Technologies and how platforms and content are converging in this region has been frequently written about in InterMedia with much discussion around the wider implications for economies and cultures.
The Queen has opened the second session of the UK parliament, revealing that the Tory government plans to legislate on the digital economy, which will include measures to give every British household access to high-speed broadband, reports Ars Technica.
Manuel Kohnstamm, Senior Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Liberty Global
The European Commission has opened a consultation on a coordinated introduction of 5G networks in Europe.
A joint paper by the French Competition Authority (Autorité de la concurrence) and the German Competition Authority (Bundeskartellamt) on data and competition, provides background on the approach to data likely to be taken by two of the most active competition authorities in the EU, a blog at Bird & Bird notes.
A deal to make public sector websites more accessible – particularly to those with disabilities – has been agreed by the three European Union institutions, notes Ars Technica.
There are a number of developments underway in Bahrain which will improve both services and infrastructure, notes BuddeComm.
The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) has published draft guidelines on the implementation by regulators of new EU net neutrality rules and is seeking the views of stakeholders, with the consultation closing on 18 July.
Brazil's National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) has approved a regulation to ensure access to telecoms services and equipment for people with hearing, visual, motor and cognitive disabilities on an equal basis with others, both in urban and rural areas, notes Telecom Paper.
Anatel, Brazil's national telecoms Agency (Anatel) has approved an investment program and corrective measures proposed by operator Oi and worth an estimated BRL3.2 billion, notes Telecom Paper.
Navdeep Bains, Canada's minister of innovation, science and economic development, has upheld the decision by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to extend wholesale broadband regulation to fibre to the home.
China's Ministry of Industry and Information (MIIT) has granted a telecoms licence to China Broadcasting Network (CBN), creating a fourth player, but the move is unlikely to speed up broadcasting-telecoms network convergence in the country, reports Mobile World Live.
The IIC’s TMF in South Africa proved to be a thorough examination of all the supply and demand side issues testing regulators on the continent
April 2016, Volume 44 Issue 01
H Sama Nwana makes a passionate case for promoting TMT and not just telecoms in Africa – a case that could benefit all developing nations.
June 2015, Volume 43 Issue 02
As the OECD prepares for a ministerial meeting on the digital economy, Jørgen Abild Andersen argues that the highest level of coordination among many government departments is needed to deliver its aims
April 2016, Volume 44 Issue 01
Universal access and service programmes are vital to extending broadband to all parts of a country. Antonio GarcIa Zaballos discusses the findings of a comparative report.
June 2015, Volume 43 Issue 02
As regulators start to fundamentally review their remits, Chris Chapman, the incoming president of the IIC and chair of Australia’s ACMA, details the extent of digital disruption and possible regulatory response, in this two-part article.
January 2016, Volume 43 Issue 04
Are regulations being applied to cloud computing in a way that stimulates innovation, asks Kuan Hon.
January 2016, Volume 43 Issue 04
The modern sharing economy is small but growing - and enabled by the internet. John Ure discusses its possible impact and where regulation may be heading, with particular reference to Asia.
March 2015, Volume 43 Issue 01
Digital transformation poses great challenges for developing inclusive, affordable services for all Africans - with regulators now under considerable pressure, reports RUSSELL SOUTHWOOD.
July 2017, Volume 45 Issue 2
The IIC’s first TMF of 2017 was held in Doha, with OTT and IoT issues to the fore, as CRISTINA MURRONI reports.
July 2017, Volume 45 Issue 2
How can ICT best be deployed to advance the new Sustainable Development Goals? M-H Carolyn Nguyen and Paul Mitchell review the history and current position.
January 2016, Volume 43 Issue 04
Pai was appointed as a commissioner by Barack Obama in 2012. Among his views: “Given how rapidly the communications sector is changing, the FCC should do everything it can to ensure that its rules reflect the realities of the current marketplace and basic principles of economics.”
April 2017, Volume 45 Issue 1
We got there in the end: The European Commission makes a big point about ‘roam like at home’, the end of mobile roaming charges in the European Union on 15 June, a ban that has taken ten years to negotiate.
July 2017, Volume 45 Issue 2
Matt Hatton reviews the main regulatory trends in the world of M2M and the internet of things.
March 2015, Volume 43 Issue 01
Richard Womersley sets the scene for the upcoming world radio conference, where the agenda for mobile spectrum is likely to dominate proceedings.
September 2015, Volume 43 Issue 03
The pressure on terrestrial broadcasters to give spectrum to the mobile sector shows no sign of letting up. Roland Beutler, at Germany's Südwestrundfunk, a regional public broadcaster, puts his side of the debate.
September 2015, Volume 43 Issue 03
The hype about the next generation of mobile technology is likely to gather pace in the next few years, but currently there is a lot of scepticism about whether it qualifies as an integrated, great leap in progress, as Marc Beishon finds in this round-up
July 2016, Volume 44 Issue 02
Bahrain’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has issued a resolution on a regulation on critical telecoms infrastructure risk management.
The Somali cabinet has unanimously passed the draft National Communications Act, which aims to establish the legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks for the country’s thriving telecoms sector, notes TeleGeography.
About 20 million households and businesses in Africa will have wired internet connections by 2022, compared with 11 million in 2016, predicts TMT market research firm Dataxis. “Nonetheless, although wired broadband is on the rise with the progressive introduction of fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) in most developed countries,...
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) is to conduct an inquiry to determine the priority markets in the electronic communications sector.
The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) has said the telecoms sector is now a critical element in the country’s economy, as it revealed strong figures relating to mobile payments for goods and services, notes Mobile World Live.
Mozambique’s communications regulator, Instituto Nacional das Comunicações de Moçambique (INCM), has installed its radio spectrum management and monitoring system (SIGMER) in a fourth province, almost a year after it announced plans for a nationwide rollout of the system, reports IT Web Africa.
Kenya’s high court has struck down legal amendments that critics said curbed the telecoms regulator’s ability to manage competition in the sector, reports Reuters.
Tunisia’s National Telecommunications Authority has issued a ruling setting quality of service (QoS) requirements for the nation’s wireless providers, noted Telegeography.
Sudanese people transferring money via telephone could be money laundering in support of terrorism, so the practice has to be restricted and regulated, Middle Easy Monitor reports a bank’s executive as saying...
Universal service and access funds (USAFs) can help close the digital divide, and the growing digital gender gap, by supporting public access initiatives, device subsidies, and digital skills training for women and other marginalised populations, notes the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI).
In less than eight years, there has been extraordinary progress in bringing the majority of Tanzanians into the mobile money revolution, mostly by adopting an efficient, low-cost mobile money transfer system.
Nigeria has declared 2017 as the “year of the telecoms consumer”, making the announcement recently on World Consumer Rights Day.
The Internet Service Providers’ Association (Ispa), a body that represents many of South Africa’s ISPs, has accused communications regulator Icasa of ignoring a policy directive from telecommunications and postal services minister Siyabonga Cwele over competition in broadband, reports TechCentral.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has hired consultants PwC to carry out an impact assessment on the interconnect regime, reports Biztech Africa. The NCC’s chair, Umar Danbatta, speaking at a stakeholder forum, said the review had become necessary in view of the changes in the sector.
South Africa’s Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services believes it has won widespread support from ICT sector for its wholesale open-access network proposal for radio spectrum and that the emphasis has shifted to how the policy will be implemented, reports Business Day.
Almost half of mobile phone users worldwide still only use their devices to make voice calls and send SMS, according to consumer research by GSMA Intelligence. Its new Global Mobile Engagement Index (GMEI) measures the level of engagement of mobile phone users across a wide array of use cases and services,...
The obligations of Iran’s ministry of communications and information technology have been set out as part of a five-year economic, social and cultural development plan (2016-2021), reports the Financial Tribune, an Iranian economic newspaper.
The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) has called on regulators in the ICT industry to consider merging, reports Naija247News. “ATCON’s president, Olusola Teniola, said that the absence of a converged regulatory environment was preventing convergence of services in the industry..."
Algeria’s government has reportedly passed a new telecoms law, the Code of Posts and Electronic Communications,...
Following the launch of the ITU ‘Let's roam the world’ initiative that builds on previous work on international mobile roaming, a new report on the ONA (One Network Area) in East Africa initiative that shows that despite price reductions, and the emergence of a range of alternative technologies and calling solutions, prices are still high...
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has commenced moves to develop a clear-cut framework and guidelines that will usher in a secondary market for spectrum trading in the country, Today.ng reports.
Oman’s telecoms regulator has invited operators to apply for the sultanate’s third mobile licence, notes Global Telecoms Business. The winner will complete against state-owned Omantel and Qatar-based Ooredoo.
Nigeria’s government and private sectors have made a pitch to foreign investors at the 2016 ITU’s conference, Telecoms World, where they presented the country’s developments in ICT opportunities for future investment, reports Naija247 News.
The South African government has approved its ICT Policy white paper, which has been in development since 2012, with the document outlining the establishment of a wireless open access network (OAN), reports TeleGeography.
The Nigerian government’s interest in regulating telecoms services and the ‘agitation’ of telecoms service providers against excessive regulation, are conflicting to the detriment of subscribers, writes Emma Okonji in This Day.
TA report from Citi Research does not view cryptocurrencies as a disruptive threat to banks or card networks, noting that centralised domestic payment systems provide a relatively good experience.
The FCC has received more than 100,000 complaints from Americans calling on the regulator to take strong enforcement action if and when companies violate the FCC's Open Internet Order with zero-rating schemes.
Arcep, France's telecoms regulator, has described how it will use 'data-driven' regulation to steer the market in the right direction.
One Internet, the final report and recommendations of the Global Commission on Internet Governance, was released at the OECD ministerial meeting on the digital economy in Cancún, Mexico, in June.
The Global Information Technology Report 2016 from the World Economic Forum (WEF) has found that Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, Israel, Singapore, the Netherlands and the US are leading the world when it comes to generating economic impact from investments in ICT.
"The structure of South Africa's economy welcomes few entrants. It is highly concentrated with insiders firmly entrenched. Widening access to the economy, according to the results of a set of studies released this week, will require a concerted and collaborative effort by the government to alter the economic landscape, remove barriers to entry, enhance competition and foster inclusive growth."
New Zealand has issued an options paper on its ongoing review of its telecoms act. It provides more detail on the proposed 'utility-style' regulatory framework for fixed line communication services and communications minister, Amy Adams.
The European Commission has adopted the EU-US privacy shield, a framework that "protects the fundamental rights of anyone in the EU whose personal data is transferred to the US as well as bringing legal clarity for businesses relying on transatlantic data transfers".
The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) is warning telecoms companies that the new European rules on net neutrality must be applied correctly.
The Belgian Institute for Post and Telecommunications (BIPT) has fined VoIP operator Skype 223,454 euro for its failure to identify itself as a provider of electronic communications services via its SkypeOut service, notes TeleGeography.
The FCC has adopted new rules for wireless broadband operations in frequencies above 24 GHz, making the US the first country to make this spectrum available for next generation wireless services. The rules open up nearly 11 GHz of high-frequency spectrum for flexible, mobile and fixed use wireless broadband
One of Europe's top legal advisers thinks the data retention laws in Sweden and the UK may be 'legit' but with strict conditions, reports Fortune.
The chief of the new Philippines Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has ordered the inventory of used and unused telecoms spectrum, reports Telecom Asia.
In a 5G manifesto, a group of European telecoms service providers and equipment manufacturers have called for a relaxation of net neutrality rules, reports TeleGeography.
Italian telecoms regulator Agcom has published the results of a study into electronic communications services, and in particular over the top (OTT) social messaging tools such as WhatsApp, Skype, iMessage and Facebook Messenger, notes TeleGeography.
The European Commission wants internet download speeds to reach 100 Mbits/s by 2025 and is calling for more public funds to build faster networks, according to a leaked document obtained by EurActiv.com.
The UK government's Culture, Media and Sport Committee has recommended a prison sentence of up to two years for those convicted of unlawfully obtaining and selling personal data.
We will give you a monthly round up of up-coming events, where we’ve been as well as interviews and selected articles from InterMedia.