Volume 11, January, 2020 A SAMENA Telecommunications Council Publication www.samenacouncil.org S AMENA TRENDS FOR SAMENA TELECOMMUNICATIONS COUNCIL'S MEMBERS BUILDING DIGITAL ECONOMIES Featured Shaikh Nasser bin Mohamed Al Khalifa Acting General Director TRA - Bahrain THIS MONTH CONNECTIVITY FOR EVERYONE: NEW FUNDING AND FINANCING APPROACHES Manage Your Fleet With Confidence With Fleet Management service, monitor your business anytime anywhere For more information, visit: Mobily.com.sa/Business or contact: 901 VOLUME 11, JANUARY, 2020 Contributing Editors Knowledge Contributions Subscriptions Izhar Ahmad Arthur D. Little [email protected] SAMENA Javaid Akhtar Malik DT One Huawei Advertising TRENDS SAMENA Council [email protected] Tech Mahindra Editor-in-Chief TRA - Bahrain SAMENA TRENDS Bocar A. BA [email protected] Publisher Tel: +971.4.364.2700 SAMENA Telecommunications Council CONTENTS 04 EDITORIAL FEATURED 19 REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES Members News Regional News 64 SATELLITE UPDATES Satellite News 74 WHOLESALE UPDATES Wholesale News 79 TECHNOLOGY UPDATES 10 Shaikh Nasser bin Technology News Mohamed Al Khalifa The SAMENA TRENDS eMagazine is wholly Acting General Director owned and operated by The SAMENA 85 REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES TRA - Bahrain Telecommunications Council (SAMENA Regulatory News Council). Information in the eMagazine is not intended as professional services advice, A Snapshot of Regulatory SAMENA COUNCIL ACTIVITY and SAMENA Council disclaims any liability Activities in the SAMENA Region for use of specific information or results thereof. 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The user agrees that The Approaches Fortify Its Global Presence as SAMENA Council is not responsible, and shall 82 have no liability to such user, with respect to Unlocking New Revenue an Innovative Connectivity any information, product or service offered by Potential and Reducing Churn for and VAS Provider... any entity or entities in this eMagazine. The Telecom Operators... SAMENA Council’s only liability in the event of errors shall be the correction or removal of the erroneous information after verification. CONTENTS© 2020 - All rights reserved. SAMENA TRENDS is a trademark of SAMENA Telecommunications Council. EDITORIAL SAMENA TRENDS Connectivity for Everyone: New Funding and Financing Approaches For Telecom Operators, current times point to be overcome. Nonetheless, for the purpose to a certain level of uncertainty, rife with of drawing attention to the intended core issue disruptions, requirement of re-thinking here, it is the need for accelerated investment business models, and re-defining the that demands the limelight. operators’ multi-dimensional role in the digital space. While on one hand, digitization has been There are clear gaps that need to be filled reshaping the industry landscape in multiple when it comes to providing connectivity ways, with the telecoms sector expected to with affordability and at reasonable internet experience tremendous digital disruptions in speeds. In order to fill the connectivity gap, times to come; one the other hand, we still hear most definitely, gaps in funding and financing of connectivity not being present everywhere, communication infrastructure development leaving billions still without broadband first need to be filled. Traditional business connectivity and not being able to benefit models for providing telecoms services have Bocar A. BA from the trillions of dollars operators have come and can go only so far; connecting the Chief Executive Officer & already invested in developing infrastructure next billion will be substantially more difficult Board Member and bringing technology coverage. Combined than it was early on when the telecom/ SAMENA Telecommunications this bitter reality with the telecom business’s ICT landscape was comparatively simpler. Council overall slow growth -- greatly reduced EBITDA Traditionally, service provisioning has been and cash flow margins, considerable shift in driven by revenue and quick return-on- competition dynamics in the communications investment approaches, due to which it has market, and data having become central to not been practical and financially viable for practices in service provisioning the core operations with its own share of operators to reach into far-flung areas. Even that have, in some ways, also opportunities as well as challenges -- and we where USF models (which require the private hindered connectivity availability have a major concern to address as Industry. sector to contribute) have been implemented --due to either cost factors to bring connectivity to hard to reach areas, involved or due to insufficient Rebuilding market position in the age of these have not been issue-free, both in terms customer awareness, or even digitization and 5G is crucial for business of transparency and efficient utilization. due to lack of initiatives by the sustainability and for fostering innovation, Governments, by themselves, lack revenues, Industry that create relevance and thus all efforts should be exerted toward models, expertise or even structures to among potential end-users in the capturing the full digital potential, including for substantially fund development of networks use of broadband. enhancing profit margins. At the same time, that are required to connect everyone. Even however, realization demands that we do keep international financial bodies known for Surely, there is a need to rethink in mind that in most of the SA-ME-NA region funding development projects are also unable current business, financing, and and in other parts of the developing world, to fund every major ICT project across every investment models. In doing many hard to reach areas where broadband needy areas. The result is a gross insufficiency so, the focus should not only connectivity has yet not arrived, do remain an of funding. be on making infrastructure untapped profit-margin area for the discerning available but also on addressing investor. This is despite the costs involved to So as the once not-so-visible issue has finally gaps in the meaningful use of get there. sprung to surface and the Industry, including connectivity provided. premier global ICT development agencies, The primary issue in the still-persisting recognize financial and funding gaps as being As Industry, we have a daunting connectivity gap is that not only are there still a serious concern -- which must be addressed task ahead of us. And SAMENA one billion people still not covered by mobile both in terms of infrastructure availability Council looks forward to broadband networks, but also that a hefty 2.7 and catalyzing meaningful connectivity for assisting in fulfilling this task billion potential users, who do have technology the purpose of including everyone into the with all its resourcefulness and coverage, are unable or unwilling to use it. The growth of the digital economy -- it has become commitment to facilitating the latter in itself is a major issue of perception pertinent that we also look at the current Industry and its leaders. and “technology relevance”, which also needs business models and certain network operator 4 JANUARY 2020 6797_Et_Business First_SAMENA TRENDS_A4.indd 1 1/22/20 12:30 PM SAMENA TRENDS Positioning the Kingdom of Bahrain Among the Leading Digital Economies TRA-Bahrain Continues To Deliver On National Expectations TRA believes in creating value; positioning tele-communications as a pillar of social and commercial growth for the Kingdom of Bahrain. Since 2002, more than 2,600 jobs were created – a 50% increase – and the industry has accounted to 4% of the GDP. Leveraging the best available technology and regulation to create the industry has accounted to 4% of the GDP. Earlier, following a competitive and innovative telecom and ICT sector remains a negotiations with GCC nations, TRA introduced a cap on mobile core mission of the Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRA) of the roaming charges. Furthermore, it has insured that the regulatory Kingdom of Bahrain. It is this mission that has helped position environment stimulates