Page 87 - SAMENA Trends - August-September 2025

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Ghana and Togo Regulators Begin Border Telecom Coordination Talks

The National Communications Authority (NCA) in collaboration was crucial in preventing harmful interference in border areas and
with Togolese telecoms regulator, Autorité de Régulation des safeguarding the quality of service for Operators and consumers.
Communications Électroniques et des Postes (ARCEP), has He further noted that while both countries had made significant
commenced a three-day Border Coordination Meeting between progress in expanding telecommunications coverage and
Ghana and Togo. The meeting, being held at the NCA Tower deploying advanced technologies, emerging challenges such as
in Accra from Tuesday, 9th September, 2025 to Thursday, 11th signal spillage and uncoordinated frequency use made it necessary
September, 2025, seeks to strengthen cross-border cooperation in to review the existing bilateral agreement. He reaffirmed Ghana’s
the management of telecommunications services. In his opening commitment to working with Togo to establish a fair, transparent,
remarks, the Deputy Director General in charge of Technical and technically robust coordination framework that aligned with
Operations at the NCA, Mr. Suleman Salifu, highlighted the long- ITU recommendations and regional guidelines under ECOWAS and
standing spirit of cooperation between Ghana and Togo, describing the African Telecommunications Union (ATU). Delivering remarks
spectrum management as a clear example of how cross-border on behalf of ARCEP Togo, the Head of Delegation, Mr. Awutey Dodji
collaboration could advance national interests and strengthen Sylvanus, conveyed warm greetings from the Director General of
regional cooperation. He emphasized how effective coordination ARCEP Togo. He noted that discussions on border coordination
between the two regulators had been ongoing and expressed
optimism that the current meeting would provide the foundation
for amendments to the existing coordination agreement between
the two countries. The meeting brings together the two regulators
as well as Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) from both Ghana
and Togo including MTN Ghana, AT Ghana, Telecel Ghana, Moov,
Telecel Togo, and YAS Togo. Their participation underscores the
collaborative effort to address cross-border frequency interference,
enhance spectrum management, and ensure quality of service
for consumers along the borders of both countries. Over the
three-day period, delegates will engage in technical discussions,
examine field monitoring outcomes, and propose revisions to the
coordination framework that governs spectrum use along the
common borders of Ghana and Togo.

Microsoft Escapes EU Antitrust Penalties with Teams Unbundling Deal

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ended its and MSS rights over the AWS-4 spectrum it is selling to SpaceX
investigation into EchoStar’s use of its federal spectrum licenses for $17 billion. EchoStar noted in a filing today (9 September) the
after it agreed sales of the assets to AT&T and SpaceX. In May, deals with AT&T and SpaceX continue to remain subject to FCC
the FCC called out EchoStar’s lack of use of its AWS-4 spectrum approvals.
licenses and 5G network build out following a complaint by SpaceX.
SpaceX appeared to have an ally in FCC chair Brendan Carr, who
pressed EchoStar to part with spectrum it wasn’t using. EchoStar
stated in a filing the same month the FCC probe effectively froze
its ability to make decisions regarding the company’s Boost Mobile
business A meeting between EchoStar co-founder and chair
Charlie Ergen, Carr and US President Donald Trump proved to be a
tipping point for the satellite player selling spectrum which SpaceX
maintained was underutilized. Carr wrote in a letter to Ergen which
stated he directed FCC staff to bring the agency’s investigation to a
conclusion. He also noted EchoStar has met the agency’s network
buildout requirements, although EchoStar is now shutting down
all but the core of its open RAN-based 5G network. The FCC chair
also directed the staff to confirm EchoStar’s exclusive terrestrial

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