Page 86 - SAMENA Trends - May 2025

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

REGULATORY ACTIVITIES BEYOND

THE SA-ME-NA REGION

The telecoms Regulator has laid out its views on options market and the services that it delivers for consumers
for the future use of spectrum licences, expressing for the next 20 years. “The considerations are complex,
favour in extending most licences due to expire between but the long-term public interest guides our thinking.
2028 and 2032.The Regulator outlined that most of the That means keeping in focus every Australian who uses
Australia licences for wide-area wireless broadband should be a mobile phone, catches a train, or relies on free-to-air
renewed as they “will continue to promote the long- news, including for information on natural disasters
term public interest”. The regulator is, however, looking such as the recent Cyclone Alfred.” In addition to
into 2.3 GHz licenses for private networks in remote looking into specific use cases like private networks,
areas and what it described as “inefficiencies” with the regulator is exploring the idea of offering licences
the 3.4 GHz band, used for network capacity and fixed for smaller players, in particular, operators “interested
wireless. Adam Suckling, deputy chair of the ACMA, in providing localised wide area wireless broadband
said: “Decisions affecting licences held by the mobile services”.
operators will shape the Australian telecommunications (April 2, 2025) www.capacitymedia.com

The Belarusian government has announced plans to roll Under the decree, Belarus will develop its 5G network
out a single 5G network, following a similar approach using a single infrastructure operator model. It also
taken by the Malaysian government. According to plans to enhance existing 4G services and expand
national news agency BelTA, President Aleksandr coverage. This approach is not entirely new for the
Belarus Lukashenko has signed a decree aimed at developing country. Mobile operators A1, MTS and Life currently
provide 4G services through wholesale agreements
modern telecoms infrastructure, laying the foundation
for the eventual launch of 5G services. The government with state-owned operator beCloud. The deployment
said the initiative forms part of a wider effort to harness of 5G is expected to improve both the availability and
new technologies to improve the functioning of the quality of mobile services nationwide.
state, benefit citizens, and support the business sector. (April 7, 2025) www.developingtelecoms.com

The National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) has satellites and authorized frequency bands, as well as
approved changes to Starlink’s license, allowing it to update the associated networks, this case has made
launch 7,500 more satellites. The decision significantly clear to me the limitations of the current regulations to
broadens Starlink’s footprint in Brazil, building on its offer adequate responses to the complex issues that
Brazil existing license granted in 2022, which covered 4,408 emerge in this scenario,” he added. Starlink’s operations
satellites. Starlink currently operates around 6,750 low
in Brazil have become entangled with Elon Musk’s
Earth orbit satellites, which provide global coverage broader business interests, particularly his ownership
of satellite internet services. Following this latest of X (formerly Twitter). In August 2024, Brazil’s Supreme
approval, the company is now authorized operate up Court ordered the suspension of X after the platform
to 7,500 additional satellites to provide services across refused to comply with legal demands to take down
the country. While the council unanimously approved accounts accused of spreading misinformation and
the expansion, Anatel issued a regulatory alert failed to appoint a local legal representative. Although
highlighting the need to modernize Brazil’s telecoms Starlink and X are legally separate, authorities treated
framework. According to councilor Alexandre Freire, them as part of the same economic group, freezing
the “purpose is to preserve the coherence, predictability Starlink’s assets to force compliance. While Starlink
and legitimacy of administrative deliberations, while ultimately agreed to block access to X, allowing it to
ensuring transparency in dialogue with the regulated maintain its service in Brazil, the episode highlights the
sector and society in general”. “Although we have fragile and politically sensitive relationship between
unanimously granted the request to change Starlink’s Musk’s companies and Brazilian institutions.
satellite exploration right to expand the number of (April 9, 2025) www.totaltele.com

86 MAY 2025