July 2017: Highlights and Activities

International Meetings attended by MCA representatives

BEREC Working Group on Next Generation Networks
An MCA representative attended a workshop organized by BEREC’s Next Generation Networks (NGN) EWG in Brussels, Belgium on the 20th July 2017. The workshop addressed the issue of State Aid in support of NGN deployment. Country presentations on this matter were delivered by Portugal, France, Spain and Germany. Generally, the role of NRAs in these countries is consultative when it comes to the launch of State Aid initiatives, with national and regional governments taking the lead in issuing State Aid initiatives and/or public tenders. The main focus of the respective NRAs is to determine the wholesale access prices, conditions and solving disputes between access seekers and the subsidized infrastructure operator.

BEREC Working Group on Regulatory Accounts
An MCA official participated in BEREC's Working Group on Regulatory Accounts on the 20th July 2017 in Brussels, Belgium. The Working Group discussed the results of the questionnaire submitted by all National Regulatory Bodies. An update was given on the changes in the questionnaire and and the relevance of these changes to the market. The Working Group was also given feedback on the results of the questionnaire across all countries' NRAs in order to percieve the general trend of the policies that are being adopted.

Governmental Satellite Communications – Expert Group Meeting
An MCA representative attended the 9^th meeting of the GOVSATCOM Member State Expert Group, held on the 18^th July 2017 in Brussels, Belgium.  During this meeting, PWC presented its Impact Assessment Study focusing on both the methodology applied and the resulting outcomes. Attendees exchanged views on the information provided.  The various possible outcomes and future actions were also discussed.

Tech Open Air Festival
A representative of the MCA attended the Tech Open Air (TOA) festival, which was held in Berlin between the 11^th and 14^th July. TOA is an interdisciplinary technology festival and conference. It is aimed at connecting, growing and inspiring the human spirit through interdisciplinary knowledge exchange and collaboration. TOA offers an opportunity to observe the Berlin ecosystem, engage with leading European startup founders and the main European ecosystem managers.

60^th meeting of the Radio Spectrum Committee, 12th and 13th July 2017
An MCA official participated in the 60th Radio Spectrum Committee meeting in Brussels, Belgium. The meeting considered a number of items aimed at harmonising additional radio spectrum across Europe.  In particular, the meeting has  adopted two amending Decisions concerning radio spectrum for equipment using ultra-wideband technology and short range devices, and a mandate to CEPT to review the harmonised technical conditions for use of the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz frequency bands for the Internet of Things (IoT).

Face-to-Face Meeting with Key Partners (Enable Ireland) within the Assistive Technology Project - 5th and 6th July 2017
Two MCA officers visited Dublin in preparation for an upcoming project which shall see the establishment of 3 centres equipped with Assistive Technology. Such technology will allow persons with various and different degrees of disabilities to access technology which will in turn facilitate their integration as active members of society. In view of this project, the MCA has partnered with Enable Ireland, a non-profit organisation founded in 1948 which provides free services to children and adults with disabilities and their families in Ireland. The aim of this partnership is for the MCA to gain valuable insights into the sector and also utilise their expertise in terms of what technologies should be purchased.
Furthermore, Enable Ireland and MCAST will be adapting and developing a course entitled "Foundations in Assistive Technology" which will be made available through MCAST to various professionals in the field. The course will attain Level 5 accreditation. This course is aimed at providing a solid foundation in AT for a diverse audience: adults who are AT users, therapists, teachers, IT professionals, families and others.
The meeting in Ireland helped establish the way forward in this regard.

MCA Publications & Website Uploads

ZEST Malta - 19 & 20 September
Published On: Jul 21st 2017

MCA submission to ‘Notification of Concentration’ published by the MCCAA in the issue of the Government Gazette of the 6th June 2017
Published On: Jul 14th 2017

On the job learning programme
Published On: Jul 4th 2017

MCA Events

Press Launch: ZEST Malta - 19 & 20 September 2017
The MCA’s startup conference, ZEST, is set to return this year with an even more exciting line-up of leading local and international speakers, wider international participation, and unprecedented networking opportunities. ZEST is the main gathering for tech startups based in Malta where technology disruption is central to the discussions. It also serves as an excellent opportunity to attract foreign players to experience the island.

This year’s edition, taking place on the 19 and 20 September at the Radisson Blu Golden Sands Resort and Spa, is expected to attract over 500 participants mainly CEO/founders, investors, talent, influencers and professionals. The event is unique in bringing together a cosmopolitan crowd of locals, expats and fly-ins, whilst offering the ideal setting for attendees to discover opportunities and build lasting relationships.
Some of the remarkable speakers announced for this year’s event include Samer Karam, a Lebanon-based ecosystem builder and creator of BDL Accelerate tech conference; Jenn Hirsch, Global Technology Trend Scout for Ernst & Young; Paul Teng, Co-Founder and Group-CEO at SIXCAP; and Chris Fregly, Founder of an AI and machine-learning startup in San Francisco with prior experience at Netflix and Playboy.
Returning for this year’s event Monty Munford, tech journalist for Forbes and the BBC, describes ZEST as an excellent tech conference qualifying as “one of my Top Five for 2016”. Funderbeam’s Kaidi Ruusalepp, also returning in 2017, regards ZEST as a stand out event commending “the combination of amazing networking, fascinating talks, and an incredible location”.

Malta’s home-grown startups present at ZEST will include names such as Altaro, Hotjar and Oulala, as well as Sherpa.
In contrast to the traditional business conference, ZEST adopts a very informal, no-nonsense format, where talks are short, yet sharp. Discussion topics will include business foresight, investment, scaling strategies, organisational culture, and the impact of emerging technologies on established verticals such as finance, content and hospitality.
A novelty this year is the introduction of satellite events targeting niche communities and giving more space for specialist discussion and networking to take place outside the main event. Efforts are also in place to grow the ZEST after party, which offers all delegates an ideal environment for informal social interaction and community engagement.
ZEST Malta 2017 is organised by the Malta Communications Authority (MCA) in collaboration with various other public entities and stakeholders. For the second year running, the MCA has teamed up with the Times of Malta as its official media partner. Individuals interested to attend are encouraged to take advantage of the limited number of early-bird tickets on sale at http://www.zest.org.mt/. Early-bird pricing expire on the 31st July.

Legal Updates

Pending lawsuits: 

• 20 July: Vodafone vs MCA pending before ART – contestation of regulatory decision of 2014 on MTRs before the Administrative Review Tribunal. Parties closed their submissions. Case adjourned for 30 October 2017 for ART’s judgment.
• 20 July: Melita vs MCA before ART – Melita’s contestation of MCA ruling following Melita’s complaint about GO’s bundling of products issued in 2010. Adjourned for the 30 October for the cross-examination of an MCA witness.
• 20 July: Vodafone vs MCA before ART – contesting MCA’s decision entitled ‘Virtual Unbundled Access to Fibre-To-The-Home: implementing the VULA remedy’ – adjourned to the 30 October for continuation of evidence by Vodafone.
• 20 July: Vodafone vs MCA before ART - contesting MCA’s decision entitled ‘“Wholesale call origination on the public telephone network provided at a fixed location in Malta – MCA decision on market definition and the assessment of competition”. Adjourned for MCA’s evidence for the 30 October.  
• 20 July: Vodafone vs MCA before ART - contesting an MCA decision following a dispute filed by Vodafone against GO plc requesting access to GO’s ducts networks. Adjourned to 30 October for Vodafone’s evidence.
• 20 July: Melita vs MCA before ART - contestation of an MCA decision re directory services information. Case decided confirming MCA’s decision. 
• 3 July: Melita Limited vs MCA before Court of Appeal (Inferior) - imposition of one off and daily fine on Melita for having failed to undertake an audit of its billing processes in 2010. Melita contested a decision given by the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) before the Court of Appeal. Case was withdrawn by Melita and the Court of Appeal did not take further cognizance of case. Case closed.

International News

REGULATION

Cullen International       European Commission consults on its review of EU consumer rules
The European Commission launched on June 30, 2017, a public consultation “on the targeted revision of [the horizontal] EU consumer law directives” that apply to all sectors. The consultation, which will be open until October 8, 2017, aims to gather input for the legislative proposal reviewing the current rules that the Commission will adopt by the end of 2017 [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       European Parliament approves Mariya Gabriel as the New Digital Economy commissioner
MEP Mariya Gabriel (EPP, Bulgaria) was approved as the new European commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society by a large majority of the European Parliament plenary on July 4, 2017 [read more - Subscription required].

Total Telecom   3UK zero rates Netflix
Deezer 3UK has added zero-rated access to four streaming services, including Netflix and Deezer, on select price plans SoundCloud and TV-streaming service TVPlayer are also Included with the new offer, which is called 'Go Binge', which If nothing else, sounds similar to T-Mobile US' own zerorated Service, Binge On [read more].

Cullen International       Germany adopts law obliging certain platforms to remove illegal hate speech and fake news within 24 hours
The German federal parliament (Bundestag) adopted on June 30, 2017 a law obliging certain online platforms to remove illegal hate speech and fake news within 24 hours (Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz, NetzDG) [read more – subscription required].

Total Telecom   Italy government probes TIM over rural fibre plan
Telecom Italia, also known as TIM, insisted it has done nothing wrong, after Italy's antitrust watchdog launched an inquiry into possible anticompetitive behaviour related to its rural fibre roll-out [read more].

Total Telecom   UK govt formally launches £400m fibre fund
The UK government has formally launched a £400 million fund to stimulate spending on full fibre networks. Called the Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund (DIIF) it was announced in November 2016 as part of Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond's Autumn Statement, and aims to unlock more than £1 billion of investment [read more].

Ofcom Ofcom announces plans for holding Openreach to account
Ofcom has said it is to launch a new Openreach Monitoring Unit to ensure its recent agreement to make the network business distinct from BT is complied with [read more].

Cullen International       Informal Council meeting agrees on 5G declaration but without setting concrete timetable
Telecoms ministers agreed to make more spectrum available for 5G “in a timely and predictable manner”. This commitment was included in a 5G declaration signed by 28 EU ministers and Norway during the informal Competitiveness Council meeting in Tallinn, Estonia on July 18, 2017 [read more – Subscription required].

Cullen International       Dutch competition authority: fixed-mobile bundles and content exclusivities do not harm competition, yet
The Dutch national competition authority (NCA) has published a report summarising its findings on the public consultation it launched in February 2017 on competition issues raised by fixed-mobile bundles and content exclusivities [read more – subscription required].

Total Telecom   Vodafone UK prepares prepay bundle roll over
Operator's summer of customer love brings upgrades to Obi AI chatbot, Amazon Alexa integration, group messaging. Vodafone UK on Wednesday said later this summer it will give prepay customers on rolling monthly contracts the ability to carry over unused voice, text and data to the next billing cycle [read more].

Total Telecom   TIM to make San Marino Europe's first 5G state
TIM this week declared that the tiny state of San Marino will be the first in Europe to have a 5G network, announcing several interim upgrades planned for this year [read more].

Advanced Television     EU content portability regulation now in force
After publication in the Official Journal of the European Union, Regulation (EU) 2017/1128 of the European Parliament and of the Council of June 14th on cross-border portability of online content services in the internal market enters into force June 20th, although it will not become enforceable until March 20th 2018 [read more].

Broadband TV News       Polish telecom law to be changed
The Office of Electronic Communications (UKE) in Poland has announced that work is underway on amending the country’s telecom law [read more].

Advanced Television     Vodafone consumer IoT this year
Vodafone has committed to launching consumer IoT this autumn, with the solution being trialled by the Group’s CEO Vittorio Colao as its Q1 results were revealed [read more].

Cullen International       Italian operators fined €9m for not complying with distance and off-premises sales rules
The Italian competition and consumer protection authority, AGCM, has fined the five main telecoms operators – Fastweb, Telecom Italia, Tiscali, Vodafone and Wind Tre – a total of €9m for breaching the rules that apply to distance sales (e.g. telesales and online sales) and off-premises sales (e.g. at portable sales counters) [read more – subscription required].

Advanced Television     Court rules Italy DTT rollout broke EU rules
The Court of Justice of the European Union has issued two rulings in which it states that the switchover from analogue to digital TV in Italy was based on resolutions and laws contrary to EU law. Also, the frequency redistribution system in Italy has been criticised because it is at risk of being incompatible with Community law [read more].

Analysis Mason    Having your cake and eating it: network slicing and net neutrality rules in Europe
Network slicing is a form of network virtualisation in which different services with different needs can be provided with different performance characteristics (such as latency, priority, or throughput) on a single physical network. These services might include voice, augmented reality, massive IoT, vehicle-to-vehicle, and emergency service communications. It is an important feature of proposed 5G mobile networks [read more].

SPECTRUM

Policy Tracker    Signs of support for 5G in the 28GHz band in Europe
German regulator BNetzA has issued a spectrum plan that calls for examination of the frequency range at European level and industry association the GSA says Sweden has voiced support for 28GHz. Meanwhile UK regulator Ofcom is expected to make a call for input on the 26GHz band in the coming weeks [read more – subscription required].

Total Telecom   Arqiva buys more 5G spectrum
Arqiva has acquired additional 28GHz millimetre wave (mmWave) spectrum covering central and Greater London. The UK passive infrastructure provider purchased 2x122MHz of frequencies from managed services provider Luminet [read more].

Policy Tracker    Romania consults on potential 5G spectrum auction
Romanian regulator ANCOM is considering a “competitive selection procedure” to award spectrum in the 694-790MHz and 1452-1492MHz bands [read more – subscription required].

Policy Tracker    UK industry body split over 28GHz
The UK Spectrum Policy Forum’s mobile industry members say 5G deployment should be focused on globally harmonised bands but also think mobile services could be deployed at 28, 32 and 40GHz [read more - subscription required].

Ofcom Decision to make Wireless Telegraphy Exemption Regulations 2017
Ofcom has published a decision to make regulations that will allow Wi-Fi use in the 5.8GHz band. Wi-Fi currently uses spectrum in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. This decision will allow access to an additional 125MHz of spectrum in the 5.8GHz band [read more].

Policy Tracker    UK operator declines to rule out legal action over regulator’s 2.3GHz and 3.4GHz auction plan
UK mobile operator Three told Policy Tracker that it was considering its options with regard to Ofcom’s latest proposals on the upcoming auction of 2.3GHz and 3.4GHz spectrum [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       Premium prices and two new entrants are main results of the Czech auction of the 3.6-3.8GHz band
The Czech regulator, CTU, announced on July 11, 2017 the end of the auction of the 3.6-3.8GHz band with two new entrants winning three of the five 40MHz blocks [read more – subscription required].

Policy Tracker    Polish audit office issues critical verdict on government's approach to spectrum management
The NIK said its audit showed that during the period analysed, the ministry exerted control over the country’s telecoms regulator, the Office of Electronic Communications (UKE), and that the regulator’s activities were in compliance “with the government’s policy and the EU’s telecoms policy in the field of spectrum management”. However, the report points to a number of irregularities at the ministry and the UKE [read more – subscription required].

Policy Tracker    European Council deals a further blow to the idea of binding EU-wide spectrum award reviews
The EU’s telecoms ministers today will announce support for 5G in Europe with a series of pledges on spectrum and connectivity. These pledges will reference points of the European Commission's proposed Electronic Communications Code (ECC) [read more – subscription required].

Ofcom  Improving consumer access to mobile services at 3.6 GHz to 3.8GHz
This document confirms Ofcom’s intention to expand spectrum access for mobile services in the 3.6GHz to 3.8GHz band. This band has been identified by the UK and EU as the primary band for 5G [read more].

Ofcom  Consultation on improving access to 5.8 GHz spectrum for broadband fixed wireless access
This document consults on plans to enable access to additional frequencies for broadband fixed wireless access in the 5725-5850 MHz band, known as the 5.8 GHz band [read more].

Total Telecom   Arqiva, Samsung begin 5G FWA trial
Companies use 28GHz mmWave spectrum to show off technology's potential as an alternative to fibre. Arqiva has claimed a European first by kicking off its trial of a 5G fixed-wireless access (FWA) service in London [read more].

Total Telecom   SK Telecom takes aim at IoT security with quantum cryptography chip
Operator hopes to embed tiny, low-cost quantum random number generator into range of connected devices. SK Telecom has made further progress in its bid to improve IoT security, by unveiling a prototype for an ultra-small, quantum random number generator (QRNG) chip [read more].

POST

CEP Research     Irish An Post pushes new parcel services with advertising campaign
Irish postal operator An Post launched a new advertising campaign “World Wide Open” to support the re-launch of its parcel products and services for Irish and international ecommerce businesses with the aim to “aggressively grow” its current market share of 25% [read more - subscription required].

CEP Research     World postal industry growth halves to just 1.3% in 2016, IPC report finds
Postal operators around the world saw their combined revenue growth weaken to just 1.3% last year with higher parcel volumes offset by the continuing mail decline, new figures from International Post Corporation (IPC) show [read more - subscription required].

Post and Parcel     PostNL: “Regulation should reflect the reality of the shrinking mail market”
Following the publication of the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ report on the postal market on 10th July, PostNL has issued a statement arguing that regulation “should reflect the reality of the shrinking mail market” and “not artificially further competition” [read more].

Post and Parcel     PostNL launches “Change delivery” service
PostNL has launched a new service which will allow consumers to change the delivery time and location of their parcels by using the PostNL app or track & trace. With ‘Change delivery’, consumers will be able to adjust the delivery time and location “as soon as the parcel has arrived in the PostNL sorting centre until 6am on the day of delivery” [read more].

Post and Parcel     Royal Mail trialling lower price on 2nd class medium parcels
Royal Mail will be running an online price trial for second class medium parcels between 2kg and 5 kg. The cost of sending a second class medium parcel will be reduced from £13.75 to £6.29 for a three-month period starting 17th July, online only. The trial ends on 16 October [Read More].

Post and Parcel     KLM Cargo unveils new sorting system at Schiphol
KLM Cargo has launched a new sorting system at Schiphol Airport. In a statement issued on 13th July, KLM Cargo said the system can handle more than 2,000 items per hour, bound for more than 70 destinations [read more].

CEP Research     Irish online shoppers favour US websites but struggle with expensive shipping costs, says An Post
Irish consumers increasingly shop online favouring US products but expensive international shipping cost represents a barrier for the majority of shoppers, according to new research by An Post which also reveals that many of them have experienced failure to ship to Ireland when shopping on the Internet [read more – subscription required].

Post and Parcel     Royal Mail trialling doorstep mail collection service
Royal Mail is to trial a new doorstep mail collection service for residential customers in four postal areas. The trials will start in Rochdale and Bexleyheath, and also in Purley and Urmston [read more].

Post and Parcel    EU survey shows growing demand for cross-border online shopping
“More and more EU consumers are shopping online,” according to the European Commission, announced the publication of the 2017 Consumer Conditions Scoreboard. The Scoreboard – which aims to provide “an overview of how the Single Market works for EU consumers” – also revealed that EU consumers’ trust in e-commerce has increased, in particular in buying online from other EU countries [read more].

Post and Parcel     Amazon rolls out apartment locker service
Amazon is introducing a service called “Hub by Amazon” – which essentially involves installing Amazon lockers in multi resident buildings [read more].

CEP Research     UK customers “still impacted” by TNT cyber-attack backlog
British firms are still being heavily impacted by the cyber attack that dramatically shut down TNT IT systems, according to an industry association. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said that it has serious concerns over the continuing impact of the NotPetya cyber-attack on TNT’s small business customers across the country [read more – subscription required].

CEP Research     DHL launches new B2C parcel and express services in Spain and Portugal
DHL is stepping up its e-commerce expansion in Spain and Portugal with the launch of two new B2C services for parcel and express deliveries. DHL Parcel Iberia is now offering the ‘DHL Parcel International’ product for cross-border e-commerce shipments, especially imports, in both countries [read more – subscription required].

INTERNET

European Commission   WiFi4EU and Wi-Fi Italia working together to enhance free connectivity in the EU
The European Commission and Italian government have committed to working together to provide more freely accessible Wi-Fi in Europe [read more].