messages relating to charities, national campaigns or natural calamities transmitted on the directions of the Government or agencies authorized by it for the said purpose;

(iii) messages transmitted, on the directions of the Government or any authority or agency authorized by it, in the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality

Through this Regulation, the Authority has facilitated setting up of a national database, containing list of telephone numbers of all such subscribers who do not want to receive the UCC. This database will be called National Do Not Call Registry (NDNC). NIC has been contracted to design and maintain the NDNC. The telecom service providers will set up the call centers with "toll free telephone lines" to receive request from their subscribers who want to register in the NDNC. The service providers will periodically update the NDNC online and thus the NDNC will have the telephone numbers of all the subscribers from all over India who have opted not to receive any UCC. In the Regulation, maximum of 45 days have been given from the date of registration of request by a subscriber to inclusion of his telephone number in the NDNC. Telemarketers will have to register in the NDNC registry. The telemarketers would make online request by submitting the calling list to the NDNC registry and the registry will return the list of Do Not Call numbers to the requested telemarketer.

The DoT has formulated separate guidelines for "Telemarketers". All the agencies making voice calls or sending SMSs for marketing of products, including those content providers who offer various services through SMS and voice using short codes fall in the category of telemarketers and such telemarketers are required to register with DOT.In its Regulation, the Authority has mandated the Telemarketers to register themselves with the Department of Telecommunications, within three months of issue of the guidelines for Telemarketers by Department of Telecommunications. Otherwise, their telecom services may face disconnection. With a view of avoiding any disruption in the

telemarketing activity, the scheme also envisages provisional registration of the telemarketers at the level of telecom service providers.

As majority of the telemarketers are being employed by the Banking Sector, the Authority has also approached the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) to ensure that no telemarketers are engaged by the Banking Sector without valid registration certificate issued from DoT and also requested them to ensure that all the telemarketers presently engaged by the banks should register themselves with DoT as ‘Telemarketer’ within three months. The RBI has extended full support for this scheme.

To tackle the issue of violation of the Regulation by Telemarketers, the regulation has the following key provisions:

�� Originating Access Provider to whom the complaint has been forwarded will examine and warn the guilty telemarketer /customer for the first time.

�� If the UCC is repeated by the same telemarketer for the second time, his service provider shall charge a higher tariff. The Authority has provided for a special tariff on per call basis, which is Rs.500/-. The Authority through Telecom Tariff Order (Forty-Fifth amendment) 2007 today notified tariff of Rs. 500/- for such Unsolicited Commercial Communication.

�� The Telecom Service Providers have been directed to disconnect telephones connections of telemarketer if sending of such Unsolicited Commercial Communication is repeated.

The full text of `The Telecom Unsolicited Commercial Communications Regulations, 2007’ and `Telecommunication Tariff (Forty-fifth Amendment) order’ are available on TRAI’s website: www.trai.gov.in.

Source: TRAI, India

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ARCEP continues to ease regulation on fixed telephony retail markets by raising France Telecom’s obligations on residential markets. In this way, the end consumer will benefit from a market richer in innovative offers while still enjoying protection from regulation of France Telecom’s base prices under universal service.

ARCEP plans to ease regulation on fixed telephony business markets only once the quality of service offered by France Telecom to alternative operators is considered satisfactory.

The deregulation of retail fixed telephony residential markets eases constraints on France Telecom and benefits the end consumer by encouraging innovation

During its market analyses, ARCEP prefers to impose on operators obligations on wholesale markets (also called "intermediate markets") to prevent competition problems identified on retail markets. Nevertheless, in 2005, given the difficulty in foreseeing the effect of obligations imposed on these wholesale markets on the functioning of competition, ARCEP considered it necessary to complete this measure with obligations applied to France Telecom directly on fixed telephony retail markets.

After easing regulation of retail residential markets in 2006, ARCEP is now continuing this by raising most of the remaining obligations on these markets.

This is made possible through the implementation of the wholesale subscription sale offer which had been imposed on France Telecom, with initial sales in 2006.

This dynamic regulation of the fixed telephony market (cf. appendix 1) let the consumer enjoy innovative offers, such as unlimited call offers as early as 2004, and, in recent months, the first offers combining subscriptions and calls for a flat rate offered by all operators.

Telephone call base rates remain regulated to protect the end consumer

While easing its regulatory action on fixed telephony retail markets, ARCEP continues to protect the consumer, in particular through universal service.

France Telecom’s services covered by universal service (subscription, "base" tariff national and international calls) remain subject to the regulator’s control, which ensures that they are affordable. To this end, ARCEP established a multi-year pricing framework for national calls in 2005 which covers national calls under the universal service offer and ensures that these prices are reduced by 3% over the period 2005-2008 (cf. appendix 2). Remaining universal service prices, i.e. primarily those for international calls as well as telephone subscription fees, are subject to prior individual checks which ensure directly that they are affordable.

It is also important to note that other deregulated France Telecom retail prices may be appealed to the competition authority, Conseil de competition, under the normal framework of competition law.

The easing of regulation on business fixed telephony markets will be considered only once the quality of service of France Telecom’s wholesale offers improves

The alleviation measure currently proposed by ARCEP does not involve raising the obligations currently in force on business fixed telephony markets which do not yet present satisfactory and complete characteristics for regulation to be removed.

Indeed, on business markets where the concept of quality of service (guaranteed effective recovery times, or guaranteed service availability) is structuring, the quality offered by France Telecom to alternative operators buying its wholesale offers could still be improved.

So, ARCEP believes that before taking on any new phase of alleviating retail obligations imposed on France Telecom on business markets, it should first check that France Telecom has established optimal and complete conditions, in terms of quality of service, allowing alternative operators to reproduce its offers.

So, ARCEP is conducting works with all sector players which will allow it to identify reliable indicators on all of France Telecom's wholesale offers underpinning the retail offers (wholesale access to telephone service, unbundling, regional ADSL collection offer, capacity services, etc) and to conduct a precise review.

Source: ARCEP, France

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The Australian Communications and Media Authority has varied the Telecommunications (Do Not Call Register) (Telemarketing and Research Calls) Industry Standard 2007 to allow research calls to be made on Sundays.

Under the revised industry standard, which commences on 31 May with the Do Not Call Register Scheme, a research caller must not make or attempt to make a research call on a Sunday before 9.00 am or after 5.00 pm.

Telemarketing calls are still prohibited on Sundays under the standard.

‘ACMA has decided to vary the industry standard because the Authority reached the conclusion that prohibiting research calls on a Sunday could potentially reduce the benefits to the community from well-structured research,’ said Chris Chapman, ACMA Chairman.

‘This view is based on strong evidence provided to ACMA that the prohibition could undermine the value of longitudinal data sets where data had previously been collected on Sundays, as well as increase the potential for bias because samples were not representative.’

Before varying the standard, ACMA called for views on the issue of research calls on a Sunday through the release of a discussion paper on 20 April 2007. The submissions received provided extensive new quantitative and qualitative information which emphasised the importance of Sunday calling to quality research.

‘ACMA understands that the community generally considers unsolicited telephone calls to be inconvenient and intrusive,’ said Mr Chapman. ‘However, the community also appreciates the importance of quality research in delivering social and economic benefits.

‘After considering the views put to us, we have concluded that calls should be allowed on Sundays but with tighter calling hours than those that exist under current self-regulatory arrangements. This will allow valuable research to continue.’

ACMA will be closely monitoring compliance with the new Sunday calling times and consumer response to the standard.

‘This work will be used as part of ACMA’s comprehensive review of the calling hours under the standard in the next 12 months,’ Mr Chapman added. ‘The review can be brought forward at any time should significant concerns be brought to our attention.’

Breaches of the standard may incur either a formal warning or financial penalty, determined by the Federal Court. Penalties are up to $250,000 per contravention for bodies corporate and $50,000 for individuals.

ACMA also expects that the telemarketing and research industries will move quickly to develop codes of practice to address consumer concerns about industry activities which are not addressed by the ACMA standard.

Source: ACMA, Australia

Mobile communications markets in the French territories of the Caribbean and Indian Ocean have developed rapidly over the past few years to reach a similar maturity level to that of mainland France. This can be asserted through the comparison between mobile penetration rates (as of march 31^st 2007, average penetration rate in the overseas areas was 96%, against 81.9% in the mainland) and through the growth of mobile multimedia services on GPRS and EDGE networks.

In mainland France, wideband mobile services are now thriving on 3G UMTS networks, which offer higher bitrates. Three operators are currently licensed for 3G, and a tender for a fourth license is open.

Overseas populations must also be able to benefit from the new possibilities enabled by UMTS. Therefore, 3G networks must be implemented rapidly, and must take into account the specific conditions of the overseas markets.

For these reasons, ARCEP is publishing a request for comments to prepare the licensing conditions in the 2 GHz band, which is the international standard band for 3G services.

ARCEP invites all parties likely to launch 3G networks in the overseas areas to express their interest within the framework of this consultation, in order to set up an effective licensing plan, and in particular to confirm the feasibility of a first come first serve process.

All parties interested in participating in the consultation are invited to send their contributions to ARCEP before July 6^th 2007 at 5 PM CET.

Source: ARCEP, France

OTTAWA-GATINEAU — The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has introduced changes to the way it regulates conventional television broadcasters. These measures will ensure Canadians have access to digital and high-definition television programming, and that broadcasters continue to contribute to the production, acquisition and broadcast of high-quality Canadian programming.

Notably, the Commission has decided to:

• remove restrictions on advertising time limits after gradually increasing the amount of advertising allowed;
• establish August 31, 2011, as the date by which television licensees will only broadcast digital signals;
• require English- and French-language broadcasters to caption for the hearing impaired 100 per cent of their programs over the 18-hour broadcast day, with the exception of advertising and promotions; and
• deny a subscriber fee for the carriage of local conventional television stations on cable and satellite as its necessity has not been demonstrated.

“These changes reflect our approach of developing lighter and more targeted regulation to achieve the objectives of the Broadcasting Act,” said Konrad von Finckenstein, Q.C., Chairman of the CRTC. “Broadcasters will have the flexibility to air more advertising, and Canadians viewers will ultimately decide what is acceptable.”

Source: CRTC, Canada

Information and Communications Minister Hon. Mutahi Kagwe officially launched the equipment, known as the Quality of Service Monitoring System (QSMS), at the CCK offices in Nairobi. Other facilities launched together with the QSMS were a specialized ICT library and a Geographic Information System (GIS) for the communication sector.

New arrangements for accessing information in the Integrated Public Number Database (IPND) commenced today with the introduction of a scheme establishing a ‘gatekeeper’ role for the Australian Communications and Media Authority and the registration of a revised industry code.

‘These new arrangements play a very important role in protecting the privacy of customer details by ensuring that IPND data is only used for approved purposes,’ said Chris Chapman, ACMA Chairman.

Schedule 1 of the Telecommunications Amendment (Integrated Public Number Database) Act 2006 (the Act) was proclaimed by the Governor-General on 10 May 2007 and will come into effect on 15 May 2007. The Telecommunications Integrated Public Number Database Scheme 2007 (the IPND Scheme) and associated legislative instruments will also commence on this day.

In addition, ACMA has registered the Integrated Public Number Database (IPND) Industry Code ACIF C555:2007 (the IPND Code) developed by the Communications Alliance.

The IPND Scheme establishes ACMA’s role in granting authorisations to use and disclose information from the IPND in connection with the publication and maintenance of a public number directory or for conducting research of a kind specified by the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.

The IPND Code aligns industry practices with the requirements of the Act and the IPND Scheme. It establishes processes for data providers, data users and the IPND Manager that promote the integrity of IPND data.

In an acknowledgment of the importance of the IPND Code, Chris Chapman said: ‘This code is a valuable complement to the new IPND Scheme. I would like to acknowledge the significant work done by Communications Alliance over an extended period to have the IPND Code ready for registration in time for proclamation of the Act.’

‘Communications Alliance has worked hard to develop a code that will protect the interests of data providers and data users, and importantly, protect the integrity of customer information. To achieve this we needed a code that supports the new requirements of the Act and the IPND Scheme, and we are confident that we have achieved that end,’ said Communications Alliance CEO Anne Hurley.

The IPND Scheme is available on the ACMA website and the IPND Code can be found at the Communications Alliance website.

Source: ACMA, Australia

ARCEP’s decision on value-added services stipulating the legal framework for relations between operators has just been approved by the Minister. It is part of ARCEP’s overreaching work on the operation of the VAS market, which will continue with the re-examination of France Telecom’s obligations.

ARCEP reaffirms the urgency to re-establish the bodies responsible for the respect of deontological rules for the content of value-added services. It will also continue its action for consumer protection in order to improve the transparency and clarity of call tariffs to VAS.

ARCEP has just completed the first stage of its analysis of the functioning of the value-added services market. Following two successive public consultations, ARCEP adopted a first decision which clarifies a certain number of operating rules for the relations between the operators present on the value-added services market.

• Clarifying relations between operators on the value chain

ARCEP recently adopted a decision—which today received Minister approval—bearing on the obligations imposed on the operators controlling access to the end user for the routing of calls to value-added services. It aims to regulate and clarify the relations between operators and to guarantee better interoperability of value-added services using a number from the national numbering plan. Therefore, it is neutral with respect to contractual relations between operators and consumers. Two types of obligations are planned:

- an obligation imposed on operators present at each end of the value chain (i.e. the "originating" operators and the users of the VAS numbers), to grant reasonable requests for access to value-added services numbers under objective, transparent and non-discriminatory conditions, without prejudice to a cut-off or suspension right in case of fraud or non-respect of the rules of conduct regulating the provision of content

- an obligation imposed on "originating" operators to grant reasonable requests to repay part of the amounts paid to users under objective and non-discriminatory conditions

Under the first of these obligations, and regarding more particularly automatic call-back mechanisms to public pay phones, ARCEP considers that any request to open VAS numbers supporting such mechanisms can be considered to be unreasonable by the originating public pay phone operator.

These obligations concern all operators, both fixed and mobile, irrespective of market power, and constitute "symmetrical" regulation. They are based on articles L. 34-8 III and D. 99-11 of the Post and Electronic Communications Code (CPCE) by virtue of which ARCEP may impose obligations on operators which "control access to end users" in order to "ensure [...] access provided to services on other networks" and "interoperability of services".

ARCEP will launch a second stage of the analysis on the basis of article L. 37-2 of the Code which aims to re-examine the "asymmetrical" obligations specific to France Telecom, whose unique position on the telephony market requires an in-depth re-examination, with regard to the symmetrical regulation currently in force.

• Consumer protection

During the course of public consultations, ARCEP has reviewed on several occasions the importance of making market players more responsible for the nature of the content of VAS.

It explained the fundamental role of the Conseil supérieur de la télématique in dispute settlement, and of the Comité de la télématique anonyme (CST-CTA) in the definition and control of business conduct recommendations, and explained how important it is that these bodies persist and that it is necessary to update the recommendations given the evolution of value-added services.

ARCEP believes that it is urgent to re-launch this business conduct control, as do many players, as expressed in public consultations.

Finally, ARCEP repeats its intention to establish soon an ad hoc working group on the means of improving pricing clarity and transparency to consumers’ benefit, which will include all the players present on the value chain of value-added services (operators, content publishers and consumer associations).

Source: ARCEP, France

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has published guidelines for the types of services that may be provided as narrowcasting television services under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992.

The guidelines – set out in a paper entitled Narrowcasting Television Services – Guidelines and Information published on ACMA’s website today – have been developed in the context of decisions by the Parliament to allow for a range of new media services for Australian consumers through the allocation of two new licences for digital television services.

Narrowcasting services are legally distinct categories of broadcasting services, which have their reception limited in some way – such as by being targeted to a special interest group. While ACMA must take into account a range of factors when forming an opinion on the category of a service, the content of a service’s programs is the factor most likely to determine whether or not the service is a narrowcasting service.

‘Digital broadcasting technologies promise to dramatically change the way audiences think about and use television. These technologies have the potential to enable a broader choice of program content and formats, aimed at meeting specific audience needs and interests,’ said Chris Chapman, ACMA Chairman.

In a digital broadcasting environment where services can be provided in a range of formats, ACMA has chosen not to adopt a prescriptive approach to the definition of ‘narrowcasting service’. ‘ACMA will base its category of service decision on the precise circumstances of that service, particularly the types of programs to be provided and how they will be ‘packaged’,’ said Mr Chapman.

Prospective providers of narrowcasting television services are therefore strongly encouraged to seek binding opinions from ACMA on the categories into which proposed services fall. Such opinions can be sought from ACMA at any time and, once given, remain valid for a minimum of five years. Information on how to apply for a category-of-service opinion and copies of opinions that have been provided are available on the ACMA website.

Source: ACMA, Australia

New Delhi, 4^th May, 2007- Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released Regulation on “Telecom Consumers Protection and Redressal of Grievances Regulations, 2007” which provides for the effective, speedy and inexpensive redressal of telecom consumers. As per this Regulation, Telecom Service Providers, who are providing Basic Telephone Service, Unified Access Services, Cellular Mobile Telephone Service and Broadband Service, including Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited, are mandated, from the date of commencement of the Regulation, to establish Call Centres within 60 days, appoint or designate Nodal Officers for each area within one month, so that they are easily accessible and available to consumers for redressal of the grievances and also appoint one or more appellate authorities in each licensed service area within three months. Service providers are also mandated to publish “Manual of Practice for handling consumer complaints” which basically provides for consumer rights, obligation and resolution of grievances. TRAI also released a direction, regarding information to be included in the telephone bills issued to the consumers by the service providers, to be implemented with effect from 1^st August, 2007.

 

Source: TRAI, India

The Telecommunications Authority ("TA") today (27 April 2007) announced his conclusions in the consultation on "Deregulation for Fixed-Mobile Convergence".

"With a dynamic market and technological developments, the distinction between fixed and mobile networks and services is becoming increasingly blurred. Under the market-driven approach which has been adopted by the Hong Kong Government for the telecommunications industry, Fixed Mobile Convergence ("FMC") or the extent or pace of it in Hong Kong should be properly determined by the market. The role of the TA is to ensure that the regulatory environment is conducive to the development of new technologies, products and services. Operators should be able to respond promptly to consumer demand for FMC or technological advances promoting FMC without unnecessary regulatory constraints" the spokesperson of the Office of the Telecommunications Authority ("OFTA") said.

"One of the conclusions of the review is that there should be withdrawal of the current regulatory guidance which assumes an approach of "Mobile Party's Network Pays" ("MPNP"). There will be a two-year transitional period to enable concerned operators to adapt to this change. The effect of this deregulation will be that the level of interconnection charge and payment arrangements will be a matter of commercial negotiations among the operators. However, the TA retains his statutory powers to make a determination on interconnection terms under section 36A of the Telecommunications Ordinance if agreement cannot be reached," the spokesperson elaborated.

Under the existing MPNP interconnection charging arrangement which resulted from regulatory guidance introduced in the 1980's, mobile network operators are required to pay interconnection charges in both directions to the fixed network operators. In other words, regardless of whether a mobile user calls a fixed user or vice versa, the interconnection charge is always borne by the mobile operator.

"The current local access charge ("LAC") arrangement for interconnection between external service providers and fixed/mobile network operators will be maintained. The TA will monitor whether the removal of the regulatory guidance on fixed-mobile interconnection charge ("FMIC") is likely to have the effect of making the origination or termination of external calls more competitive before considering whether to propose any further de-regulatory measures in relation to LAC," continued the spokesperson.

The TA also reviewed the feasibility of introducing Fixed Mobile Number Portability ("FMNP"). However, he concluded that a market survey should first be conducted to assess the consumer demand for FMNP before making any further proposal on its introduction in Hong Kong.

The TA will also recommend to the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology the introduction of a Unified Carrier Licence ("UCL") which can authorize the provision of fixed and mobile services under the same licence.

Source: OFTA, Hong Kong

Kurth: „Important step for mobile television in Germany“

The Federal Network Agency has launched the frequency assignment procedure for the nationwide offer of mobile multi-media broadcasting services in the DVB-H standard. „We have now taken a crucial step towards mobile television in Germany. With it, the Federal Network Agency has created another precondition for the creation of an innovative and forward-looking mass market marked with a high growth potential. The frequency asignment procedure is also deemed suitable for reaching a very high percentage of the German population and for stimulating numerous investments in the medium term. New creative offers will emerge, especially where terminal equipment and new innovative multi-media services are concerned. From a European viewpoint, with the launch of the assignment procedure we are also in the top league and as such demonstrate the innovative capacity of our market for media services,“ said Matthias Kurth, President of the Federal Network Agency in Bonn.

The frequency asignment procedure is based on a joint decision taken by all 16 federal states on the nationwide need for coverage of the German population with mobile multi-media broadcasting applications in the DVB-H standard.

These broadcasting applications are scheduled to be introduced spaced out over time in many of Germany's regions. In 2008, the network will be installed in the 16 federal states' capitals. Starting in 2009, the network will be extended to all German cities with a population of more than 150,000 and at least in each federal state to the four most populous towns with more than 100,000 inhabitants.

The Federal Network Agency is responsible for the telecommunications-related legal side of transposing this coverage requirement. This means that the frequencies needed for the installation of the transmitter networks will be made available on time and assigned to the transmitter network operators to be selected by the Agency.

This approach corresponds to the frequency asignment procedure for the terrestrial television mode DVB-T which is now available to about two thirds of the German population. The Federal Network Agency has also created the prerequisites for the installation of the transmitter networks needed for mobile TV under the transmission standard DMB. Hence several independent platforms are available to suppliers for the distribution of multi-media contents. The Agency is also keen on increasing the available capacity for the existing platforms on a technology-neutral basis. In experts' estimation, the associated enhancement will add to the new offering's attraction.

Source: Bundesnetzagentur, Germany

Head of the German regulator BNetzA, Matthias Kurth, said it was ready to allocate frequencies for the mobile TV standard DVB-H and that a call for bids would be published on Wednesday. The European Union is pushing member states to adopt a single standard for mobile TV and its telecoms chief supports DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld). 17 of the 22 member states that have mobile TV use DVB-H. The other five use the DMB (Digital multimedia broadcasting) standard. In Germany both standards are in use in different regions, because of the limited availability of spectrum — DVB-H uses the same frequency range as terrestrial digital television. Many network operators and MVNOs already sell mobile television over their third generation networks, but picture quality and the number of channels are limited. Cellcos are hoping that additional income from mobile TV services will compensate for declining sales of voice calls.

Source: Telegeography

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (the Authority) has today released its approved final Regulation, for putting in place a mechanism for reducing the unwanted telemarketing calls. However the Authority would declare it effective only after some of the specific provisions not strictly in the domain of TRAI would get clearance from the Ministry of Communication and IT and Reserve Bank of India. Terming these unwanted calls as Unsolicited Commercial Communication (UCC), the Authority has proposed setting up of a National Do Not Call (NDNC) Registry, which will be a national database containing telephone numbers of the subscribers, who have opted not to receive UCC.

In its Regulation the Authority has mandated the telecom service providers to set up a mechanism to receive request from the subscribers who do not want to receive UCC. The service providers will maintain a Private Do Not Call List, which will include telephone numbers and other details of all such subscribers. The telephone numbers and the area code from this Private Do Not Call List will be updated online by the operators to a National Do Not Call Registry (NDNC) and thus the NDNC will have the telephone numbers of all the subscribers from all over India who have opted not to receive any UCC. Telemarketers who have been categorized as Other Service Providers (OSPs) will have to register in the NDNC Registry. The telemarketers would submit online the calling list to the NDNC registry where the list will be scrubbed by excluding the numbers listed in the registry and the scrubbed list will be online transferred back to the telemarketer for making calls.

The Authority has approached DoT to authorize the National Informatics Centre (NIC), Dept. of Information Technology, Govt. of India for taking up the work of designing, installation, operation and maintenance of the National DNC Registry. The expenditure for setting up and maintenance of the NDNC Registry will be borne by the Authority.

In the guidelines on Other Service Providers issued by DoT, the telemarketers have been categorized as Other Service Providers (OSPs). DoT has also made it mandatory for the Telecom Service Providers to check valid registration certificate issued from DoT to the OSPs before providing them any kind of telecom connectivity.

In its Regulation, the Authority has mandated the Telemarketers/ Other Service Providers to register themselves with the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Government of India within three

months of commencement of these Regulations; otherwise, their telecom services may face disconnection. Existing OSPs who have already registered with DOT may not require fresh registration.

As majority of the telemarketers are being employed by the Banking Sector, the Authority has also approached the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) to ensure that no telemarketers are engaged by the Banking Sector without valid registration certificate issued from DoT and also all the telemarketers presently engaged by the banks should register themselves with DoT as OSPs within three months; otherwise, their telecom services may face disconnection. In order to identify the telemarketers, the Authority has also requested both RBI and IBA to prepare a list of telemarketers presently engaged by different Banks along with the telephone numbers being used by them for making telemarketing calls and submit the same to the Authority within a month.

In its communication to DoT, the Authority has also sought for modification in license conditions of the Telecom Service Providers and in the guidelines for OSPs so as to bring them under the ambit of the new Regulations. To tackle the issue of violation of the Regulation, the Authority, appreciating the processing time before imposing penalty, has provided for a special tariff on per call basis, which will be higher than the normal tariff. It is likely to be Rs.500 – 1000 per call. On receipt of a complaint from a subscriber who has received commercial call, though his number is registered in the NDNC Registry, the Telecom Service Provider of the guilty telemarketer (subscriber) will be empowered to charge the higher tariff from the telemarketer who has made the call. The Authority through a separate Telecom Tariff Order will notify the amount that will be charged through this higher tariff. If a Telemarketer violates the Regulation for third time, the Telecom Service Providers will be empowered to disconnect his telephones connections.

The Authority feels that for effectively and successfully tackling the issue through this Regulation, cooperation from all the stakeholders including DoT, RBI, IBA, Telecom Service Providers, Telemarketers and the subscribers is required. This Regulation can only become effective after the DOT recognizes NIC as the agency to set up and maintain the NDNC and also implement the proposed modifications in the license conditions of the Telecom Service Providers and in the guidelines for OSPs.

Source: TRAI, India

UAE regulator the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) is to evaluate the coverage and quality of Etisalat and Du, the country’s two mobile networks, saying it may require the former to invest in improving its mobile network after completing a study to find gaps in coverage. ‘Maintaining a healthy mobile network is a challenge, operators need to continuously adapt to changes in their cellular network that may affect its performance by means of optimisation and network monitoring,’ said Saif Bin Ghelaita, Manager of Wireless Networks and Services at the TRA. ‘The cellular network works like a mesh where one site can affect a larger area containing several sites…Etisalat will have to improve coverage in these areas,’ he added. The TRA will release findings of the study and consult Etisalat on how to improve coverage. The TRA’s plan is to test network coverage every three months. Du's mobile network coverage will be tested at a later date. According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database, former monopoly Etisalat ended 2006 with 5.5 million subscribers, of which 825,000 took 3G services.

Meanwhile Etisalat has reported a 1Q 2007 net profit of AED1.84 billion (USD501 million), up 37.3% from the 1Q 2006 figure of AED1.34 billion, and outstripping analysts’ forecasts that profits would range between AED1.46 billion and AED1.83 billion.

Source: Telegeography

The increase in fraud caused by the theft of terminals in Latin America, is a problem that has affected operators as well as governments and final users, generating millions in losses.

On other hand, preventing by the way of blocking handsets in the country of the theft, far away from stopping or decreasing the problem, have made the handsets to cross the borders.

Other fact that generates stolen handsets traffic through the borders is that countries show differences in prices which stimulates these crimes maker to traffic stolen handsets from countries with lower prices to countries’ black markets where these devices are more expensive.

At this point, a whole chapter could be dedicated to show how high taxes schedules are linked to more expensive mobile services and consequently benefits the growth of black markets, affecting general health and growth of the economy. But this can be developed in more depth, as an special relevant issue, in other occasion.

The GSM Association have developed a tool named IMEI Database, which permit to build black and grey lists of stolen and lost handsets, from the management of the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity), a unique number for every mobile phone.

The connection to this solution is free for all GSM operators, who constitute 70% of the regional market share (index which is still increasing).

The solution is very useful in order to combat the theft of terminals. This tool prevents the stolen terminals from being activated by other companies, because regardless of the SIM card that is inserted, the equipment will not work.

For this system to be usable and effective, the operators must have the EIR platform (Equipment Identity Register), which imply an important investment for the operator. This platform allows building a database with unique IMEI numbers of the lost or stolen telephones of each company. It is possible to find today in market variety of these solutions with variety of prices also.

In spite of this or other systems could be efficient in terms of their work, it is indispensable to legislate in every country of the region for the theft, alteration and commercialize of stolen handsets to be considered a grave crime, even with jail punishment, as in fact it happens with other goods, as the car. Otherwise, these crime makers will never feel the menace of the law.

In our region, because in terms of public policies, the theft of mobile telephones is perceived as a serious social matter and an increasing problem, there are already a number of countries that have taken initiatives at a national level, and even established regulatory requirements in certain markets. However, it seems to us that there is a big space in terms of punishing the crime.

As an Association, we believe and we are convinced that this is the way to take to combat theft of mobile telephones, maintain the consumer’s trust and above all show the commitment and concern of the operators and regulators in respect to this important issue, identifying theft as a crime penalized by the law, such as is the case today in respect to piracy of music and console games. see http://www.citel.oas.org/newsletter/2007/marzo/fraude_i.asp

 

1          Introduction

Brazil has just started a two-year program focused on Telecom Critical Infrastructure Protection. Its objectives are: i) to identify the critical points of Brazil's telecom infrastructure; ii) to propose recommendations intended to prevent security incidents and to guarantee service and business continuity if they happen; iii) to elaborate strategies and policies to protect Brazil's telecom infrastructure; iv) to analyze interdependence among different infrastructures. This program is developed by Anatel, Brazilian telecom regulator and by CPqD, a private R&D telecom center, and is sponsored by Fundo para o Desenvolvimento Tecnológico das Telecomunicações (Funttel).

2          Development

Critical infrastructure protection on a nationwide level has consequences that can impact a nation socially, politically or economically. This broad scope, that involves the society, government and industry, requires a new approach to understand the related risks and to develop a suitable program to protect what is critical to a country.

The Brazilian CTIP project (see Figure 1) is based upon four main points: contextualization, a protection strategy, a set of methodologies and software tools to support them. See http://www.citel.oas.org/newsletter/2007/marzo/infraestructura_i.asp

 

The Federal Network Agency wishes to make known that, under a consultation procedure now opened, interested parties can submit proposals to the Commission on the reservation of numbers beginning with '116'. The consultation is looking to identify services of social value, accessed by freephone, that can benefit from a harmonised 6-digit number beginning with '116'. The Commission Decision has already reserved the number 116000 for hotlines for missing children. In the first phase all the proposals submitted by

the closing date of 20 May 2007 will be assessed as having been received at the same time.

The consultation was preceded by the "Commission Decision of 15 February 2007 on reserving the national numbering range beginning with '116' for harmonised numbers for harmonised services of social value". Thus numbers in the '116xyz' range may be assigned and used solely for this purpose.

In 2004 already, the Agency, as the first national regulatory authority, assigned the number 116116 to Sperr e.V. for the blocking of electronic authorisations, for instance EC cards and credit cards. Insights from this assignment procedure have flowed into the Commission Decision.

After 20 May 2007 the Commission will decide whether the services put forward in the first phase meet the criteria and which number will be reserved for which service.

The reservation of a number for a particular service does not constitute an assignment. Rather, it is intended that, when the Commission has decided on the numbers to be reserved, the national regulatory authorities will invite applications for the assignment of 116 numbers, these numbers to be assigned solely for the service defined by the Commission.

Detailed information on number reservation (in German only) can be found on the Agency's website at Nummernverwaltung – News. In due course the Agency will also post information on the reserved numbers and their associated services and on the application and assignment procedures.

Source: Bundesnetzagentur, Germany

 

Paris, 2 April 2007

Renewed GSM licences include new measures which aim to increase the transparency of GSM geographic coverage. These obligations include operator publication of coverage maps which will be validated by on-site surveys.

ARCEP has two objectives:

- to inform the public

- to encourage operators to invest in geographic coverage

ARCEP explained these obligations in a decision which indicated the means of publishing information on regional coverage and establishes the protocol of mobile network coverage surveys:

1/ Every operator must publish a coverage map with 1 / 50 000 precision

These maps must be consistent with the results of on-site surveys performed in compliance with the protocol stipulated by the decision, which is identical to that established by ARCEP in 2001 for evaluating mobile coverage within the framework of devising the "white zone" programme.

2/ Operators must perform on-site surveys each year to check the coherence of their maps

In 2007, these measurement campaigns will have operators testing their network coverage in 250 districts located in 11 metropolitan regions (cf. map). The list of these districts was drawn up by ARCEP. By 1^st October 2007, the coverage maps published by operators must take into account the results of these on-site surveys. A new measurement campaign will be done in 2008, on 250 new districts in the other 11 regions.

3/ Because the on-site survey protocol is of a public nature, any interested person or authority may conduct a coverage survey

ARCEP will closely monitor these operations, as well as the implementation of the coverage maps.

Source: ARCEP, France

The Australian Communications and Media Authority will have a ‘gatekeeper’ role in granting applications for authorisation to use and disclose information from the Integrated Public Number Database (IPND) under a new scheme.

The Telecommunications Integrated Public Number Database Scheme 2007 (the IPND Scheme) has been established as a result of the recent amendments to the Telecommunications Act 1997. The IPND Scheme will become operational upon proclamation of the enabling amendments to the Telecommunications Act.

‘The IPND Scheme is intended to ensure that IPND data is only used for authorised purposes and will assist in preventing any misuse of IPND information.’ said Chris Chapman, ACMA Chairman.

Under the scheme ACMA will have a ‘gatekeeper’ role in granting authorisations to use and disclose information from the IPND in connection with the publication and maintenance of a public number directory or for conducting research of a kind specified by the Minister.

In addition, the IPND Scheme imposes conditions upon the granting of authorisations. Conditions include obligations regarding the manner in which corrections are dealt with and the information which must be provided to consumers who are contacted by researchers.

ACMA will hold a series of information sessions in early April to assist existing and prospective users in the preparation of their applications under the scheme. The sessions will be held on 10, 11 & 12 April in Sydney and 13 April in Melbourne.

The IPND scheme is available on the ACMA website.

Source: ACMA, Australia

The Ecuadorian telecoms regulator has prepared a plan to improve the quality of service (QoS) in mobile telephony. The plan, which includes various aspects such as the number of successful calls, average delivery time of SMS, areas of network coverage problems, service interruptions, and QoS on special events, has been passed to the national mobile operators Otecel S.A. (operating under the brand name Movistar), Conecel S.A. (operating under the brand name Porta), and TelecSA (operating under the brand name Alegro PCS) for execution. Hereafter, mobile operators will be obliged to produce periodical reports over network capacity, investment plans, and projects of infrastructure upgrades as part of the plan's execution, which coincides with the reviewing of the mobile concessions of Movistar and Porta in 2008.

Source: Communications Direct.

Berne, 22.03.2007 - Press release on the occasion of the ComCom press conference on 22 March 2007. In order to provide customers with better protection from an unwanted change of fixed-network provider, the Federal Communications Commission (ComCom) has amended the regulations for carrier preselection. The new arrangements enter into force on 1 April 2007. Providers have three months to implement the measures.

Brazil's telecoms regulator Anatel rejected plans of Oi (NYSE: TNE), formerly Telemar, to acquire Minas Gerais state-based cable TV company Way Brasil, Oi confirmed in a statement.

According to a decision taken at Anatel's weekly board meeting, Brazil's largest fixed line operator Oi would breach its fixed line telecoms concession contract if it offered cable TV services in its own region.

By acquiring Way TV, Oi aimed to secure a cable TV license as part of its plan to compete in the triple play services market.

The decision does not have a major impact on the company's current financial results, as cable is still a small part of its business, André Roche, a telecoms analyst with local brokerage Unibanco Corretora, told BNamericas.

"But it has an impact on its [Oi's] future strategy," he warned.

"The operator may ask Anatel to review its decision or go to court to reverse the decision," he predicted.

Nonetheless, the Anatel ruling is in line with existing telecoms law, which does not allow telecoms operators to offer cable TV in their own regions, Roche said, describing the law as being somewhat out of date in the fast changing convergent environment.

An Oi spokesperson did not want to comment on the decision or the operator's next step.

However, on March 9 Oi's regulatory affairs director Alain Rivière told analysts during an earnings conference call that if Anatel rejected the acquisition of Way TV, the company planned to offer triple play through a partnership with a cable TV provider.

"We have a plan A, which is to have a cable TV license, while plan B will be to offer triple play via satellite and radio... This can be done via a partnership or through our own license as Telefónica has done," Rivière said.

Source: Business News Americas

OTTAWA-GATINEAU — Beginning today, consumers in most of Canada will be able to keep the same telephone number when changing cellphone service providers. This follows a decision issued in 2005 by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) requiring Canadian cellphone service providers to implement wireless number portability (WNP) by March 14, 2007. Earlier in 2005, the Government of Canada had requested that the Commission move expeditiously to implement WNP.

“The arrival of WNP in the Canadian market provides users of telecommunications services with greater convenience and flexibility,” said Richard French, Vice-Chairman, Telecommunications, of the CRTC. “The Commission would like to acknowledge the industry’s commitment of time and effort to successfully meet the March 14 implementation date.”

Consumers who live in areas where local number portability is currently available will now be able to transfer their phone numbers between cellphone service providers, as well as between wireline and cellphone service providers.

The CRTC reminds consumers that handsets may not function on another cellphone carrier’s network due to different network technologies. Furthermore, bundles and service offerings vary between service providers. It is also important that consumers who wish to change providers before the end of their service contract verify the terms and conditions, as they may be subject to early termination fees.

Source: CRTC, Canada

The Brazilian telecom regulator Anatel has approved number portability for fixed and mobile phones, writes BNamericas citing local press reports. According to Anatel officials Pedro Jaime Ziller and Jose Leite Pereira, number portability will be implemented by March 2009, and a ruling on it is due to be published in the government’s official gazette by the end of next week at the latest. Anatel has still to decide on the cost that can be levied on users for switching their service provider, but it is keen to keep the figure below USD10. Number portability will apply to only 600 out of 5,000 municipalities in Brazil (i.e. those areas where more than one operator is active) but will nonetheless account for over 50% of the population.

Source: Telegeography

BNamericas reports that the pilot phase of Rosario’s municipal Wi-Fi project is to get underway in the next few weeks. Local IT companies Openware and Transdatos won an auction to deploy the first equipment in the downtown area, whilst broadband service will be supplied by the local unit of Mexican group Telmex. The city of Rosario, Argentina’s third largest, announced its ‘Cuidad Digital 2010’ project last October, and intends to launch a tender next month for a larger scale WiMAX project with Wi-Fi hotspots across the city, including its airport, university, bus stations and public offices.

Source: Telegeography

BNamericas, quoting a story in newspaper La Rebública, reports the head of Uruguayan regulator Unidad Reguladora de Servicios de Comunicaciones (URSEC) León Lev as saying that the country must decide on which digital TV standard to adopt this year, as it cannot afford to fall behind on technology. Lev also said that a national debate on the subject must take place before a decision is reached. A commission made up of government representatives and specialists from the Universidad de la República will have the final say on the matter. So far the only country in the Southern Cone to have committed to a standard is Brazil, which has adapted the Japanese integrated services digital broadcasting (ISDB) model to create its own Sistema Brasileiro de Televisão Digital (SBTVD) standard.

Source: Telegeography

Today, March 2, 2007, following a request submitted by S.C. Cosmote Romanian Mobile Telecommunications S.A. during the legal action filed to ANRCTI, the Authority adopted certain measures with a temporary character, until the dispute will be settled, therefore obliging S.C. Telemobil S.A. to provide interconnection with the network of Cosmote. By its decision, ANRCTI obliged Telemobil to take all necessary measures – within 3 hours since the decision is communicated (12:00 hours) - and re-establish the communication between the users of Telemobil and the users of Cosmote. Moreover, ANRCTI initiated the procedure for the definitive settlement of the dispute regarding Cosmote’s request related to obliging Telemobil to conclude a new interconnection agreement.

“ANRCTI considers that the prejudice by suffered by the users of the two providers  resulted from the interruption of the interconnection link is exceptionally severe, taking into account the large number of users of the two networks – over 400,000 users in case of Telemobil and, respectively, over 1,200,000 in case of Cosmote. The prejudice caused to the end-users is significant irrespective of the number of hours or days during which interconnection between the two operators is interrupted and may not be limited unless interconnection between the two networks is ensured. It is ANRCTI’s fundamental mission to support the interests of the end-users”, Dan Georgescu, President of ANRCTI, declared.

 

The measures taken by ANRCTI were justified by the necessity to ensure connectivity among the end-users of the two networks. Connectivity is one of the fundamental rights of the end-users, while the task of ensuring this essential objective of the electronic communications framework is taken over by ANRCTI.

 

The regulatory authority is competent with regard to ensuring access and interconnection under adequate conditions and interoperability of services, to the benefit of the end-users, including by imposing specific obligations on the providers who control the access to end-users.

 

During the legal action filed to ANRCTI, Cosmote showed that, since March 1, 2007, Telemobil has interrupted the interconnection link between the two networks and, at present, the end-users of the two companies are no more able to communicate. Under these circumstances, as a measure with a temporary character, Cosmote requested that Telemobil should ensure the interconnection services under the same technical and commercial conditions used until the moment of interrupting the interconnection link, and showed it suffers serious prejudice form both material and image viewpoints. Moreover, the users of its services as well as the users of the services provided by Telemobil are suffering a prejudice since they are no longer able to communicate with one another and, therefore, Comsote considers possible that their prejudice may not be compensated.

 

On the other hand, Telemobil stated that Cosmote’s request is not a justified one, since there exist no exceptional circumstances and no serious prejudice, and declared that the interruption of traffic between the two networks is due to the termination of the interconnection agreement between the two parties as of March 1, 2007. Also, Telemobil stated that the parties have had long discussions regarding the conclusion of a new interconnection agreement and Cosmote has been timely informed with respect to the intention to interrupt the interconnection link as of March 1, 2007, should the proposals of Telemobil not be accepted.

 

Source: ANRCTI, Romania

“It is ANRCTI’s intention to ensure that all communities in Romania will be connected to telephony and Internet, considering that access to communications represents a fundamental element towards the development of any community and towards maintaining connections between people, in view of improving communication and – why not? – saving lives under emergency situations. Even since 2004, ANRCTI initiated the national programme for the installation of telecentres, a programme that involves both the industry and the local administrations, the support of which we are very keen to obtain and keep since we intend to launch other approximately 270 telecentres this year and provide as many people as possible with access to information and knowledge”, Dan Georgescu, President of ANRCTI, declared today.

 

The telecentres inaugurated today - Sarateni, Vaslui county (installed by Vodafone Romania) and Plesani, in Botosani county (installed by Rartel) – are part of the national programme for the installation of telecentres in villages with low access or without access to telephony services, initiated by ANRCTI in 2004. So far, ANRCTI has organised 5 tenders for the installation of telecentres in a number of 331 localities. 133 telecentres are currently operational.

On today’s occasion, ANRCTI has also launched an action plan for the implementation of universal service in the field of electronic communications for the year 2007. Thus, several objectives have been established: the telecentres will be transformed from informatics centres into information centres, and dedicated training sessions will be organised for the telecentre managers, in view of ensuring the fulfilment of the objectives set out by the 2004 programme.

The need for an effective support to the programme initiated by ANRCTI is confirmed by the fact that, less than a year since their establishment, several telecentres have already diversified their activities and efficiently used the resources made available through the programme. A local radio station, informatics school classes carried out inside the telecentre, commercial transactions finalised by means of the Internet, these are only a few of the good practice examples one can find in the telecentres.

A telecentre is a public site endowed with at least 2 telephone sets, 2 computers and one fax machine, within which the end-users may initiate and receive local, national and international calls. A telecentre may also provide facsimile and data communications services at a transfer rate high enough to allow functional access to the Internet.

A telecentre operates for at least 3 years, the same period for which the universal service providers are designated. After 3 years, the equipment made available by the universal service provider becomes the property of the mayoralty that may decide to continue the administration of the telecentre.

 

Source: ANRCTI, Romania 

ANACOM - National Communications Authority has decided to detail the regulatory framework for the activity of mobile virtual network operators (MVNO), thus rendering the regulation transparent and foreseeable, in order to guarantee that the desirable entry of MVNOs in the market and the attached contestability increase are more effective.

As the assessment of the market for call access and origination in public mobile telephone networks (market 15) has not been yet concluded, and thus operators with significant market power in this market have not been yet identified at present mobile operators are not under any regulatory obligation to provide third parties with wholesale access to their networks. Nevertheless, the regulatory framework in force covers in an appropriate manner the activity of MVNOs that arise following a desirable freedom to deal between entities who wish to pursue this activity and mobile operators who support their services over their own radio networks.

There are many economic operations which can be included under the designation MVNO, as they have in common the fact that they do not resort to rights of use for frequencies and are not provided with their own radio access network infrastructures, being thus supported on radio means leased from network operators who hold the respective rights of use.

The concept of MVNO implies a direct contractual relationship between the MVNO and the end customer, which is attached to the service provision, and for this reason this concept does not include service distribution activities, where the contractual relationship is established between the end customer and the mobile network operator.

Accordingly, MVNOs are entities with direct customers, which means they are exclusively responsible for the relationship with end users, directly ensuring towards the latter and towards ICP-ANACOM, the compliance with specific user and subscriber protection rules applicable to the electronic communications sector, such as portability, use of standard contracts approved by the regulatory authority and provision of customer support services, including the provision of information and handling of complaints, billing and collection.

Additionally, MVNOs design and place in the market their own retail offer, which may freely differ from that of the operator on whose network they are supported, and define their own business strategies.

Although all MVNOs share the above-mentioned features, there are different types of operations which may fall under the MVNO category, according to how many systems and own infrastructures are used. A light MVNO has a few or none communications network infrastructure elements, yet it ensures the means that enable the control of the relationship with the customer. This type of operation ranges from a simpler version, where own SIM cards are not issued, although proprietary platforms for value added services, billing and CRM   may be deployed, enabling the control of the relationship with the end customer, to more complex versions, in which case the autonomy towards the MNO increases, as the MVNO additionally issues its own SIM cards and operates some elements of the network infrastructure.

A full MVNO holds, in addition to the particulars of a light MVNO, several elements of the transmission system and network infrastructure, including exchanges. It may also issue its own SIM cards. A full MVNO fails only to hold the right of use for frequencies, and, as such, it does not have the elements of radio access infrastructure (such as base stations or network controllers), in contrast with a MNO.

These are the basic MVNO models, and network operators and interested entities are free to establish the model that best adapts to their specific interests and business strategy.

MVNO must notify the regulatory authority of the commencement of activity

All entities who wish to pursue an activity which could come under the concept of MVNO, must notify the regulatory authority of the commencement of such activity. For this purpose, it is not necessary for it to have established an agreement with a network operator holding rights of use for radio frequencies, allowing for the provision of retail mobile telephone services.

In their notification to the regulatory authority, MVNOs (whether the activity they pursue is deemed as a provision of a network and services or merely as a provision of services) must include a short description of the network or service they wish to provide and to notify an estimated date for starting the activity. Upon receipt of notification, ANACOM shall issue a declaration describing the rights in matters of access and interconnection and, where appropriate, of instalment of resources. This is the so-called general authorization scheme.

According to the need demonstrated, MVNOs may be granted rights of use for numbers.

Such numbers include mobile network identification numbers, subject to the following criteria: existence of a network requiring the identification of own mobile terminals or others (roaming); existence of a network or equipment that use protocols established in the scope of GSM/UMTS standards to render compatible and ensure the interoperability of services to the end-user.

Numbers intended for the provision of publicly available mobile telephone services. In this case, the requiring entity may be allocated blocks of numbers within the “9” numbering level; short numbers within the 16 and 18 ranges, respectively comprising customer support services and enquiry services – other directories, allocated according to the MVNO preferences and number availability, for each range; and numbers for the provision of non geographic numbers, among others.

Attached to the grant of rights of use for “9” numbers for the provision of mobile telephone services, the rights of use for numbers in the “609” and “669” ranges (starting at “6092” and “6692”) for the consultation and storage of messages, and in the “639” and “659” ranges (starting at “6392” and “6592”)  for fax and data services, are implicitly granted as well, as they correspond to the rights of use of granted mobile numbers.

MVNO are not subject to the payment of spectrum fees

Regardless of their type, MVNOs do not hold rights of use for frequencies for the provision of mobile telephone services; accordingly, they are not subject to the payment of fees for spectrum use. These fees must be paid by the mobile network operator, taking into account, in the current model, the element concerning base stations and the one concerning all mobile stations (terminal stations) supported on its network. In case the MNO hosts one or several MVNOs, and even if the latter are network operators, it shall calculate not only the terminal equipment engaged in its own network, but also the remaining terminal equipment involved in MVNO operations and which are supported on its network.

MVNOs may invoke the obligation to negotiate interconnection, and remaining mobile and fixed operators must ensure service interoperability under the law.

Source: ANACOM, Portugal

WiMAX is one of the most recent developments in communications and, in this domain, Romania has proved its openness for new, state-of-the-art technologies. Considering the current 1,2 million broadband connections in Romania, at a 5.5% penetration at the population level, WiMAX may trigger a major change in the broadband offer in our country. Thus, for 2007, we estimate a 10% broadband penetration rate that would bring us closer to the European average of 14.1%”, Dan Georgescu, President of the National Regulatory Authority for Communications and Information Technology, declared today during the opening session of the conference “WiMAX in the telecom competition”, organised by Finmedia.

Dan Georgescu presented our country’s status as regards the number of Internet broadband connections compared to the other European countries, the opportunities that WiMAX brings as a support to the increase of broadband penetration in Romania, as well as the necessity for implementing the broadband strategy. WiMAX represents a possible solution for ensuring broadband Internet access and telephony to the remote rural areas, where access to communications services is low.

The participants to the event debated issues related to the spectrum allocation and to adapting the regulations in order to support this technology, but also aspects regarding wireless access to broadband communications, main technical challenges of WiMAX and granting licenses for the use of scarce natural resources.

The main themes of the conference, supported through presentations, interactive discussions and practical demonstrations, were Examining and understanding the market, Regulations for the global dynamics of wireless broadband, Technology, Business Models.

The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry for Communications and Information Technology, the National Regulatory Authority for Communications and Information Technology and the Inspectorate General for Communications and Information Technology.

The industry was well represented by providers of publicly available telephone services, manufacturers and providers of telecommunications equipment, as well as by beneficiaries of communications services.

 

Source: ANRC, Romania

Bringing together regulatory authorities from all around the world, the 7th Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR) has identified best practice guidelines needed to facilitate the migration of Next Generation Networks (NGN). The 38-point roadmap is designed to encourage regulatory frameworks that foster innovation, investment and affordable access to NGN. "Our goal is to encourage the design of regulatory frameworks that foster innovation, investment and affordable access to NGNs and that facilitate the migration to NGN and ultimately lead to bridging the digital divide," said Dr Hamadoun I. Touré, ITU Secretary-General. "We believe the best practices adopted at this meeting will ultimately offer the possibility of delivering real benefits to providers and consumers, through cost reduction as well as offering innovative new services". The best practice guidelines underscore the importance of embracing the principles of a clear and transparent regulatory process including the adoption and enforcement of rules; technology-neutral and competitive network provision under a coherent approach that address the issues raised by convergence. The guidelines also call on regulators to adopt forward-looking regimes subjected to regular reassessments to ensure that undue regulatory barriers to competition and innovation are removed. This on-going monitoring would also ensure that users and providers are able to migrate to future networks whenever market conditions are met. Mohamed Al Ghanim, Director General of the TRA of the UAE and Chairman of GSR 2007 said, "GSR is the industry’s premiere symposium for ICT regulators and we are delighted that it has concluded on such a high note. We at the TRA of the United Arab Emirates are firmly committed to adopting the best practices identified at this symposium and tailor them for the UAE market", Al Ghanim added. "We encourage all to reap the benefits of these guidelines in order to collectively raise the standards of the telecommunications industry." Regulators are also urged to adopt investment friendly regulation considered as of paramount importance for the success of NGN network deployment, while maintaining a level playing field and protecting consumer interests. The adoption of flexible but accurate interconnection models are also encouraged to allow smooth transitioning to NGNs. In particular, participants agreed that regulators should take steps to ensure that the market suffers no undue distortion of competitiveness. In view of the high level of convergence both at the transport and service level, participants felt that there was a risk that NGN providers and operators could be in a position to restrict service level competition to their own advantage. There was therefore agreement that regulators should be vigilant and monitor any incident that could require a regulatory response in a way that would not act as a deterrent for NGN service providers and operators. Regulators are also asked to keep in mind the need to create regulatory certainty for both incumbent and competing or alternative providers. "NGN is seen as somewhere between the telecom and Internet worlds, creating a whole new range of issues to be tackled by regulators," said Mr Sami Al-Basheer Al-Morshid, Director of ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT)". "The best practice guidelines endorsed by over 100 CEOs and board members of national regulatory authorities come a long way in addressing the issues and provide the way forward for all regulators around the world," he added. Because the deployment of NGN will not happen overnight, the best practices encourage regulators to define policies that allow for the co-existence of legacy and IP networks, alternative voice services such as VoIP or bundled services that can offer voice together with TV and Internet also called triple play. In doing so, regulators are to consider applying the same obligations to all operators and providers of telephony services whether traditional irrespective of how they are delivered to consumers, under the symmetrical regulatory approach. Commenting on the success of the Symposium, Professor Ibrahim Kadi, Senior Advisor of the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) of Saudi Arabia said, "GSR 2007 met its set objectives of providing networking opportunities and the symposium format facilitated the sharing of knowledge and experiences amongst regulators from all over the world." The best practice guidelines cover all aspects of service provision including authorization, access, interconnection and interoperability, numbering and NGN identification systems, universal access, quality of service, consumer awareness, security and protection. This year’s event introduced a new feature, Speed Exchanges, to provide additional opportunities for participants to meet informally and exchange views. Topics discussed in the Speed Exchanges included interconnection, the enabling environment, consumer protection, quality of service, regulatory implications of VoIP, why holding public consultation on NGN, international roaming, regulatory issues for convergence and what to do with regulatory bottlenecks. Speed Exchanges were also held on building confidence and security in the use of ICT as called for by the Action Plan of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and on the next steps in the negotiations of the World Trade Organization (WTO). "The Speed Exchanges proved extremely useful and came at the right time," expressed Roxanne Maria McElvane, Senior Counselor of International Development at the US Federal Communications Commission International Bureau. "After two days of high-level presentations and discussions, the exchanges allowed us to address specific topics and areas of interest with other regulators from around the world providing greater interaction and networking opportunities." The Symposium was organized by ITU and hosted by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of the United Arab Emirates (TRA). More than 470 participants took part in the Symposium, with Heads and Board Members from 100 national regulatory authorities as well as private sector representatives and international organizations. http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/treg/Events/Seminars/GSR/GSR07/index.html

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has released guidelines (PDF 244 kb) relating to its use of enforcement powers under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992.

‘In developing the guidelines ACMA has attempted to strike a balance between providing certainty and clarity to the broadcasting industry and allowing ACMA the capacity to take a responsive, proportionate and flexible approach to regulatory action,’ said Chris Chapman, ACMA Chairman. ‘ACMA will review the guidelines on an annual basis to ensure to they remain relevant and appropriate.’

Draft guidelines were released for public comment on 13 December 2006. Submissions received on the draft have been incorporated in the final guidelines.

The guidelines set out the matters that ACMA will take into account in making enforcement decisions, and the principles ACMA proposes to apply in using some of its broadcasting enforcement powers. These principles are as follows:

• ACMA recognises the importance of encouraging and facilitating compliance by all industry participants with statutory obligations;
• ACMA’s compliance activities may be both proactive and reactive;
• Enforcement decisions must not be influenced by bias, conflicts of interest or irrelevant considerations (such as gender, race, religion, political views or affiliation);
• Enforcement action should be proportionate to the impact of the breach or risk of future breach;
• Any enforcement action should, so far as possible, seek to address any systemic or ongoing element that may give rise to future breaches; and
• The circumstances of each breach will be separately considered.

Source: ACMA, Australia

On 6 February 2007, OFCOM officially launched the consultation on the Federal Council directives concerning the use of frequencies in the VHF and UHF bands for radio and television. The consultation lasts until 23 February 2007.

Today, Monday, February 5, 2007, ANRCTI submitted to public consultation a draft decision on the technical and commercial terms for the implementation of number portability.

 

Within 9 months after the adoption of these terms by the President of ANRCTI, the providers of publicly available telephone services have the obligation to make available to their subscribers, upon request, the portability of geographic or non-geographic numbers.

 

“Subscribers’ possibility to keep their number while changing the telephony provider ensures them a greater freedom of choice, since they must no longer announce all their relatives, friends or business partners about changing the telephone number. The implementation of number portability will give a new impulse to the competition on the Romanian electronic communications market that currently has over 19 million users of fixed and mobile telephony”, Dan Georgescu, the President of ANRCTI, declared today.

 

The technical and commercial terms for the implementation of number portability were elaborated by a working group attended by representatives of ANRCTI as well as by specialists appointed by the providers of publicly available telephone services who, at the same time, are holders of licenses for the use of numbering resources and who allotted to their subscribers numbers falling within the portable category.

 

Number porting shall be carried out only upon subscriber’s request, at the time when the subscriber intends to give up the services of a publicly available telephone services provider (a “donor” provider) and wishes to conclude a contract with another provider (an “acceptor” provider). The acceptor provider bears the entire responsibility as regards the accomplishment of the porting process, since the acceptor provider initiates this process upon receiving a porting request from the end-user – the draft decision also provides a standard form of such a request. The deadline for finalising the porting process may not exceed 10 working days, except for certain cases.

 

The draft decision emphasises the implications the implementation of number portability may have over the electronic communications services providers, as well as over the subscriber porting his/her number.

 

Thus, the services providers shall implement new call routing mechanisms, based upon technical routing numbers. In accordance with the draft decision, in order to ensure services’ interoperability, the providers must establish the routing configurations and modify the interconnection agreements, accordingly.

 

When choosing the acceptor provider, the end-user must be informed as regards several issues related to the number porting: whether the acceptor provider charges porting tariffs or not, whether certain changes of equipments in user’s location are necessary, whether the additional services are affected or not.

 

In view of accurately informing the end-users with respect to number portability, the telephone companies have the obligation to make available detailed, clear and updated information about the portability service, including information related to tariffs charged for this service and for the calls made to ported numbers. Thus, the providers shall make available information in two ways: by means of the directory service dedicated to number portability, by means of a free-of-charge customer service, as well as by posting on the own Internet website.

 

Source: ANRC, Romania

Today, February 2, 2007, ANRCTI submits to public consultation three draft decisions that are intended to modify the way the numbering resources are managed in Romania. The main amendments refer to the closing of the National Numbering Plan, to the procedure for issuing the licenses for the use of numbering resources as well as to imposing certain tariff for the use of such resources.

The Draft decision on the National Numbering Plan suggests that, starting as of February 2, 2008, calls to the subscribers of the fixed telephone services providers should be made by simply dialling the national number (comprising 10 digits = national prefix + geographical area code + local number), as regards all local and long-distance calls. (details…)

“Our objective is to level the manner the telephone numbers from the fixed telephony domain are dialled, thus ensuring the observance of the non-discrimination principle in the allotment of the numbering resources. The closing of the National Numbering Plan means an exclusive use of national numbers and the elimination of local numbers”, Dan Georgescu, President of ANRCTI, declared today.

Currently, the subscribers of the alternative providers may be called only by dialling the national 10 digits number, while in case of a local call, the subscribers of Romtelecom are called by dialling the local number of 6 digits - in the territory, and, respectively, 7 digits - for Bucharest, fact that could turn into a major factor when deciding upon the fixed telephone services provider.

The transition to the new manner of dialling telephone numbers shall comprise two stages. First, between February 2 – June 1, 2008 numbers may be called using both the current format and in the new format, and the subscribers will be informed as regards the change occurred in the manner of dialling. Second, between June 2 – September 1, 2008, upon each call made to a number using the local format, the subscribers will be informed – by means of a voice message – about the new number format, but the call will no longer be routed to their destination.

Source: ANRC, Romania

The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) today (2 February 2007) invited interested parties, including all incumbent telecommunications carrier licensees and broadcasters, to express their interests in bidding for spectrum for the provision of mobile TV services and/or other digital broadcasting services.

A public consultation, initiated by the Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau (CITB), is underway to solicit public views on issues related to the provision of mobile TV services and/or digital broadcasting services in Hong Kong . In accordance with the public consultation paper entitled "Consultation on Digital Broadcasting: Mobile Television and Related Issues" issued on 26 January 2007 , expression of interest will be invited separately from bodies and organisations in bidding for the relevant spectrum for the provision of mobile TV services and/or other digital broadcasting services .

"The purpose of this Expression of Interest exercise is to gauge the level of commercial interests in launching the various digital broadcasting services discussed in the consultation paper, including mobile TV services, digital terrestrial TV services, digital audio broadcasting services and ancillary datacasting services," a spokesperson of OFTA said.

"The information collected through this exercise will be used for analysis by the Government for the preparation of a draft implementation framework for mobile TV services for a second round of public consultation. Having said that, individual Expression of Interests submitted will not be disclosed to the public and commercially sensitive information such as the identities of the submitting parties/companies will be kept confidential," explained the spokesperson.

The spokesperson emphasized that the invitation does not constitute an offer or invitation to participate in the bidding of spectrum for the provision of mobile TV services, nor does it constitute the basis of any contract which may be concluded in relation to the bidding exercise or in respect of any allocation of spectrum for the provision of mobile TV services.

Source: OFTA, Hong Kong

The Hague, 2nd of February 2007. The Commission of OPTA, the Independent Post and Telecommunications Authority in the Netherlands has imposed a fine of EUR 75.000 on a Dutch spammer. This private individual sent unsolicited electronic messages to consumers to promote erection enhancement pills, pornographic websites, sex products and such. This is the largest fine which OPTA has imposed for a contravention of the prohibition against spam.

OPTA took a number of factors into consideration when determining the amount of the fine. First of all, the spam authority considered the number of spam messages involved. This person had sent a minimum of nine billion spam messages. In addition, he had earned a minimum of USD 52.000 (more than EUR 40.000) through this spam. Anotheraggravating factor was that this person used hundreds of so-called ‘proxies’. The latter are computers of unsuspecting end users, which were used as staging bases for sending spam. In this way the spammer managed to conceal his real identity.

In the course of its investigations, OPTA used information provided by Microsoft. “It is a good sign that businesses such as Microsoft are taking responsibility in relation to internet security,” says the OPTA chairman, Chris Fonteijn. “If spam is to be eliminated effectively, it is important for the public and private sectors to work together.”

Sending unsolicited e-mail (advertising or otherwise) to private individuals has been prohibited in the Netherlands since May 19th 2004. The spammer used lists of e-mail addresses, whose origin is unknown. These lists also contained the e-mail addresses of private individuals. So-called ‘dictionary attacks’ were also launched. This refers to e-mail addresses which are generated using random combinations of numbers and letters. Section 11.7 of the Telecommunications Act stipulates that the sender must have the recipient’s consent before sending advertising material by e-mail. The relevant e-mail message must also reveal the sender’s identity and specify where the recipient can unsubscribe from receiving future e-mail messages.

Since the prohibition of spam has come into effect, OPTA has put a special Dutch website – www.spamklacht.nl – into service, which contains information about this prohibition and how to submit complaints about spam. Such complaints constitute an important source of information for OPTA’s investigations. More than 20,000 complaints have been received through this site to date.

Source: OPTA, The Netherlands.

Mexican IT training and knowledge management company CompuEducación will offer its services to the Mexican government via El Mercado Virtual, a government website designed to offer companies courses, workshops and seminars for strengthening human capital, CompuEducación said in a statement.

El Mercado Virtual was created by Mexico's economy ministry to provide knowledge and information under a B2B model among local companies. CompuEducación mainly focuses on IT services and training to assist....

Source: BNamericas.com

The National Regulatory Authority for Communication and Information Technology (ANRCTI) launches a pilot tender in view of designating the universal service providers for 50 rural localities in Olt county. “Each company interested in becoming a universal service provider must submit an offer for the installation of public pay telephones in at least 40 of the 50 localities listed in this group, namely minimum 80%. Any person having the capacity as a provider of publicly available electronic communications networks and, at the same time, the capacity as a provider of publicly available telephone services may participate in the tender”, Dan Cristian Georgescu, President of ANRCTI, declared.

By means of public pay telephones, the citizens in the rural areas may at least initiate local, long-distance and international calls to public fixed telephone networks, calls to public mobile telephone networks, as well as free calls to the unique emergency number (112).

The minimum mandatory lifetime of a public pay telephone is of 4 years. The net cost registered by each universal service provider for purchasing, installing and operating public pay telephones shall be compensated from the universal service fund managed by ANRCTI.

The universal service provider will have the obligation to install the public pay telephones within 120 days after the necessary location is made available, and will therefore benefit from the support of the local authorities. One of the main responsibilities taken over by the local authorities is to make available a proper location and ensure the end-users permanent access (24/24, 7/7) to the services provided by means of the public pay telephones.

Public pay telephones will be installed in localities with less than 400 inhabitants, where the installation of telecentres is not a viable solution. The localities are selected depending on the geographical area, demographic features, degree of availability of the publicly available telephone services, as well as by the commitments taken over by the public local authorities. The list comprising the localities covered by today’s tender for the installation of public pay telephones is available for consultation here, on the website of ANRCTI.

Source: ANRC, Romania

The three-day meeting (5-7 February) will bring together Heads of national regulatory authorities from both developed and developing countries to achieve consensus on the best ways to address the challenges brought about by the migration to NGN networks. 60 heads of regulatory authorities, together with 50 of their commissioners and board members are slated to attend. By 2008, at least 50% of all international telecommunication traffic is expected to be carried on IP networks. IP provides a common language in which different networks (for instance fixed and mobile; local and wide-area) can communicate together. Thus, IP is the touchstone for convergence and a common platform for NGN, while network capacity increases every month. In order to remain strategically competitive in an increasingly converged world of services and content where voice is no longer the sole source of revenue, operators and carriers are migrating from circuit-switched to Internet-Protocol (IP) networks and from there to Next-Generation Networks or NGN, which allow for decoupling the network’s transport and service layers. NGN networks promise to offer full and true convergence of fixed and mobile, voice and data, data and video and IT, telecoms and broadcast sectors. This means that the choice of technology used for infrastructure will no longer have an impact on the kinds and variety of services delivered over that infrastructure. The deployment of NGN networks will also offer ubiquitous access for users of these networks as well as for competing service providers. This shift, while taking place gradually, is already happening in several parts of the world. NGN presents many opportunities but also many complexities and challenges and requires new regulatory thinking to promote investment and ensure that carriers can remain competitive in this new environment while ensuring open access. For more information see: http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/treg/Events/Seminars/GSR/GSR07/

The completion of a series of regulatory reviews which facilitate technological and market developments, including fixed-mobile convergence and wireless broadband technologies, will be the priority tasks of the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) in 2007, as projected by the Director-General of Telecommunications, Mr M H Au, in the year-end media briefing held today (29 January 2007).

"Technological development is the driver for growth of the industry. As the regulator of the telecommunications market, we have the responsibility to update our regulation and create a favourable environment for investment in new technologies, which ultimately will bring innovation and choice to users and economic benefits to the community as a whole," said Mr Au.

"We have already made considerable progress in 2006 by identifying and analysing the relevant issues, making preliminary proposals in our consultation papers and engaging the industry in discussions of the issues. In 2007, we aim to conclude the reviews so that we can move ahead to implement whatever we consider to be the most appropriate outcome of the reviews," continued Mr Au.

The public consultation on the review of fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) commenced in 2006. Submissions are being studied by OFTA.

"OFTA will complete, as early as possible in 2007, the review on FMC to pave the way for investment in convergent technologies," said Mr Au.

"The rapid development of wireless technologies is another important trend. OFTA will have regard to the Government's spectrum policy, which is now under review, make available spectrum to the market, including the spectrum which enables the provision of mobile services based on the CDMA 2000 standard and the spectrum for broadband wireless access (BWA). Considerations and finalisation of the procedure for the open bidding of the spectrum will be another major task of OFTA in 2007," said Mr Au.

Source: OFTA, Hong Kong

The Information and Communications Council invites public comments on "Regulatory Frameworks Pertaining to Telecommunications Numbers for Introducing Fixed-Mobile Convergence (FMC) Services" until February 26, 2007.
On September 29, 2006, MIC inquired of the Information and Communications Council (Chair: Mr. SHOYAMA Etsuhiko, CEO and Chairman of Hitachi, Ltd.) on the "Regulatory Frameworks Pertaining to Telecommunications Numbers for Introducing Fixed-Mobile Convergence (FMC) Services."
In response to the Inquiry, the Council compiled a draft report on January 26, 2007. Thus, the Council invites public comments thereon until February 26, 2007.
The draft report (Japanese-language version) is available at the following websites:
http://www.soumu.go.jp
http://www.e-gov.go.jp

Source: MIC, Japan

Colombian municipally owned utilities company Emcali will have to search for a private strategic partner in order to stay competitive in the telecoms market, the government said in a statement.

The statement was based on an assessment by the public services regulator, which concluded that Emcali needs added capital not only to offer new services and develop new business, but also to prevent the further loss of value for its owner, the city of Cali. The company provides telecoms, potable water, sewage and electricity services to some 600,000 clients, but its telecoms services, which include fixed line local telephony and internet, need to be developed further, the regulator said.

State-run telcos, such as EPM and ETB, have been hard pressed to stay competitive with the entry of foreign players, such as Spain's Telefónica (NYSE: TEF). Telefónica acquired Colombia Telecomunicaciones, now Telefónica Telecom, in April 2006. EPM and ETB struggled to operate mobile carrier Ola and in August 2006 sold 50% plus one share of the unit to Luxemburg-based mobile holdings group Millicom International Cellular (Nasdaq: MICC) in August 2006 for US$479mn. Millicom has renamed Ola as Tigo.

Emcali is well established in Cali department, but is going to face heightened pressure as competitors with national coverage ramp up their presence in the region, José Otero, president of telecoms consultancy Signals Telecoms Consulting told BNamericas.

Mexico's Telmex (NYSE: TMX), which plans to deploy triple play services through cable operators, Telefónica Telecom and EPM's operations in the region all dim Emcali's prospects if it continues to go it alone.

Otero sees Emcali only being of interest to operators already on the ground in Colombia.

"I can identify three main companies that could be interested in Emcali: Telmex, Telefónica Telecom and EPM," he said.

Emcali recently received a departmental WiMax license, which could prove attractive, but the future partner will need to invest a great deal in Emcali's network to bring it up to speed. The offering would likely be similar to the situation with Ola, offering 50% plus one share, Otero said.

It could easily be a slow process, so Emcali would benefit from starting its search quickly, Otero added. See http://www.bnamericas.com/story.jsp?idioma=I&sector=2&noticia=379327

Russia’s State Radio Frequency Commission is planning a tender of wireless spectrum covering a number of regions, including the Far East Federal District, Prime Tass reports. The tender will be an opportunity for the country’s second largest cellular operator Vimpelcom to gain spectrum in the Far East. It resorted to legal action last year after the regulator repeatedly turned down its applications for spectrum in the region, an area which is home to around six million people. Vimpelcom currently has frequencies in four of the District’s 13 regions, while its main rivals, MTS and MegaFon, have spectrum covering the entire territory.

Source: Telegeography

The Commission, in a bid to facilitate entry into the telecommunications market in the country and ensure that Nigeria becomes an information rich society, has reviewed its licensing policy by adding new services to its Class licence category. 

Consequently, with effect from date of this advert the following undertakings now fall under the Class Licence category.

1.	Sales and Installation License; including; Mobile Cellular Phones & HF/VHF/UHF Radio
2.	Sales and Installation Permit; including; Fixed Telephone sets, Modem, Cordless phones, Fax machines and PABX and switches not exceeding 30-line capacity.
3.	Repairs and Maintenance; including
		Category A-For an individual technician operating small workshop
		Category B-For companies operating small & medium workshop
		Category C-For companies operating comprehensive workshop
4.	Cabling services; includes;
		Category A-For an individual technician (cabling within premises only)
		Category B-For companies (cabling within premises and/or estate)
		Category C-For companies (including underground cabling)

These are in addition to existing class licenses; Payphone, Cybercafe and Telecenters.

Further information on Class Licence and the terms and conditions to operate as a class licensee are published on the Commission’s Web-site @ www.ncc.gov.ng.

Source: NCC, Nigeria

The Federal Network Agency last Friday submitted a draft regulatory ATM bitstream access order to the European Commission and the national regulatory authorities of the other Member States.

Under the draft, Deutsche Telekom AG (DTAG) is required to provide ATM bitstream access. The conditions are non-discriminatory access, accounting separation and publication of a reference offer. The rates are to be subject to ex post controls.

ATM bitstream access is a wholesale service designed to enable competitors to offer high quality DSL connections on the downstream markets, chiefly to business customers. This is where ATM differs from IP bitstream access, which DTAG was put under obligation to provide last September already and which is handled on the Internet Protocol basis and targeted primarily at the DSL mass market. Thus the draft that has been submitted to Brussels, once in force, will complete the regulatory measures in the wholesale bitstream access market.

The European Commission and the national regulatory authorities now have a month in which to respond to the draft. The Ruling Chamber responsible will then make a final decision, taking the representations into the utmost account.

Source: Bundesnetzagentur, Germany

 

In a bilateral agreement, as part of a broader development of economic relations between Nigeria and United Arab Emirates, the Nigerian Government has offered a Unified Access Service Licence to the Mubadala Development Company of the United Arab Emirates. The Licence includes a mobile licence and spectrum in the GSM 1800 and 900 MHz bands at a price of $400million (Four Hundred Million U.S. Dollars). The terms of the offer specify that Mubadala will be required to pay the full license fee on or before 19th January 2007, failing which the offer shall automatically lapse. Mubadala has accepted the terms of the offer in full.  The NCC will carry out its role in implementing this agreement on behalf of the Nigerian government. 

The Board of the NCC is also pleased to announce its intention to continue with the licensing of radio spectrum in the 3G and 450 MHz bands. These new licences will encourage the deployment of advanced technology to build on the positive development of the telecommunications sector in Nigeria. 

Importantly, the release of more spectrum supports the Government's policy of improving access to communication services and extending coverage, especially into rural areas. Subscribers can also expect to receive an increased range of services, improved quality of service and better value for money.

The process for awarding new licences has included the appointment of PA Consulting Group, a leading firm of international management and telecommunications consultants.

Source: NCC, Nigeria

In 2006, the Tariff Monitor, a free tool on ANACOM’s website ( www.anacom.pt) that allows consumers to compare tariffs for mobile telephone services, was accessed around 43.2 thousand times by consumers and was used to make over 57.1 thousand simulation operations. This translates to an average of around 3,600 accesses and 4,760 simulations per month.

ANACOM’s Tariff Monitor has now been in public operation for 16 months, and during this time a total of around 75.3 thousand accesses and 129.2 thousand simulation operations have been recorded.

Among the range of tools available - monthly consumption, call and message comparison, virtual calls and messages – the use of the call and message comparison tool has proved to be especially popular. According to available data, up to 31 December 2006, around 73 thousand tariff consultations and 37.3 thousand call or message comparisons have been carried out by users. This corresponds, respectively, to around 56.5% and 28.9% of the all simulation operations performed.

The Tariff Monitor is a simulator developed by ANACOM with the cooperation of the three mobile operators (TMN, Vodafone and Optimus). It gives private consumers the information they need to assess and compare the various tariff alternatives for terrestrial mobile services available in Portugal.

Source: Anacom, Portugal

In response to media enquiries regarding the complaints received by the Consumer Council on telecommunications services, a spokesperson for the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) made the following statement today (January 11):

"OFTA has been closely monitoring the market situation and will take appropriate regulatory action against any operator who is found in breach of the licence conditions and the Telecommunications Ordinance as the case may warrant.

From OFTA's experience, most consumer complaints about telecommunications services were contractual and billing disputes. While OFTA is not empowered by the Telecommunications Ordinance to arbitrate in such disputes, OFTA is studying the feasibility of formulating a scheme for the better resolution of individual customer disputes, through the establishment of an independent customer dispute adjudication scheme. Industry participation will be voluntary. OFTA is now seeking the industry's support and at the same time working out the details with them. A pilot scheme is being developed."

Source: OFTA, Hong Kong

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is to begin enforcement action against cellular operators that have failed to provide adequate emergency service coverage. Cellular operators were required to be providing wireless enhanced 911 (E911) services to at least 95% of their customers by 31 December 2005. Dow Jones reports that eight cellcos requested extensions of the deadline but these were not granted and the FCC is taking action against the four firms which have the poorest E911 coverage – Sprint Nextel, ALLTEL, US Cellular and Nextel Partners (which is now part of Sprint Nextel). Other firms including Verizon Wireless also failed to meet the end-2005 coverage deadline but the FCC says they are making progress enough to avoid any action. Dow Jones says that 86% of Sprint customers were covered by the E911 system at the end of May 2006. The operators face a maximum fine of USD97,500.

Source: FCC, USA

British-registered Ramford Alliance Ltd has notified Bulgaria's anti-trust authority that it plans to pursue the acquisition of CableTEL, the local cable TV, Internet and voice company, and Vicom Bulgaria, a radio and TV broadcaster. According to the Commission for the Protection of Competition, the suitor is active in finance and investment and acquisitions in the telecom and media industries.

Ramford Alliance Ltd has set 3 preconditions for the execution of the deals. Under the first precondition, Vicom Bulgaria should take control of local company Grelman. According to legal database Daxi, that conditions appears to have been fulfilled as Grelman is registered as a wholly-owned unit of Vicom Bulgaria.

The second requirement is for Evrocom Sofia Cable, wholly-owned by Grelman, to take control of cable and Internet company Vereya Cable which yet to be fulfilled. Ramford Alliance Ltd has also insisted that Evrocom Sofia Cable acquire the assets, rights and legal relations concerning the cable TV and Internet access services provided by Estnet in Sofia and Kozloduy.

According to the Bulgarian anti-trust monopoly, the acquisitions pursued by Ramford Alliance will affect several market segments: cable TV, Internet, telephone service and leased lines. The regulator is bound by law to review the deal no later than 2 months after the notification.

Source: Dnevnik News 

Chile's transport and telecommunications ministry, the MTT, plans to hold a public consultation process on VoIP regulation and aims to have a final document on the matter during the first months of the year, writes BNamericas citing local newspaper Diario Financiero. The move will please industry players such as IP telephony provider Voissnet which has long claimed that the VoIP market has been hindered by technical barriers imposed by incumbent operator Telefónica Chile. In late October 2006 Chile's antitrust tribunal (TDLC) fined Telefónica Chile nearly USD1 million for blocking VoIP calls.

Source: Telegeography, Chile

The Italian government is expected to offer WiMAX wireless broadband licences by mid-2007, with interest already coming from ISPs such as FastWeb and Tiscali. Reuters reports that the sale could generate proceeds of up to EUR200 million. Broadband internet providers Tiscali and FastWeb have both conducted trials of WiMAX technology, which they would deploy alongside their existing fixed networks, while Telecom Italia is also likely to be among the bidders for WiMAX concessions.

Source: Telegeography

ANACOM - National Communications Authority wants PT Comunicações to amend the RUO - Reference Unbundling Offer, in order to improve conditions for operator collocation in its exchanges - a key instrument to enable operators to cover a significant part of the population -, as the Authority considers that PT may not reject applications from other operators alleging energy or space constrains. With this ruling, the regulator carries on its intervention in the scope of the local loop unbundling, which is deemed essential, given the current market structure, to the improvement of competitive conditions of operators and service providers, namely as regards retail broadband access offers.
 
Interventions which have taken place - concerning prices, operation conditions or contractual conditions - have contributed towards improving provision conditions and increasing the confidence of market participants. This improvement can be seen by the number of loops unbundled by alternative operators in the course of the third quarter of this year, which reached 172 thousand accesses, a further 18% than the previous quarter and a further 139% than the end of 2005.
 
This competition increase, supported on the improvement of regulatory conditions ensured by ICP-ANACOM, has led to a higher diversification of retail provisions and services, with favourable conditions to end users. In fact, offers at increasingly higher speeds and competitive prices have been launched, contributing towards the development of the Information Society.
 
The improvement of regulatory conditions has led not only to the increase of unbundled loops, but also to the increase of the number of alternative operators interested in this provision and of the number of exchanges with collocated operators, which reached 190 in the third quarter of 2006, against 142, twelve months earlier.

Source: ANACOM, Portugal

The Australian Communications and Media Authority is seeking comments on enhanced call handling features in relation to the Telecommunications (Customer Service Guarantee) Standard 2000 (No.2) (CSG Standard).

ACMA is carrying out the consultation at the request of the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator the Hon Helen Coonan as a result of a report released in April 2006 titled Rethinking Regulation: Report of the Taskforce on Reducing Regulatory Burdens on Business.

The report reviewed various areas of regulation, including social and environmental regulation. Consumer related regulation and the specific review of the Customer Service Guarantee were issues raised in the report.

The report made a recommendation that:

ACMA should consult with all telecommunications providers as part of a review of the need for regulation of connections to specified services, in the context of wider development of the market for these services.

The government agreed to this recommendation in principle, noting that it considers no requirement for change in the current arrangements relating to connection times is needed. However, the government agreed that, in relation to enhanced call handling features, it will ask ACMA to consult with carriage service providers (CSPs) on this aspect of the CSG Standard and report to the government.

Source: ACMA, Australia

Taiwan’s government has approved the first cut in the country’s phone tariffs for seven years. The National Communications Commission has given the green light to a proposed 5.35% cut in leased line rates which will be applied annually between 2007 and 2010, Dow Jones reports. Mobile tariffs will fall by 4.88% each year over the same period, although the cut will not be applied to 3G services. The NCC proposed the price drops in October, but operators responded by calling for the regulator to leave pricing to market factors.

Source: Telegeography

The Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) has recently completed a comprehensive survey on the coverage of mobile phone networks along popular hiking trails in Hong Kong. Based on the survey results, a total of 125 digital maps covering the same number of popular hiking trails in Hong Kong have been produced and published on OFTA's web site for the public's reference.

"The digital maps cover most of the popular hiking trails in Hong Kong, providing useful information to hikers on whether emergency telephone calls may be connected to at least one of the local mobile operators along the hiking trails," a spokesperson of OFTA said.

The survey began in mid-March 2006 and has taken five months to complete. The total length of hiking trails covered is over 600 km. "It is a large scale project which requires intensive manpower to complete. Thanks to the voluntary participation of over 50 OFTA's staff members in the survey, the whole project has been successfully completed. The digital maps have been published on OFTA's web site by phases and the first batch was published in September. It is our plan to update the maps regularly," the spokesperson continued.

In the maps, three different colours are used along the trails to denote the availability of mobile service coverage. Green colour indicates that the signal of at least one local mobile network is good. Yellow colour indicates that the voice quality of calls may be poor whereas red colour indicates that there is no network coverage at all. At locations marked with green or yellow, hikers subscribing to any GSM network may dial 112 to contact the 999 Emergency Centre.

However, the spokesperson emphasized that the digital maps should be used as reference only. It is still important for hikers to make all necessary preparations before setting off, including paying attention to weather reports, making reference to the more detailed hiking publications published by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, and avoiding hiking alone.

"Hikers should also understand the limitation of mobile service. Owing to the hilly terrain of Hong Kong and the characteristics of radio propagation, it is unavoidable that some locations have no or poor mobile service coverage," the spokesperson reiterated.

The Government has been spending efforts to enhance the safety of hikers and country park visitors. Various initiatives have been taken to encourage mobile network operators to build more base stations to serve the country parks. These initiatives include charging a nominal rent of $1 per year for use of Government land, allowing operators to use existing facilities at Government hill-top sites, and waiving the utilisation fee for the additional radio spectrum specifically allocated to serve the country parks. These measures have been proved to be effective as five new base stations have already been built this year. They are at Cloudy Hill in Tai Po, Shek Uk Shan in Sai Kung, Woodside near Tai Tam Country Park, Tsuen Kam Au near Tai Mo Shan and Robin's Nest near Sha Tau Kok. With these new base stations, the total number of base stations for country parks has increased to 12. Several other new base stations are also being planned for 2007. They include three additional base stations, which are already in the pipeline, to improve mobile network coverage in southern Lantau, Tai Lam Chung and eastern Sai Kung.

Source: OFTA, Hong Kong

The Belarusian Council of Ministers has published its latest results on the development of the local telecoms industry and announced details of its programme for the period 2006-2010, which includes plans to upgrade more analogue switches to digital. The Council aims to increase digitisation to 80% of local fixed line networks by 2010, by which date the number of main lines in service is expected to pass 3.6 million, a teledensity of 38 lines per 100 inhabitants. According to a report published on 1 October, the penetration of fixed lines currently stands at 37% in main cities, but is only 28% in smaller towns. During the first nine months of 2006 160,400 analogue lines were upgraded, while numbering capacity was increased by 55,600.

As part of its five-year development programme Belarus plans to roll out 7,200km of fibre-optic lines by 2010 to improve the focus on data-related broadband access technologies. A greater emphasis will be placed on the deployment of xDSL access technologies, and the number of broadband access ports available to national operator Beltelecom is expected to reach 240,500 by 2010, while the total number of subscribers to its network is forecast to top eight million. Moreover, the government is keen to auction licences for 3G mobile services. Frequency bands 1885MHz-2025MHz and 2110MHz-2200 MHz have already been allocated for UMTS mobile communication systems, and will be offered via a competitive tender (no date for the award has been provided). By October 2006 more than 5.5 million Belarusian mobile phones had been registered and mobile operators covered 73% of Belarus where 92% of its population reside.

Source: Telegeography

The Information and Communications Technology Ministry will submit all private telecom concession contracts to the Council of State within a couple of weeks to examine if they comply with the relevant investment laws. ICT Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom, however, gave an assurance  that consumers would not be affected if there were no amendments in the contracts. He added that he had to seek the opinion of the Council of State about all concession contracts after finding that the concession contracts granted by CAT Telecom to Digital Phone (DPC) and True Move could have violated the 1992 joint state-private investment regulations.

The regulations require all joint state-private investment projects to go through a feasibility study and Cabinet's approval if their value exceeds Bt1 billion. Sitthichai said that both concessions did not win the Cabinet's approval. Athueck Asvanund, vice chairman of True Corp, said yesterday that Charoen Pokphand (CP) consulted about the matter with CAT since the day CP took over Wireless Communication Services (WCS), which was later renamed True Move.

He added that CAT stated that the WCS concession did not need to go through the 1992 regulations because it is part of the existing concession of Total Access Communication (DTAC) granted by CAT in 1990. CAT owns the 1800 MHz spectrum which was given as a concession to DTAC. Part of the spectrum was returned to CAT, which was later given as a concession to DPC and WCS in 1996.

CP is the parent of True, which, in turn, is the parent of True Move. Athueck asked which party would compensate True Move if the concession was affected by the ministry's move. "And who'll want to jointly invest with the state agencies when one day you tell private operators that their concessions are illegal after you had granted them the concessions?" he added.

True Move and DPC have almost six million and a few hundred thousand subscribers, respectively. DPC is the cellular subsidiary of Advanced Info Service. Sitthichai said that after the complete examination of the Council of State, a panel comprising representatives of the ministry and Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont would be formed to oversee all the concessions.

Last week Sitthichai told the state concession owners TOT and CAT Telecom to probe all private concession contracts to see if they violate the relevant laws as part of his policy of rectifying the sector. His focus is on whether past amendments of the concession contracts were approved by the Cabinet.

Recently, CAT also consulted with the Council of State over whether its awarding of a joint service marketing deal to Hutchison-CAT complied with the regulations. The Council has yet to make a ruling.

Hutchison-CAT, a joint venture of CAT and Hong Kong's telecom giant Hutchison Telecom, has marketed a cellular service in 25 provinces. It has leased the network from BFKT, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hutchison Telecom, to provide the service.

Source: The Nation, Thailand

After notifying its draft decision to the European Commission and submitting it simultaneously for public consultation, ARCEP is now adopting its decision which specifies the cost accounting and accounting separation obligations to be imposed on France Telecom.

• What does this mean?

This decision concerns the ways in which France Telecom’s accounting obligations are implemented, that is the cost accounting obligation, the account separation obligation for the access and interconnection markets (the wholesale markets), and the obligation to keep accounts on retail market activities and services. These obligations were imposed on France Telecom when it was declared as having significant market power.

These obligations were initially imposed on France Telecom and implemented under the old regulatory framework, but had to be reconsidered and revised under the current framework, conforming to the new framework’s relevant market segmentation and the market analyses ARCEP had conducted.

• The obligation to implement a cost accounting system to provide a global view of the company’s costs

"The purpose of imposing an obligation to implement a cost accounting system is to ensure that fair, objective and transparent criteria are followed by notified operators in allocating their costs to services in situations where they are subject to obligations for price controls or cost-oriented prices" (Article 1 of the Commission recommendation of 19 September 2005).

A cost accounting system is built in such a way as to distribute all of the costs incurred by the company across all the products it sells and to compare these costs to the revenues generated by these same products. In this way, it provides a global view and a reference for the costs, which is needed for regulation, and to ensure that price control obligations are being respected, in particular.

For cost accounting, ARCEP is maintaining the obligation imposed on France Telecom to keep a accounting system imposed by law and is adding new reports which are suited to market developments and their regulation:

- France Telecom is required to publish a fine description of its cost accounting system and to justify the cost allocations which structure it

- It is also required to provide ARCEP with a number of accounting reports, which are suited to market regulation needs, and for price control in particular, and for verifying that the cost orientation obligation is being respected, when it applies

All of these accounting documents are audited annually.

Source: ARCEP, France

THE Tanzania Telecommunications Limited (TTCL) will next year install a new generation network in Zanzibar, to improve its telecommunication system in the isles. This was said when the TTCL Board of Directors met President Amani Abeid Karume in Zanzibar yesterday.

The president expressed his satisfaction on the job already done by TTCL in the isles, pointing out that the notable achievements in the sector would be of great assistance to the people. He said that the achievements attained so far were results of good policies put in place by both the union and Zanzibar governments, to ensure that people get sufficient telecommunication services, in support of their efforts to improve the country's economy.

The president further expressed hopes that the connection of "Fibre Optic cable" that would connect key areas in the country would hasten economic developments. According to him, the new thrust of the company should now focus on expansion of the new modern network in order to fulfil current and future needs of customers together with national technology, information and communications.

The Chairman of the TTCL's Board of Directors, Prof. Mapunda, assured the president that the company would continue to improve telecommunications services in the isles. He pointed out that improvement of the Kijangwani station has already been completed.

Improvement of the Chakechake station, according to him, would follow and that there was another project being undertaken at Mkoani side with a view to satisfy the customers' requirements in the country.

Source: DailyNews, Tanzania

ANRC allotted numbering resources for the provision of telephone services to Atlas Telecom Network Romania, Fast Telecom, Infotel Europe, RCS&RDS, Techno Bridge and Vocalpad Rom.

 

Fast Telecom and Infotel Europe, who requested their first numbering resources, were granted blocks of 410,000 numbers for the provision of fixed telephone services, at national level. The two companies have also been allotted blocks of 1,000 numbers in the 0Z=08 domain, for the provision of services offered through green numbers, universal access numbers and prepaid cards and of televoting services, as well as blocks of 1,000 numbers for each category of Premium Rate services in the 0Z=09 domain.

 

Fast Telecom has also received the individual carrier selection codes 1081 and 1697, whereas Infotel Europe was granted the individual carrier selection codes 1059 ºi 1691.

 

Atlas Telecom Network Romania requested and was granted 1,000 numbers in the  0Z=08 domain for services provided by means of universal access numbers. The companies RCS & RDS and Techno Bridge were allotted numbers in the 0Z=03 domain for the provision of fixed telephone services. Thus, RCS & RDS was granted 10,000 numbers for the county of Mures and Techno Bridge – 410,000 numbers for the provision of fixed telephone services, at national level.

 

Vocalpad Rom received 1,000 numbers for the provision of services through green numbers (0Z=08 domain) and 2,000 numbers for the provision of services in the 0Z= 09 domain.

 

Furthermore, UPC Romania took over the numbering resources allotted to Astral Telecom, given the merger of Astral Telecom into UPC Romania.

 

So far, ANRC allotted more than 65.5 million numbers, based on the procedure of granting licences for the use of numbering resources. 54.4% of these have been allotted for fixed telephone services, whereas 44.3% of them were assigned for the provision of mobile telephone services.

 

Source: ANRC, Romania

The Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority (NPT) has announced its latest round of price cuts for mobile termination charges. The new rules require all mobile operators with significant market power (SMP) to be charging the same fees by the end of 2008, before lowering charges to the cost-based level of NOK0.45 (USD0.07) by July 2010.

According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database, the NPT designated a number of operators as having SMP during 2005, under guidelines imposed by the EU. In September 2005 it categorised network operators Telenor, NetCom (a subsidiary of Sweden's TeliaSonera) and Teletopia, as well as MVNO Tele2 Norge, as providers with SMP in the market for termination of voice services in their respective mobile networks. All are therefore subject to individual regulation. Telenor and NetCom were subjected to a maximum price adjustment that reduced their termination prices by NOK0.08 and NOK0.18 per minute respectively. This lowered maximum prices to NOK0.65 per minute for Telenor and NOK0.91 per minute for NetCom, calculated as a weighted average of the call start tariff and the price per minute. Both operators appealed against the decision but the Ministry of Transport and Communications ruled in the NPT's favour in April 2006. The NPT does not apply price caps to resellers who charge indirect termination fees — a fact that Telenor has repeatedly bemoaned.

Source: Telegeography

Greek Finance Minister Giorgios Alogoskoufis said yesterday that the privatisation of national telco Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE) will be a priority for the government in 2007. He told a conference: ‘For the next few months our basic priority is the privatisation of OTE and the search for a strategic investor for the organisation so that it is able to address both the economic and technological challenges of the future from a stronger position.’ Responding to a report in newspaper Vima On Sunday, quoting himself, that the government is planning to sell a 20% stake in OTE, Alogoskoufis said that no specific target has in fact been set. ‘We have not set a specific percentage,’ he said, adding that the 20% referred to in the press was an approximate amount. The state owns a 38.7% stake in OTE, and hopes to complete a partial stake sale by June next year as part of its EUR1.7 billion privatisation programme. Egypt’s Weather Investments has shown interest, whilst Deutsche Telekom, Telekom Austria, Russia's Sistema and a number of private equity houses are amongst the potential bidders.

Source: Telegeography

The signing, which took place yesterday, follows DTAC's forging of a similar deal with True Move on November 17. AIS and DTAC agreed on a termination rate of Bt1 per minute. The rate takes effect immediately, and the two companies will start billing each other next February. If DTAC transits its call via AIS to a third network, it will pay Bt1 per minute to AIS. The rate will be 50 satang a minute in reverse. Both termination and transit rates will be reviewed each year.

Both declined to reveal their expected gain from interconnection fees, but a telecom analyst estimated that AIS would earn about Bt3.5 billion annually from interconnection fees from all telecom operators. AIS, DTAC and True Move each have more than 17 million, 11 million and 5 million customers, respectively.

The interconnection regulations of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) mandates that all telecom firms share voice and data revenues between any two networks involved in a call on a fair basis. DTAC chief executive Sigve Brekke said the signing marked another step forward toward liberalisation, while AIS president Wichian Mektrakarn said his company expected to sign a similar deal with True Move in the next two weeks. CAT Telecom has already asked AIS to negotiate with it on a similar deal. The NTC's interconnection-charge regime covers origination, transit and termination charges. The termination charge is what a service provider pays to another provider for receiving its call, while the transit charge is what a service provider pays to an intermediate network for passing its call on to the receiving network.

The origination charge is what the service provider that receives a call pays to the network from where the call originated. The charge is for CAT, which must share its revenues from international calls with the operator that transfers the calls from its subscribers to CAT. DTAC and True Move agreed on a termination rate of Bt1 per minute and a transit rate of 20 satang a minute. All telecom operators, except TOT, are currently in talks on a bilateral basis to finalise the interconnection rates, and all are expected to reach an agreement next month. The NTC is expected to start approving its finished rates next week.

However, a Rangsit University lecturer yesterday filed a petition with the Central Administrative Court, asking that the NTC's interconnection charge be terminated, citing its impact on the national interest. The NTC has already promulgated the interconnection regime in the Royal Gazette, in May. TOT has also made it clear it wants the interconnection charge to be delayed for one year, saying it was not ready to comply with the regime.

A report in a local newspaper this week said the NTC agreed to fix all interconnection rates at zero for one year, in order to pave the way for the Information and Communications Technology Ministry (ICT) to resolve the dispute on access charges and interconnection rates.

ICT Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom yesterday said the zero rate was just a proposal to the NTC, adding that Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont yesterday asked TOT, CAT and the NTC to set up a joint panel to clear up the access-charge conflict. The NTC and the ICT Ministry met the premier yesterday to discuss a plan to end the access-charge conflict between TOT and CAT's private cellular concessionaires. DTAC wants to pay only the interconnection charge instead of both interconnection and access charges. But TOT has yet to grant the request, out of concern about losing access-charge revenue. The state agency has earned Bt14 billion a year in access charges from all of CAT's cellular concessionaires.

All of CAT's cellular concession holders, including True Move and DTAC, have paid the access charge to TOT as the cost of connecting different networks via TOT's facilities. "We cannot move backwards, as now the two largest cellular operators have already signed the deal," said Brekke. Meanwhile, both AIS and DTAC have shared a common view that if they must pay the additional excise tax to the government, they might have no choice but to pass on the higher cost stemming from the tax to consumers.

Another possible choice is cutting business costs, resulting in a slowdown of its network investment that would in turn affect consumers. Wichian said the government should terminate any telecom excise tax if it wanted to promote fair competition. Sitthichai has already proposed to the Finance Ministry that amendments be made to a Cabinet resolution from the time of the ousted Thaksin government that would allow private telecom operators to deduct part of their concession fees for payment of excise tax.

The amendment will see private telecom operators pay the full concession fee to their state concession owners - TOT or CAT Telecom - and excise duty to the government. They will not be able to deduct part of the concession fee for payment of excise tax. Under a 2003 resolution by the Thaksin Cabinet, all private cellular operators must pay 10 per cent of their concession fees as excise duty to the government first before sharing the remainder with TOT or CAT.

Likewise, all fixed-line operators pay 2 per cent of their concession fees to the government before sharing the remainder with TOT. This has resulted in a reduction in the two state agencies' concession revenues, while they are also subject to excise payment like all other operators.

Source: The Nation, Thailand

In elaborating its 2007 Action Plan, ANRC identified seven priority objectives and the main actions envisaged for the fulfilment of these objectives: improve the transparency and predictability of the regulatory framework, promote competition in the sectors of electronic communications and of postal services, promote the end-users’ interest, conduct monitoring and control  actions in order to safeguard the markets of electronic communications and of postal services, consolidate the ANRC administrative capacity, increase the ANRC contribution to the development and implementation of the harmonised regulatory framework in the field of electronic communications, improve the Authority’s dialogue with the industry, the public authorities and the end-users.

Thus, in 2007, ANRC will continue the series of public consultations on the Regulatory Strategy for the electronic communications sector during 2007-2010, as the final version of this document is provided for the third trimester of next year. Furthermore, the Authority will mainly focus on monitoring the competition environment both on the wholesale and on the retail markets, in order to determine the necessity of defining and analysing new specific relevant markets or of reviewing the definitions and the analyses of the specific relevant market identified so far.

The 2007 Action Plan grants special attention to the regulations in the field of numbering resources, emphasizing the preparations for the implementation of number portability (which must be actually launched in the third trimester of next year) and the implementation of the changes in the National Numbering Plan (NNP). Two corresponding decisions are to be subsequently launched for consultation.

In 2007, ANRC will continue the implementation of Universal Service by means of the national programmes for the installation of telecentres and of public pay telephones. ANRC will launch tenders for the installation of telecentres in 250 new eligible localities and will proceed to organising tenders for the installation of public pay telephones, based on the conclusions of the pilot project to be initiated at the end of 2006.

The draft ANRC Action Plan for 2007 is available on the ANRC website. All interested persons are invited to send their comments and suggestions by December 29, 2006, by mail, to the ANRC headquarters (14 Libertatii Blvd., 5th District, Bucharest) or directly to the ANRC registration office or to the closest territorial office of ANRC. Answers may be sent also by fax to +40 21 307 54 02 or by e-mail to consultare@anrc.ro.

 

Source: ANRC, Romania

Abel Mateus, chairman of the Competition Authority, said he doesn't rule out amending his authority's recommendations on SonaeCom (Nachrichten) SGPS's bid for the Portugal Telecom group (Nachrichten) after telecoms regulator Anacom reportedly listed 28 objections to the AdC's conclusions, Jornal de Negocios reported.

'It is possible' that the authority will amend its latest draft, he told the business daily, adding: 'The committee will decide on this in coming days.'

Diario de Noticias said Anacom disagrees with conditions proposed by the authority for the fixed and mobile networks, while also seeking clarification on topics apparently imprecisely worded in the authority's study.

In mobile networks, the most contentious area, Anacom wants more restrictions on tariff differentiations, to allow a balance between prices within and outside the network, the newspaper added.

SonaeCom said earlier this month that it hoped finally to launch the bid on Dec 15 if regulators could agree by Nov 30 on the conditions to be imposed.

The company announced the takeover offer in February.

Mario Lino, the public works minister, has said it is 'lamentable' that regulatory review of the bid has taken nine months.

Source: FN, Portugal

India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has refused to grant a Mumbai mobile licence to start-up operator Aditya Birla Telecom because its parent company Aditya Birla Group already operates in the region via another subsidiary, Idea Cellular, according to the Economic Times. Aditya Birla Telecom and Idea Cellular both applied for the Mumbai spectrum at the start of this year, but only Idea has been granted frequencies. Aditya Birla Group owns 65% of Idea Cellular via Aditya Birla Nuvo, Birla TMT Holdings, Grasim Industries and Hindalco Industries. Aditya Birla Nuvo also holds 99.97% of the equity in Aditya Birla Telecom. ‘Two licences cannot be issued where a single company, Aditya Birla Nuvo, is having more than 10% stake in the applicant company as well as in Idea Cellular,’ the DoT reportedly said in its rejection letter.

Source: Telegeography

Bulgaria's 3 wireless telecom carriers will likely be unable to provide mobile number portability to their customers from 2006.

Under the domestic legislation, the service should be available from January 1, 2007. The deadline for the submission by the telecom carriers of their proposal for the number portability procedure expires today and unless they comply, the telecom regulator will be forced to step in and draft the procedure itself.

The telcos have so far failed to agree on 2 key issues: how to route incoming calls to ported numbers and whether to establish a common database of ported numbers or allow each carrier to have its own database.

At the moment, only Globul and vivatel are ready to provide mobile number portability. Both carriers favour the all-call query method in which the originating network uses the routing number to route the call to the new serving network.

The third local wireless carrier, Mobiltel, claims that the technological cost of the service will be unjustifiably high. Globul estimates it would run up to 1-3 mln levs.

Source: Dnevnik News Paper, Bulgaria

ICT minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom said yesterday that the issues to be discussed with the premier include access and interconnection charges, revenue sharing of private telecom operators, and the telecom excise tax. Last Friday, Sitthichai proposed to the Finance Ministry to terminate the previous Cabinet's resolution introduced in February 2003 that permitted private telecom operators to pay a part of their concession fees as excise tax.

This move led to a decline in the concession revenues of TOT and CAT Telecom, which owned the private telecom concessions. Sitthichai said that the excise tax cost TOT and CAT Bt23.903 billion and Bt15.249 billion, respectively, from 2003 to 2005. TOT owns the concessions of the largest cellular operator Advanced Info Service (AIS), which was founded by the Shinawatra family, True Corp and TT&T, while CAT owns the cellular concessions of Total Access Communication (DTAC), Digital Phone (DPC), and True Move. Under the telecom excise tax, the private cellular concessionaires have directly paid 10 per cent out of their concession fees to the government before sharing the remainder with TOT or CAT.

The fixed telephone operators have paid 2 per cent out of the concession fee to the government before giving the remainder to TOT or CAT.

"This is unfair as the tax passes on the private telecom operators' burden to the state telecom agencies," Sittichai said. He added that the guidelines are expected to be concluded next month. Besides the telecom excise tax, he will discuss with the prime minister the access charge dispute between the state and private telecom operators. The access charge is the cost all CAT cellular concessionaires have paid TOT for connecting different networks via TOT's facilities, while the interconnection charge of the National Telecommuni-cations Commission (NTC) has mandated all telecom operators to share voice and data revenue proportionately between the networks involved in the calls.

DTAC has asked TOT to convert the access charge into the interconnection charge, so that it will pay only the latter charge. But the state agency has yet to grant the request out of concern for losing the access charge revenue.

Source: NTC, Thailand

The Brazilian government has announced plans to provide broadband internet access in all municipalities nationwide by the end of next year, writes BNamericas which cites local newspapers quoting the country’s communications minister Hélio Costa. At present, the federal government has 3,258 broadband access points across 2,057 municipalities, but it intends to increase this to 8,000 access points over all of Brazil’s 5,658 municipalities, Costa told a public meeting. The Minister says the state plans to utilise the universal internet access programme, Gesac, to provide broadband internet services via terrestrial and satellite platforms as well as via digital inclusion contracts with telecoms operators. However, critics of the scheme have responded by saying it is over ambitious. José Barbosa Melo, president of the IT and communications committee (CTIC) of the Brazilian American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham), told BNamericas that the government’s plan was ‘not realistic’, saying that a much larger investment was needed to realise its goal. Melo went on to say that in a country where even mobile phone technology, which has been used for much longer than fixed broadband technologies, had not yet achieved coverage of every municipality, it was unlikely that the government could gain broadband nationwide penetration within the next twelve months. Others have gone further to suggest that the minister’s statement is more a publicity stunt than a realistic goal.

Source: Telegeography

Kenya has entered into partnership with global telecommunications service provider Etisalat to lay the proposed $110 million (Sh7.9 billion) undersea fibre optic cable, popularly known as The East African Marine Systems (Teams). The cable will connect east and horn of Africa countries to the rest of the world is expected to drastically reduce the cost of telecommunications. It will also offer high quality broadband connections that will enable the region’s industries and business to be competitive in the global economy.

Telkom Kenya has signed a memorandum of understanding with Etisalat of United Arab Emirates to lay, operate and maintain the cable, which will connect Mombasa and Fujairah in the Gulf of Oman. Managing director, Mr Sammy Kirui signed the agreement on behalf of Kenya. Information and Communications minister, Mr Mutahi Kagwe, Permanent Secretary Dr Bitange Ndemo, the Director General of Communications Commission of Kenya Mr John Waweru witnessed the signing in Dubai last Wednesday.

"The two parties are committed to run an aggressive race to enable the cable will be ready for service by November next year. The construction and supply contract will be awarded early next year," a statement from the Information and Communications ministry released yesterday said.

Kenya was among the 16 countries that declined to sign the East African Submarine Cable System, also known as Eassy special vehicle protocol mid this year. Kenya was not happy with the fact that Nepad was taking over ownership of the project. Meanwhile, Kagwe said yesterday the government was only aware of two shareholders in Safaricom.He did not however rule out the fact that other parties, through an internal arrangement, could be holding five per cent of the Vodafone shares. According to a local weekly, Mobitelea Ventures Ltd, said to be associated with prominent figures in the regime of former President Moi, could still hold as much as five per cent of Safaricom.

Source: The East African Standard, Kenya 

The Honduran telecoms regulator Conatel has announced it will begin blocking the signals from mobile phones that have been reported as stolen, reports BNamericas citing a report on the website of local radio station Unión Radio. Conatel president Rassel Tomé confirmed that the watchdog had the technical wherewithal to block numbers, allowing it to ‘verify that neither of the two mobile operators Tigo and Claro, nor any other company, can connect stolen units', the report said. The government is concerned over the high levels of crime related to mobile phone theft. In 2006 alone, around 50 people have been killed in such related incidents, leaving the regulator little option but to take drastic measures to combat the problem.

According to TeleGeography's GlobalComms database, the mobile market in Honduras is home to just two active operators — Tigo (formerly Celtel Honduras), operated by Millicom International Cellular, and Sercom, which is backed by Mexico's América Móvil and trades as Aló — although a third licence was granted to state incumbent Hondutel, to compensate it for losing its international long-distance monopoly in December 2005. Tigo launched analogue AMPS services in 1996 but only saw its subscriber base start to grow significantly after it began upgrading its infrastructure with CDMA technology in 2000. In November 2003 Sercom entered the fray when it secured a GSM licence in the 1800MHz band.

Source: Telegeography

Considering the growing dissatisfaction among consumers, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (‘the Authority’) acting in the consumer interest, has initiated a consultation process with the aim of reducing the bulk of unsolicited commercial communications (UCC). UCC includes telemarketing calls, SMSs, or other commercial or marketing messages. The Authority is aware that it cannot enforce a perfect solution due to jurisdictional limitations, but seeks to provide immediate relief to consumers through a lowcost and simple solution.

 

More than 170 million Indians are now telephone subscribers, and this number is increasing at over 6 million a month. This growing and large subscriber base is a large potential target for advertising and marketing activities. Ubiquitous access to telephones has led to the creation of a large telemarketing industry – where salespersons call telephone subscribers indiscriminately to market goods and services. The majority of telemarketing phone calls are unsolicited – the called party has not given prior permission to the telemarketer to contact them. The Authority notes that such calls disturb a large number.

Source: TRAI, India

A Minister of Communications-appointed advisory panel is calling on the two regional fixed line units of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp (NTT) to cut their local phone call charges in a bid to establish equality in payments among subscribers, writes the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. The Telecommunications Council will also request NTT East and NTT West to reduce their basic telecom rates, which are currently higher for urban users than for people living in the provinces, in response to numerous complaints over high charging from people living in the affected areas.

Under Japanese telecoms law, NTT is required to provide universal access which burdens it with the cost of providing services and maintaining the networks in unprofitable, low-population density areas. Although the industry set up a sector-wide cost-sharing ‘universal service’ grants system (that incidentally reaped JPY15.3 billion in its first-year of contributions in 2005), critics of the system fear that NTT East, NTT West and rival carrier KDDI are looking to bring in a levy of JPY7 per month for a phone line from January 2007, effectively passing on the cost of their contributions to the subscriber. Consumer groups are obviously against such a move and have now received crucial support from the Telecommunications Council.

Source: Telegeography

Bhutan Information Communications and Media Authority (BICMA) has awarded the country’s second national cellular licence to local industrial conglomerate the Tashi Group. Tashi beat three other firms with its offer of BTN777 million (USD17.5 million). It must launch its first commercial services within a year. The other short-listed bidders were all local firms partnered with foreign telcos: the Singye Group and Druktel teamed up with two Indian telcos, Reliance and Airtel respectively, while Bhutan Steel formed a bidding consortium with ShinSat of Thailand. The country’s current monopoly cellular operator B-Mobile, which is a subsidiary of state-owned Bhutan Telecom, had around 70,000 subscribers at the end of September.

Source: Telegeogaphy

ANACOM has granted authorisation to Refer Telecom – Serviços de Telecomunicações, to use channels 878.6-923.6 MHz and 879-924 MHz for the purposes of carrying out technical trial and demonstrations of GSM-R technology, which will take place in Sacavém and Oriente Station in Lisbon. This authorisation follows a request made by the company and is applicable until the end of 2006.
 
The granting of this authorization does not imply any commitment, obligation or constraint regarding the future allocation by ANACOM of rights to use frequencies in Portugal reserved for GSM-R technology.
 
ANACOM will accompany the trials and have access to their conclusions, both from a technological standpoint and also in terms of the effective market potential of services based on these technologies.

Source: ANACOM, Portugal

Japanese mobile operator NTT DoCoMo, the wireless arm of incumbent fixed line operator NTT, says it has received regulatory approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States, clearing its 100% acquisition of Guam Cellular & Paging, Inc (Guam Cellular) and Guam Wireless Telephone Company, LLC (Guam Wireless). According to DoCoMo, the agreement was concluded on 20 March this year for an agreed sum of USD71.8 million.

Under the terms of the deal, DoCoMo will buy all the outstanding equity of Guam Cellular through an established holding company, after which it will move to buy Guam Wireless through Guam Cellular and subsequently merge the two companies. In addition, DoCoMo has promised to provide funds of up to USD6.5 million to expand and upgrade the enlarged company’s facilities and infrastructure. As a result of the deal DoCoMo will be able to offer an improved service to the large number of Japanese travellers who visit Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands each year. Local inhabitants will also benefit from improved services such as an improved GSM network with a GPRS overlay. In the future the new Japanese owner says it hopes to introduce a W-CDMA network for 3G services utilising frequency owned by Guam Cellular.

Source: Telegeography

Malaysia’s first WiMAX licences will not now be issued until sometime next year, according to local news sources quoting Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik. According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) indefinitely postponed its tender for the licences in July 2006. The tender, covering the 2.3GHz-2.4HGz bands, was halted under order from the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications (MEWC), because the terms of the bidding, set by the MCMC, were not in line with the MEWC's own licensing regulations, most notably in terms of the roll out of infrastructure. The MCMC later said it would not relaunch the tender, opting instead to stick with the submissions it has already received from 17 companies, including DiGi Telecommunications, Maxis Communications, MiTV Corp, REDtone International and NasionCom. The MCMC had originally intended to announce the winners by 31 October, but has yet to provide a revised timetable for issuing the concessions or confirm how many licences will be granted. It has requested that all applicants re-submit their applications outlining nationwide business plans, as it will not grant concessions to companies looking to roll out only regional services. The government has said it will offer as many as four WiMAX licences, though it may only distribute two concessions in the first tranche.

Source: Telegeography

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has warned telecom operators to improve services rather than concentrating solely on generating revenue. The regulator feels that customers have now had enough of paying for unreliable network performance, and it is considering regulation to improve the standard of service in the industry. Operators retorted by saying how much they had achieved in five years, and that subscribers should be more appreciative of their efforts!

Source: Telegeography

Thailand’s Information and Communication Technology Ministry has announced ambitious plans to invest THB35 billion (USD954 million) to upgrade the country's telecoms network. In a statement the ICT Minister Sitthichai Pokaiyaudom said the PSTN would soon be ‘obsolete’ and that it needed an urgent overhaul if it was to keep pace with private operators that are investing heavily in new technologies. According to The Nation, the government says it plans to spend THB20 billion to develop Thai Mobile’s network and a further THB15 billion to expand and improve CAT’s CDMA infrastructure.

Source: Telegeography

Network World magazine recently conducted the largest ever WiFi performance and scalability test. The test was conducted using VeriWave's WaveTest 90 performance analysis system. The Findings from this test appear in this week's issue of Network World.

Network World commissioned leading test lab Network Test to conduct the assessment. A comprehensive WLAN test methodology was designed in order to evaluate performance and scalability using real-world metrics. These metrics included throughput, latency, VoIP call capacity, and roaming. The test setup consisted of twenty-five WLAN access points (APs), with accompanying switches and controllers from each participating vendor and VeriWave's WaveTest 90 system. VeriWave's WLAN Benchmarking, Roaming, and VoIP/QoS Test Suites measured throughput, (determining the maximum forwarding rate each system under test could sustain with zero packet loss), roaming delays, and voice quality (as defined by ITU-T standards and represented as MOS or R-Value scores). See http://www.networkworld.com/reviews/2006/110606-wifi-test-how.html .

The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) today issued a call for organisations to bid for the "Centralised Database Administrator" role as part of the country's move towards True Number Portability from the fourth quarter of 2007. The IDA's Request For Proposal (RFP) seeks an operator-neutral administrator, to be appointed in early 2007. Consumers have welcomed the True Number Portability solution, with the expectation of greater service and choices in the telecoms market. The move towards True Number Portability will spur greater competition and growth in the liberalised telecoms market, which sees mobile penetration of more than 100 per cent today. The Centralised Database Administrator will be required, for a start, to develop a centralised database system that will inter-work with the fixed line and mobile services providers to enable the provision of number portability services to all end-users in Singapore. The appointed Centralised Database Administrator will also operate the centralised database system for seven years from the launch of True Number Portability.

Source: IDA, Singapore.

The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore and the International Telecommunication Union have agreed today to collaborate in developing a new executive training programme in the area of information and communication technology (ICT) policy and regulation. A Letter of Intent was inked today, following a call for such a collaboration in a speech made earlier this week by Dr Lee Boon Yang, Singapore's Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Antalya (Turkey), currently in session 6-24 November 2006. It is intended to provide this executive programme through Singapore's e-Government Leadership Centre."This programme is expected to enable Singapore to share our experience in deploying ICT for the public, private and people sectors," said Dr Lee. "We are very happy to collaborate with ITU to help developing countries catalyse their ICT developments to bridge the Digital Divide". He added that Singapore, with 25 years of experience in developing ICT, is fully aware of the benefits it can bring to social and economic development. "The e-Government Leadership Centre provides a collaborative learning experience. Participants would have the opportunity to study and analyse the Singapore model and to derive relevant strategies for their own country's ICT development," Dr Lee said. See http://www.ida.gov.sg/idaweb/marketing/index.jsp

Tajikistan mobile operator Tacom has launched commercial 3G services over a network supplied by Huawei Technologies, the Chinese vendor said in a statement. In May 2006 Tacom contracted Huawei to supply GSM and W-CDMA mobile equipment for the expansion of its GSM network and the launch of 3G services. Details of the network have not yet been revealed, but Tacom’s Russian parent Vimpelcom had earlier stated that Huawei would initially supply ‘about 80’ GSM base stations, ‘several’ W-CDMA base stations and a switchboard. According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database, Tacom holds licences to provide GSM-900/1800, CDMA-450 and AMPS services across Tajikistan, as well as the country's third UMTS concession, which it received in September 2005. Vimpelcom plans to invest USD100 million in Tacom in 2006, with much of the money to be spent on expanding its networks and rebranding the service under the Beeline banner which it employs in Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine.

Source: Telegeography

Indonesia’s dominant telecoms company PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom) says it will take part in the country’s proposed fibre-optic network construction tender which is valued at USD1.5 billion and expected to be launched in October next year. Telkom managing director Arwin Rasyid confirmed his company’s interest, adding he was still considering the best options for Telkom to take part in the process. Speaking to reporters in Jakarta, Rasyid said: ‘Whether or not we form a consortium, Telkom will certainly play a large role in constructing the fibre-optic network’, adding that one aim would be to increase the capacity of the incumbent’s network at the same time to support increased demand both for itself and its subsidiaries such as mobile arm Telkomsel and PT Telkom Vision, a pay-TV broadcast provider.

Source: Telegeography

Belarusian national fixed line telephony provider Beltelecom and Russian national long-distance telecoms operator Rostelecom yesterday announced the completion of a project to link their respective fibre-optic cable networks, providing additional access between the two countries. The pair say they have completed Phase 1 of the project which includes the linking of a fibre-optic cable between Yartsevo in Russia and Velizh on the state border to Vitebsk in Belarus. The throughput capacity of this high speed terrestrial link – based on DWDM and STM technology – will be 400Gbps with the ability to upgrade in the future. The Yartsevo-Vitebsk cable is the second broadband link between Russia and Belarus.

Source: Telegeography

 

Ukrtelecom has just signed a three-year deal with Nokia for the supply of 3G core and radio network equipment with Finnish solutions provider Nokia. The deal includes the provision of 3.5G HSDPA software. From a technological point of view, the deal will go smoothly and Utel will be in a position next year to offer its customers a 3G mobile service, the first in Ukraine. As to the level of appetite for such services, this is still unknown. Ukrtelecom remains the only operator to own a 3G licence, but it is likely that the regulator will offer the service to other operators in the next couple of years.

Source: BMI research