Page 89 - SAMENA Trends - May 2025

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

The Indian government will increase its stake in tab and Aditya Birla Group's Idea Cellular in 2018 - said
Vodafone Idea, opens new tab to approximately its initial investors will continue to have operational
48.99% by converting 369.5 billion rupees ($4.3 billion) control despite the increased government stake. The
in outstanding spectrum auction dues into equity, move aligns with the government's September 2021
India a regulatory filing from the company showed. The relief package announced for the telecom sector. In
December, the company announced a plan to raise up
Ministry of Communications has directed Vodafone
Idea to issue 36.95 billion shares at 10 rupees each, the to 19.80 billion rupees through the issue of preferential
filing said, boosting the government's stake from 22.6%. shares. As of September 2024, the debt-saddled firm's
The government is already the largest shareholder total debt pile stood at 2.16 trillion rupees, including
in the telecom company, according to LSEG data. deferred spectrum payment obligations it owes to the
Vodafone Idea - formed by a merger between the Indian government.
arm of the UK's Vodafone Group (VOD.L), opens new (April 1, 2025) www.reuters.com

Singapore-based mobile network provider Smartcom Corps and Kereta Api Indonesia. The systems rely on 4G
has begun operations in Indonesia, focusing on to 5G networks, with support from Indonesian telecom
logistics, oil and gas, and public safety sectors. provider Telkomsel to ensure priority bandwidth during
The company provides push-to-talk communication peak traffic. This collaboration aims to maintain
Indonesia solutions and devices with features such as barcode connectivity for sensitive communications in high-risk
scanners and GPS tracking. The technology integrates environments. Smartcom’s devices, are now available in
ATEX-certified hardware with TASSTA communication Indonesia through local partners in Java, Sumatra, and
apps, working on LTE or Wi-Fi networks. Smartcom’s Kalimantan.
solutions are already used by the National Traffic Police (April 30, 2025) www.techinasia.com

Italy is pressing ahead with a plan to set up its own 2031. Italy's space agency presented the government
low-orbit satellite constellation, a source close to the with a preliminary feasibility study for the project in
matter told Reuters. The dual use constellation - for early March, well ahead of the summer deadline it had
civil and military uses - will be made up of over 100 initially set. It is now moving forward with a so-called
Italy satellites, which will be interoperable with all other phase 2, entailing talks with companies including state-
existing constellations, the source said. "The idea is controlled defence and aerospace group Leonardo
for the constellation to work together with others, not (LDOF.MI), opens new tab, which will be involved in
necessarily on its own," the person said, adding that manufacturing and setting up the constellation.
the constellation isn't likely to be ready earlier than (March 31, 2025) www.reuters.com

Kazakhstan has surpassed 3,000 installed 5G centers. Meirmanov noted rapid growth in 5G usage,
base stations nationwide, Kazinform reported with traffic increasing by up to 40% in some cities in the
recently, citing Kazakhtelecom, the country’s largest first quarter of 2025. In Almaty and Astana, 30-50% of
telecommunications company. Chief Innovation Officer mobile traffic is already being served via the 5G network.
Kyrgyzstan at Kazakhtelecom Nurlan Meirmanov stated that the Each operator now has access to a band of 100 MHz,
rollout is part of a consortium project with Mobile
which is a significantly larger resource compared to the
Telecom-Service, a joint company of Tele2 and ALTEL 20 MHz available for 4G. Kazakhtelecom plans to install
brands, and progress is ahead of schedule. The first over 50 new 5G stations in 2025, and more than half of
stage of license obligations is expected to be completed them are already operational.
by 2027, so that 5G will be available in all regional (April 21, 2025) www.astanatimes.com

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said he often
Commission (MCMC) has reportedly directed all telcos receives complaints about Internet access in many
in the country to proactively resolve internet access areas, particularly in Ayer Kuning. Fahmi had told service
issues on a monthly, state-by-state basis rather than providers to come up with a solution by Sunday or face
Malaysia wait for customers to complain before taking action. strict disciplinary action. Fahmi said the problem is that
According to the Bernama news agency, Malaysia’s
telcos only act on receiving complaints. Under the new
89 MAY 2025