International news
- Telecommunications
a) ComReg. Provision of Universal Service by eircom – ComReg publishes performance data for Q4 2012. Read more…
b) Telecoms.com. Mobile operators should not measure voice services in terms of minutes used, as it no longer reflects how we communicate... Read more…
c) BEREC: The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) initiated a public consultation running between 14th May and 3rd June 2013 on the draft BEREC Guidelines in relation to the regulated retail roaming services under Article 4 and 5 of the Roaming Regulation … See. http://berec.europa.eu/eng/news_consultations/ongoing_public_consultations/1464-berec-guidelines-on-roaming-regulation-articles-4-and-5-on-separate-sale-of-roaming-services
- Spectrum
a) PolicyTracker. Politicians should be taking a long-term view rather than thinking that spectrum auctions can replace state-owned telcos as a cash lifeline. Read more…
b) Telecoms.com. Korean manufacturer Samsung said that it has made headway in developing core technology for 5G networks with a view to bringing data services to market by 2020, according to local reports. Read more…
c) European Commission. The European Commission outlined how Member States will help identify the real use of radio spectrum. The aim of the spectrum inventory is to identify frequency bands in which efficiency could be improved to cater for spectrum demands. Read more…
- TV & Radio Broadcasting
a) Advanced Television. Recent findings from Juniper Research suggest that by 2017, 2 billion mobile and tablet users will watch TV and video on their devices. Read more…
- Broadband
a) Cullen International. The European Commission has asked member states to give their comments by the end of May on a revised draft of the recommendation on non-discrimination and costing methodologies for wholesale network access. Read more… (subscription is required)
- Internet
a) Council of the European Union. The Council adopted a regulation setting out a new mandate for the European Union Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA), following an agreement reached with the European Parliament at first reading. Read more...
International Meetings
1. COCOM: A meeting of the European Commission’s Communications Committee (COCOM) was held on the 7th of May during which the Committee discussed the Commission’s draft recommendation on the costing methodologies and non-discrimination obligations. This recommendation seeks to set guidelines on the consistent application of the non-discrimination and costing methodologies to promote competition and enhance the broadband investment environment in Europe. This meeting was attended by our Chief of Policy and Planning and Manager Economic and Financial Analysis.
2. Contact Network: Our Manager External Relations attended the BEREC Contact Network meeting which is held prior, and in preparation, to the meeting of the Heads of the European national regulatory authorities. During this meeting the status of this year's work programme a number of issues related to the implementation of the EU electronic communications framework have been discussed, in particular the Commission's proposed Recommendastion on non-discrimination and cost methodologies.
3. RSPG Working Group on Cross Border Coordination: Our Chief Technology Officer and Manager- Spectrum Management participated in this working group which was held on 15 May in Paris. The meeting focused on the harmful interference problems caused by Italy to Malta’s terrestrial broadcasting sector. The remedies identified by Italy to solve some of these problems were discussed and additional actions towards the resolution of the other problems were identified.
4. ERGP Working Group: The ERGP work stream for 2013 is intended to help NRAs better understand their role in assessing the impacts of end-to-end competition and access regulation on the postal universal service and to describe and evaluate the regulatory approaches and practices in relation to end-to-end and access competition given the need for NRAs to ensure the efficient provision of the postal universal service. The programme for 2013 aims to identify the developments of end-to-end and access competition within EU Member State and to describe existing NRA practices.
The second meeting of the ERGP end-to-end competition and access regulation sub group was held on Tuesday 7th May at BNetzA offices in Bonn. During this meeting, members discussed the status update of the project document and agreed on the final structure of the report. It was also agreed that each country member will prepare a very short report on the level of competition in the postal sector within that country. It was agreed that the final report, together with each country’s case study, will presented to the Contact Network in October. This meeting was attended by our Market Analyst.
- Other Meetings: We also participated in a meeting on the revised draft Radio Spectrum Policy Group report on Wireless Broadband held in London and a meeting with the Commission on ERDF Funds held in Brussels.
Publications
- Advert in the Government Gazette re WebCheck scheme: The Authority published a call for applications by interested parties in the tourism sector to participate in the WebCheck Scheme. The WebCheck Scheme is aimed at assisting hotel and guesthouse operators to improve their web presence. An e-Business specialist will be reviewing interested organisations’ websites and web strategies and providing independent expert advice, tailor made specifically for each establishment. The experts are qualified and experienced practitioners in the business and ICT fields and their role will be to analyse the current web setup, to gauge its suitability for the hotel or guesthouse and identify its strengths and weaknesses in order to develop a recommended way forward for participating organisations. Participants will be selected on a first come, first served basis. Applications will be received until the 31st of May 2013. For more information or to apply visit www.mca.org.mt/general/webcheck
Legal Update
- The lawsuit filed before the Civil Court by the Local Council of Lija and various residents against Melita and MCA was adjourned by the Court to enable plaintiffs and Melita to discuss a possible amicable solution to the issue. The case relates to the request for the removal of antenna on the basis that this may cause harm to the health of people living nearby.
- The first sitting before the Administrative Review Tribunal in relation to an appeal by GO plc contesting regulatory decision issued by MCA relating to obligations onerous on GO in relation to markets 4 and 5. Sittings have been scheduled so that GO presents its evidence before the Tribunal.