May 2017: Highlights and Activities

International Meetings attended by MCA representatives

14th Electronic Communications Committee Working Group Numbering and Networks Meeting 
A representative of the MCA participated in this meeting which was held between the 30th May and 1st June 2017 in Helsinki, Finland.  During this meeting, participants were provided with an overview of the work related to current and future numbering issues which was carried out during the past six months by the four project teams reporting to this working group.  A number of work item proposals, which would be the focus of these project teams during the coming months, were also discussed.  A status update was provided on the positions of various stakeholders on numbering related matters as proposed in the European Electronic Communications Code published in September 2016 due to their relevance to this working group.

IR EWG meeting
The MCA participated in the full IR EWG meeting held in Brussels, Belgium on the 24th May 2017.  The meeting was organised by the Body of the European Regulators of Electronic Communications (BEREC) which was requested by the Commission to provide input on a number of actions for the implementation of the Roaming Regulation. During the meeting, National Regulatory Authorities (NRA) were invited to exchange their experiences regarding sustainability applications received from the mobile telephony service providers for roaming services whilst roaming in EU countries. It was communicated that up to this stage, the MCA did not receive applications for the application of roaming surcharges in addition to the domestic retail prices. The Commission requested the NRA’s to send a brief feedback on the intentions of the local service providers on the implementation of the Roaming Regulation, including an update on the queries raised on the fair usage policy and information on the applications received for the sustainability. Following this, there was an open discussion on questions that were raised by the mobile telephony service providers or other queries from the NRAs on the application of fair usage policy.

Regional Seminar on Spectrum Management and Broadcasting for Europe and CIS
The MCA has attended for the seminar which addressed the topic of Spectrum Management and Transition to Digital Broadcasting as organised by the ITU.  The seminar was focused mainly on identifying issues and implementing actions to maximize the economic and social benefits of the digital dividend. Other topics included in the agenda, took into consideration the future challenges to be addressed in broadcasting and in spectrum management so as to ensure that Europe and CIS regions are equipped with relevant measures and effective tools. The following are the topics that were discussed the seminar: Future of Digital terrestrial television broadcasting, Effective use of the digital dividend,  National Regulatory and Policy Measures on spectrum  management, Economics Aspects of Spectrum Management, Spectrum monitoring, IMT 2020 (5G) and beyond, Spectrum needs and management of IoT and Preparation to WTDC 2017 and WRC 2019.

ENISA and FESA Meeting
The MCA forms part of the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) and Forum of European Supervisory Authorities for Trust Service Providers (FESA) and attended the scheduled meeting in Budapest from the 29th May to 1st June, which this time was hosted by the Nemzeti Média és Hírközlési Hatóság (NMHH). The MCA attended the ENISA meeting which was held back to back with the FESA meeting at the same location. During the ENISA meeting, the main topics of discussion centred around the eIDAS Supervisory Bodies processes to adopt to handle security issues with ENISA. ENISA also delivered a number of presentation around incidents management and guidance documents they have recently published. The FESA meeting focuses on the eIDAS regulation and a number of topics were discussed including the current state of ETSI Standardisation in relation to eIDAS. The forum also provides the MCA with a platform where cooperation mechanisms amongst member states were discussed as well as challenges being faced by member states' Supervisory Bodies. On-going issues related to the legislation's standards were also reviewed and discussed by all participants. 

Insafe Training Meeting
An MCA representative attended to this meeting, which main purpose was to facilitate experience and good-practice sharing across the network and enhance the collaborative learning community that has developed with Insafe. During the meeting, the following 3 topics were discussed; fake news, snapchat and internet of toys. Fake news is the deliberate presentation or creation of false information with the purpose of misleading. Fake news = manipulation. Snap Inc. is a camera company and has two applications, spectacles (only available in the US) and Snapchat which has over 166 million daily users. Snapchat’s philosophy is based on 4 pillars: to express yourself, live in the moment, have fun with friends and to learn about the world. We have been trying to animate toys for a long time first toys became mechanical and clockwork then toys strated to become interactive robots. A research study was carried out and was based on the christmas shopping of Australian toys. Toys are still at an early stage of being connected to the internet however GPs tracking is already being used in some toys.

Joint European Commission-CEPT Workshop on WRC-19
The European Commission  and the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) organised a joint workshop on the European preparation for the 2019 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-19) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).  The Workshop debated specific WRC-19 agenda items relating to EU policies to: assist the Commission in the preparation of EU positions for WRC-19, inform the forthcoming work of the RSPG on WRC-19, and to provide an input to CEPT in the preparation of European Common Proposals to WRC-19.

RSPG Working Group meeting on "Good offices"
A representative of the Authority participated in the meeting under reference that was held in Maisons-Alfort (France) on the 9th May 2017.  The first part of the meeting addressed issues of harmful interference being experienced by the Member States with respect to broadcasting services as well as the 800 MHz band.  The second part of the meeting, examined responses to a questionnaire concerning the use of the 700 MHz band for wireless broadband services.

BEREC/IRG Contact Network Meeting
The BEREC/IRG Contact Network meeting was held in Reykjavik, Iceland on the 11th & 12th May.  The meeting discussed the various ongoing workstreams within the Expert Working Groups and prepared the agenda for the Plenary meeting held on 01/02 June 2017.

ERGP Contact Network Meeting 
The ERGP Contact Network meeting took place in Iasi, Romania on the 4th of May.  The scope of the meeting was to discuss the various ongoing workstreams and to prepare the agenda for the Plenary meeting which will be held on 22/23 June 2017.

88th meeting of WG FM
The Electronic Communications Committee's Working Group on Frequency Management (WG FM) is responsible for developing strategies, plans and implementation advice for radio spectrum management within CEPT (European Conference for Postal and Telecommunication Administrations). The topics discussed during the meeting, were mainly related to RF services including maritime, satellite, mobile, Short Range Devices (SRDs), Internet of Things (IoT) and Drones.  The meeting also covered RF monitoring and interference matters. The participation of the MCA allowed Malta to be involved in the process leading to the adoption of European spectrum management and licensing deliverables. This will feed into the review process of legal instruments pertaining spectrum management.

Project SMART Women 
The second partner’s meeting of the SMART women project was held in Larnaca, Cyprus and hosted by Cyprus Computer Society. This focused on continuing the successful delivery of the project as per the outputs found in the grant agreement. Project partners met with the developers of the website and were shown 3 possible layouts. A decision was taken on the layout of the website and also on the logo design. The methodology was presented and the partners agreed on minor changes which shall be effected by them by June. Training curriculum topics were downsized to 5 modules and assigned to different project partners accordingly. The online learning platform was then discussed to detail and specific timeframes were discussed for completion.

BEREC’s Market and Economic Analysis (MEA) EWG Meeting
An MCA represantative attended the BEREC meeting held with the purpose of finalising BEREC’s preliminary input to the EU Commission’s consultative questionnaire concerning the forthcoming update of the SMP Guidelines. This preliminary input underlines that a review of the SMP Guidelines is necessary given that ECS markets have changed considerably since 2002, mainly on the back of market consolidation, fixed-to-mobile convergence, and changes in retail market dynamics. It is noted that market structures have changed considerably over the last few years, with several EU countries witnessing a reduction in market players and the potential emergence of tight oligopolies. Emphasis was also placed on the potential emergence of new market scenarios, such as tight oligopolies, and the inadequacy of the current SMP guidelines in addressing competition shortcomings in these new market realities. This initial input also underlines that the proof in determining a joint dominant position is very burdensome on NRAs and that the latter need more guidance on how to determine joint dominance. The final version of the ‘preliminary’ response is to be presented at the second BEREC Plenary 2017 (1st-2nd June). This preliminary input will precede a study that will be carried out by an external contractor selected via a tendering process launched by the EU Commission. The EWG will also prepare BEREC’s opinion on the draft revised SMP guidelines to be published by the EC on the second half of 2017. The MCA is contributing directly in this process, as Kevin Caruana is a drafter on this workstream.

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MCA Events

Press Launch: Crucial Crowdfunding
During a press launch held at the MCA offices on May 25th, which was also streamed live on facebook, a consortium comprising representatives from seven organisations from Malta, Ireland, Spain, Estonia, Greece, United Kingdom and Czech Republic announced the launch of the Crucial Crowdfunding portal - http://www.crucialcrowdfunding.com and the eBook, in support of innovative funding ventures. ‘Crucial Crowdfunding’ is an ERASMUS+ supported project, and is designed as an information platform for a wide stakeholder base ranging from entrepreneurs and SMEs to startups and social enterprises or even those individuals seeking investment opportunities. Furthermore, support agencies, such as Innovation Centres, cluster managers, and organizations, both public and private, looking to support business and economic development, whether its local, regional or national, will be able learn more about how to use and promote crowdfunding. This project is another step forward toward the European Commission range of facilitative actions to improve SME’s access to finance and accelerate awareness-raising on crowdfunding platforms.

 

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Media participation by MCA

Television

31.05.17              ‘Twelveto3' – TVM
                             (Number Portability -  Matthew Farrugia)  

17.03.17               ‘Twelveto3' – TVM
                             (Service Contract Signing -  Matthew Farrugia) 

15.05.17               'Life & Style' - NET
                             (Internet Overuse - Mark Spiteri) 

03.05.17               ‘Twelveto3' – TVM
                             (Electronic Communication Services -  Yanika Cassar)

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Legal Updates

Pending lawsuits:

No court sitting during this month. 

Publication of Legal Notices:

Published on the 10 May 2017

  • 139 of 2017 - Authorisation of Frequency Use (Provision of 2 GHz Mobile Satellite Services) (Amendment) Regulations, 2017: Government Gazette of Malta No. 19,775 - 10.05.2017
  • 138 of 2017 - Electronic Communications Networks and Services (General) (Amendment) Regulations, 2017: Government Gazette of Malta No. 19,775 - 10.05.2017
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International News

REGULATION

Cullen International       EU Telecoms Review: Parliament Internal Market committee proposes intra EU-calls at national rates and compensation on porting
Members of the European Parliament spoke out in favour of capping the price of intra EU international calls at national rates. The level of harmonisation on sector-specific end-user protection rules and compensation for porting emerged as the most controversial issues for the MEPs [read more – subscription required].

Telecoms.com  Europe under pressure to restrict power of mobile platforms
The ability of mobile platform owners to act as gatekeepers to the mobile consumer has been criticised by leading music streaming services in a letter to the European Commission [read more].

Telecoms.com  The floodgates open on premature 5G network announcements
AT&T’s recent 5G Evolution unveiling was almost universally derided for the piece of marketing sleight of hand it was. Meanwhile Verizon recently blogged that it couldn’t be bothered to participate in the recent US auction for 600MHz spectrum [read more].

Ars Technica      Republicans’ “Internet Freedom Act” permanently guts net neutrality authority
Nine Republican US senators have submitted legislation that would prohibit the Federal Communications Commission from ever again using the regulatory authority that allowed the commission to impose net neutrality rules [read more].

Cullen International       EU Digital Single Market strategy: further actions in autumn on data economy, cybersecurity and online platforms
The European Commission published on May 10, 2017 the mid-term review of its 2015 Digital Single Market (DSM) strategy [read more – subscription required].

EurActiv               Online platforms face EU regulation on transparency and business contracts
Internet platforms like Google, Facebook and Amazon Marketplace face regulation over their contracts with other businesses by the end of the year, under possible new EU legislation [read more].

Cullen International       Belgian regulator proposes to regulate MTRs of a number-based OTT operator (market 2/2014)
The Belgian regulator BIPT notified its draft third round analysis of wholesale mobile call termination (market 2/2014) on March 21, 2017 [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       Uber provides a transport service and not an information society service, EU Advocate General says
According to the non-binding but influential opinion of the EU Advocate General (AG), Uber does not provide an “information society service” but a “traditional transport service”. If the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) follows suit, this means that Uber will need to comply with urban transport regulation in each city where it wants to provide its services [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       Cross-border portability of online content services - European Parliament plenary approves informal agreement with Council
The European Parliament plenary has voted in favour of obliging providers of portable online content services offered against payment, such as Netflix and Sky Now TV, to offer to their subscribers who are temporarily outside their country of residence the portability of the services they are subscribing to in their country of residence [read more – subscription required].

Ofcom  ‘Text-to-switch’ plans for mobile customers
Ofcom has proposed a package of reforms to make it quicker and easier to switch from one mobile phone provider to another [read more].

European Council            Adapting to technological changes, preserving European competitiveness and fundamental values in audio-visual services
The Council reached a general approach on the proposal for a revised directive on audio-visual media services (AVMS) [read more].

Total Telecom   Telcos call on EU to hold its nerve on deregulation
Some of Europe's biggest telcos have warned the European Commission that proposed amendments to the Electronic Communications Code (ECC) and ePrivacy Regulation could put future investment at risk [read more].

Cullen International       Lithuanian NRA allows MNOs to add a retail surcharge to RLAH tariffs
On May 12, 2017 the Lithuanian regulator RRT announced the adoption of a decision allowing three mobile operators to apply the sustainability mechanism of the roam like at home (RLAH) regulation [read more – subscription required].

Ofcom  Decision to make the Wireless Telegraphy (Mobile Communication Services on Aircraft) (Exemption) Regulations 2017
This statement relates to Ofcom’s decision to make new regulations by statutory instrument that would enable airline passengers to use mobile devices (with 2G, 3G and 4G technologies) on board aircraft, if certain standards and requirements are met, without the need for a wireless telegraphy licence [read more].

Cullen International       WhatsApp fined €3m in Italy for its terms of use
The Italian competition and consumer protection authority (AGCM) fined WhatsApp €3m for forcing its users to accept new terms of use, which included the sharing of their personal data with Facebook [read more – subscription required].

SPECTRUM

Policy Tracker    Spectrum emerges as new battleground in long-running fight over powers of EU bodies
PolicyTracker attended the hearing of the European Commission's case against the Council of the European Union - held at the European Court of Justice - which concerns the extent to which the Commission can determine the EU's position ahead of World Radiocommunication Conferences (WRCs) [read more – subscription required].

Policy Tracker    Wi-Fi facing imminent spectrum crunch, claims industry group
Research carried out for the Wi-Fi Alliance claims that increasing numbers of devices and growing demand means that more spectrum will be needed for Wi-Fi by 2025 [read more – subscription required].

Policy Tracker    GSMA not in favour of “complete harmonisation” of spectrum policy in Europe
The association issued a joint statement with ETNO (European Telecommunications Network Operators' Association) which claimed legislators were abandoning the 5G vision as they review the European Commission’s proposals on a new Electronic Communications Code (ECC) [read more – subscription required].

Policy Tracker    Ofcom leaves DTT interference mitigation to UK government
The UK regulator has published a technical analysis of the interference risks to digital terrestrial television (DTT) services following their 2020 move out of the 700MHz band and into the 470-694MHz band [read more – subscription required].

Policy Tracker    EU regulators: European Commission’s proposals put member states’ spectrum autonomy at risk
BEREC, which is made up of the 28 EU member states’ electronic communications regulators, said the proposals in the Commission’s draft Electronic Communications Code (ECC) “individually might seem like sensible spectrum management tools” but when they are considered together, they make for risk-creating regulatory and legal uncertainty [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       WRC-19: European Commission’s priority is the allocation of 26GHz for mobile services
Identifying additional spectrum bands for allocation to mobile services is the priority for the European Commission for the next World Radiocommunication Conference in 2019 (WRC-19) [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       Coordinated regulatory framework needed to enable connected and automated cars
Policy makers, car and equipment manufacturers and telecoms operators met at the Connect Cars Europe event in Brussels to discuss the issues surrounding connected and automated vehicles [read more – subscription required].

Total Telecom   Telia Finland in public safety LTE trial
Telia Finland has successfully trialled the prioritisation of mission-critical communications traffic over an LTE network [read more].

Ofcom Statement on Strategic Review of UHF Band 1 and Band 2 - 410 to 470MHz
Ofcom’s document sets out the changes being made to the way spectrum in the 410MHz to 450MHz (UHF Band 1) and 450MHz to 470MHz (UHF Band 2) bands is managed to better address the requirements of current and future users [read more].

Policy Tracker    Ireland 3.6GHz auction exceeds expectations, netting €78m
The results are twenty times the price paid in a recent comparable auction: PolicyTracker understands that they outstripped Irish regulator ComReg's "optimistic" expectations. Surprisingly, the bidder who won only rural licences paid the most in proportionate terms [read more – subscription required].

POST

Office of Inspector General (United Sates Postal Service)            Mail Profitability in International Posts
Letter mail still matters. In spite of years of volume decline, mail has remained, for most international posts, a remarkably resilient and profitable line of business [read more].

Post & Parcel     Royal Mail exceeds Quality of Service targets
Royal Mail has announced that it has exceeded its regulatory Quality of Service targets for both First and Second Class mail [read more].

CEP Research     GLS expands international delivery service
Parcel service provider GLS has expanded its international FlexDeliveryService to a total of twelve countries in Central and Eastern Europe, offering more services for cross-border purchases [read more – subscription required].

INTERNET           

Out-Law.com     Openreach to gauge demand and support for 'full-fibre' broadband networks
The digital infrastructure provider, which is a division of BT that provides network connection and maintenance services to BT and many of its rivals, said it is likely to open a consultation on the case for more fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) infrastructure this summer [read more].

Advanced Television     FCC begins Title II roll back
As anticipated, the Federal Communications Commission has taken the first step toward restoring what it describes as Internet freedom and promoting infrastructure investment, innovation, and choice, by proposing to end utility-style regulation of broadband Internet access service [read more].

ECOMMERCE

European Commission  Antitrust: Commission publishes final report on e-commerce sector inquiry
The European Commission's final report on the e-commerce sector inquiry identifies business practices that may restrict competition. It allows the Commission to target its enforcement of EU antitrust rules in e-commerce markets and has already prompted companies to review their practices [read more].

CEP Research     E-commerce drives 'potential re-shuffling' of logistics landscape
Global e-commerce players such as Amazon and Alibaba pose a potential threat to traditional logistics players as they invest extensively in logistics to drive their business growth. This is one of the key findings of a report by global real estate services company, Colliers International, entitled ‘Supply Chain Disruptors: Q2 2017 EMEA’ [read more – subscription required].

Post & Parcel     E-commerce players at IPC conference see cooperation with posts as key to boosting cross-border business
CEOs and senior executives from leading postal operators from America, Asia Pacific and Europe gathered together at the International Post Corporation (IPC) Annual Conference in Amsterdam – and one of the key topics they explored was the options posts have to cost-effectively deliver lightweight, low-value packets, which account for the majority of the cross-border e-commerce market [read more].

INFORMATION SOCIETY

European Commission  New report shows digital skills are required in all types of jobs
The European Commission has just published the final report of the study "ICT for Work: Digital Skills in the Workplace" on the impact of information and communication technologies (ICT) on the transformation of jobs and skills [read more].

European Commission  Attitudes towards the impact of digitisation and automation on daily life
The European Commission has published a Eurobarometer survey presenting European citizens' opinions on the impact of digitisation and automation on daily life [read more].

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

Cullen International       Facebook receives €110m fine for providing misleading information on WhatsApp takeover
The European Commission has fined Facebook €110m for having twice provided misleading information during the merger control review of the WhatsApp takeover that was cleared in 2014 [read more – subscription required].

Out-Law.com     United Internet and Drillisch to merge German telecoms services
United Internet's 1&1 Telecommunication unit will merge with Drillisch's mobile business to create a company with 12 million customers and combined turnover of €3.2 billion in 2016, the companies said. Germany currently has three major full-service telecoms providers: Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone and Telefónica [read more].

CEP Research     More acquisitions ahead as GLS drives Royal Mail profits
GLS is poised for more acquisitions after supporting Royal Mail profits with a 17% profit rise in the year ending March 2017 [read more – subscription required].

Total Telecom   US cable, wireless mega-merger could be on the horizon
T-Mobile US finance chief Braxton Carter has pitched the idea of sequential deals with Sprint, Comcast and Charter at investor conference [read more].

Post & Parcel     Deutsche Post DHL publishes postage rate comparisons
Deutsche Post has reported that the cost of postage for standard letters in Germany remains below the European average [read more].

CEP Research     PostNL expands combined letterbox/parcel locker trials
PostNL is widening tests with combined letterboxes/parcel lockers to assess how ready Dutch consumers are to use this kind of self-service terminal [read more – subscription required].

Post & Parcel     Online shoppers alienated by poor delivery experiences
Almost four out of five (78%) of UK adults would be likely to switch to an alternative retailer when next shopping for products online if they have a poor ordering and delivery experience, according to the latest JDA/Centiro Customer Pulse Report [read more].

Post & Parcel     ComReg reports 91% next-day delivery performance by An Post during 2016
Ireland’s Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) has reported that in 2016 the national postal operator An Post delivered 91% of single piece priority mail on the next working day following the day of posting [read more].

Post & Parcel     The real “Uber for freight”
Many companies have promoted their on-demand logistics apps as the “Uber for freight” over the past couple of years – but now Uber itself has weighed into the market. On 16th May, Uber launched the definitive “Uber Freight” – an app which “matches trucking companies with loads to haul” [read more].

Total Telecom   Vodafone's converged services strategy reaches Malta
Vodafone's strategy of augmenting its mobile operations with fixed broadband and TV services reached another milestone on Wednesday, when its Maltese arm agreed to merge with local cableco Melita [read more].

TELEVISION       

Advanced Television     Amazon’s ‘live TV’ plans for Europe
Amazon has quietly been assembling live TV channels to offer as à la carte options to its Amazon Prime Video service. The service, launching in UK, Germany and Austria echoes that launched in the US in 2015 [read more].

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Disclaimer

The information contained in this newsletter is for general information purposes only and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the information contained therein. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.