Page 132 - SAMENA Trends - June-July 2025

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

GSMA Calls for Governments to Cut Spectrum Prices

The GSMA has urged governments operator revenues over the past decade, of data has plummeted by 96% between
worldwide to reduce spectrum prices, limiting the ability of mobile network 2014 and 2024. GSMA Director General
warning that high fees are choking the operators to invest in critical infrastructure. Vivek Badrinath said: “The mobile industry
telecoms industry and threatening long- While consumer prices have declined, sits at the heart of the digital economy,
term economic development. In a new the overall financial burden on operators enabling services and opportunities that
report, the industry body revealed that has sharply increased. According to the transform lives. But a dollar can only be
spectrum prices have not fallen in line with GSMA, cumulative global spectrum costs spent once, and high spectrum costs can
now account for 7% of operator revenues choke investment at a time when the need
- a 63% rise over the last ten years. At the for affordable, reliable connectivity has
same time, average revenue per megahertz never been greater. “Governments and
has dropped by up to 75% in some bands regulators must prioritise spectrum pricing
since 2014. To meet rising demand for that reflects market realities and fosters
bandwidth, operators have expanded their long-term digital growth. By ensuring
spectrum holdings by 80% over the same spectrum is affordable, they can unlock
period, further driving up total costs. faster network expansion, better service
Consumers, meanwhile, have benefited quality, and greater digital inclusion for all
from a significant drop in data prices. The of their citizens.”
GSMA noted that the cost of a gigabyte (GB)

T-Mobile, UScellular Deal Cleared After DEI Pullback

The US Department of Justice’s antitrust
division cleared T-Mobile US’ $4.4 billion
acquisition of UScellular, a decision
coming a day after the purchaser ended
its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)
practices. Antitrust enforcers stated
that after a thorough investigation it had
decided to close its investigation into the
deal, first agreed in May 2024, for T-Mobile
to acquire most of UScellular’s wireless
assets including customers, stores and
30 per cent of its spectrum. Head of the
division and assistant attorney general,
Gail Slater, explained its probe did raise
concerns about competition in the relevant
markets for mobile services and the
availability of spectrum but concluded that
the potential harm and offsetting benefits
“do not warrant an enforcement action”. it clear “that we stand at a pivotal moment policies. The company is also seeking to
She added that it became clear consumers for the wireless industry”, with the nation’s win approval to buy a 50 per cent stake
would benefit from a stronger T-Mobile. big three operators accounting for more in fibre provider Metronet through a joint
“UScellular simply could not keep up with than 90 per cent of the roughly 335 million venture with KKR. Rival Verizon also ended
the escalating cost of capital investments mobile subscriptions. The greenlight its DEI programmes in May and secured
in technology required to compete comes after T-Mobile announced it had approval for a $20 billion deal to buy
vigorously in the relevant market.” More ended its DEI practices, a move to better Frontier Communications shortly after.
broadly, Slater said the investigation made align with President Donald Trump’s

132 JUNE-JULY 2025