Volume 08, August, 2017 A SAMENA Telecommunications Council Newsletter www.samenacouncil.org SAMENA TRENDS EXCLUSIVELY FOR SAMENA TELECOMMUNICATIONS COUNCIL'S MEMBERS BUILDING DIGITAL ECONOMIES The Importance of Spectrum Planning 66 LTE and Fraud Emerge as Important Trends to Watch in MEA 46 Exclusive Interview Marwan Hayek CEO and Chairman Alfa Telecom THIS MONTH IMPROVING SPECTRUM MANAGEMENT PLANNING BETTER SOONER Accelerating ICT innovation to improve lives faster The global event for tech SMEs, corporates and governments 25-28 September 2017, Busan, Republic of Korea ITU Telecom World 2017 is the global platform to accelerate ICT innovations for social and economic development. It’s where policy makers and regulators meet industry experts, investors, SMEs, entrepreneurs and innovators to exhibit solutions, share knowledge and speed change. Our aim is to help ideas go further, faster to make the world better, sooner. Visit telecomworld.itu.int to find out more. #ituworld telecomworld.itu.int VOLUME 08, AUGUST, 2017 Contributing Editors Subscriptions Izhar Ahmad [email protected] Javaid Akhtar Malik Advertising [email protected] SAMENA Contributing Members Alfa Telecom Legal Issues or Concerns TRENDS A. T. Kearney [email protected] Huawei Editor-in-Chief Mobily SAMENA TRENDS Bocar A. BA Nokia [email protected] Syniverse Tel: +971.4.364.2700 Publisher SAMENA Telecommunications Council CONTENTS 04 EDITORIAL 18 REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES Members News Regional News 48 SATELLITE UPDATES Satellite News 06 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW 62 WHOLESALE UPDATES The SAMENA TRENDS newsletter is Wholesale News Marwan Hayek wholly owned and operated by The CEO and Chairman SAMENA Telecommunications Council 68 TECHNOLOGY UPDATES Alfa Telecom (SAMENA Council). Information in the Technology News newsletter is not intended as professional services advice, and SAMENA Council disclaims any liability for use of specific 78 REGULATORY & POLICY information or results thereof. Articles UPDATES and information contained in this Regulatory News publication are the copyright of SAMENA Telecommunications Council, (unless otherwise noted, described or stated) and A Snapshot of Regulatory cannot be reproduced, copied or printed Activities in the SAMENA in any form without the express written Region permission of the publisher. The SAMENA Council does not necessari- Regulatory Activities Beyond ly endorse, support, sanction, encourage, the SAMENA Region 10 REPORT verify or agree with the content, com- ments, opinions or statements made in The Future of Telecom The SAMENA TRENDS by any entity or Operators in the SAMENA entities. Information, products and ser- Region vices offered, sold or placed in the news- ARTICLES letter by other than The SAMENA Council belong to the respective entity or entities 34 Video Cloud: Protecting and 60 Nokia’s 5G FIRST Solution and are not representative of The SAME- Serving Cities NA Council. The SAMENA Council hereby expressly disclaims any and all warranties, expressed and implied, including but not 46 LTE and Fraud Emerge as 66 The Importance of Spectrum limited to any warranties of accuracy, re- Important Trends to Watch Planning liability, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose by any entity or en- in MEA tities offering information, products and services in this newsletter. The user agrees that The SAMENA Council is not responsi- ble, and shall have no liability to such user, with respect to any information, product or service offered by any entity or entities in this newsletter. The SAMENA Coun- cil’s only liability in the event of errors shall be the correction or removal of the erroneous information after verification. CONTENTS© 2017 - All rights reserved. SAMENA TRENDS is a trademark of SAMENA Telecommunications Council. EDITORIAL SAMENA TRENDS Improving Spectrum Management Planning There is consensus that legal and policy high speed, pervasive, intelligent and frameworks for spectrum management have trusted high speed ICT infrastructure that not kept pace with the changes in digital complies with changing technologies and technologies, the spectrum needs of those the evolving smart environment. Fair and technologies, and the evolving behaviors efficient management of scarce resources of the digital users. Under the existing and guaranteeing their availability, such as frameworks, governments generally review of spectrum, is critical to fulfilling national every change in spectrum use. This process ICT policy objectives and for creating is slow, inflexible, and can discourage the an environment conducive to business, introduction of new technologies, or hinder investment, innovation, and sustainability prompt availability of new technologies. It is in a liberalized, technology neutral, and this process that demands our attention, and competitive digital communications industry. which needs to be improved in view of new Bocar A. BA needs of the digital communications industry The demand for more spectrum is essentially Chief Executive Officer as well as of the evolving digital society. driven by the rise and usage of associated SAMENA Telecommunications digital services, new technological Council Each country in the developments that are simply founded on SAMENA region wishes to more spectrum, and evolving national as with a futuristic mindset, well as regional (and international) goals spectrum fees must come down. transform into a modern, and decisions. Developments in adjacent This can be achieved either prosperous, and self- sectors, cross-sector collaboration, and through improved spectrum reliant country, and thus expansion of spectrum requirements beyond auction mechanisms or through digital communications are other factors prompt spectrum re-farming, has defined (or is defining) in the rising demand for more spectrum for example. Going forward, a national ICT visions, which resources. As efforts are exerted to meeting long-term and flexible spectrum seek to progress efforts this demand for more spectrum, the key management approach is challenge boils down to balancing rising essential. in addressing issues and spectrum requirements of technologies challenges that have and legitimate interests of the digital users, As applies to other areas of historically constrained preventing interference, achieving efficiency regulation, spectrum policies and in use, and ensuring that spectrum is priced regulation needs to be drafted socio-economics and fairly. The latter factor is especially important in collaboration with the private national development. as cost reductions, among other factors, sector. Such collaboration can are important to the growth of the digital also prove to be beneficial in One common thing in national contexts economy and any one factor, if not kept improving the aforementioned that has strong bearing on spectrum in mind, will pose hindrance to the timely slow review processes that management and allocation is national availability of digital infrastructure and thus governments take on. digital transformation. Each country in the to the timely realization of a prospering SAMENA region wishes to transform into a digital economy. The collective goal for the public modern, prosperous, and self-reliant country, and the private sectors is to and thus has defined (or is defining) national As enablers of the digital economy, operators create and enable a sustainable ICT visions, which seek to progress efforts in often feel that most spectrum auctions digital society. Therefore, it is addressing issues and challenges that have currently are designed to maximize short- important that all regulatory historically constrained socio-economics term revenues for governments and do not frameworks, including those and national development. necessarily evaluate long-term benefits for guaranteeing fair availability of the digital economy. Furthermore, restrictions spectrum resources, ensure an It has already been proven that availability on spectrum use prevent and hinder the even and level-playing field for of digital infrastructure, of which spectrum optimal use of spectrum resources (e.g., all digital communication service availability is an essential and non- spectrum sharing, spectrum trading). To providers. The 5G environment negotiable part, is among the fundamentals demonstrate that, in fact, governments are is upon us and we need to be for development. Therefore, each country evaluating long-term benefits directly driven promptly prepared for it with all aims to continuously build robust ultra- from the availability and use of spectrum essential tools and means. 4 AUGUST 2017 4G+ Silvio Chiha A4.indd 1 6/15/17 11:06 AM EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW SAMENA TRENDS Marwan Hayek CEO and Chairman Alfa Telecom 6 AUGUST 2017 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW SAMENA TRENDS Q. What is the state of broadband and In our labs, we have tested many a big increase in the number of data digitization in Lebanon, and how is Alfa solutions for public and private sectors, subscribers which have grown from driving digital growth in the country? and we are also designing strategies almost 0% in 2010 to more than 75% of Furthermore, what trends in digital for these solutions since introducing our total 2 million subscribers today. This adoption do you continue to lead in the such technologies is challenging in is a proof of our success especially when Lebanese market? the Lebanese market. In 2017, the it comes to digitization. Lebanese government discussed, in A. Lebanon’s ICT sector is growing at a many occasions,