June 2018: Highlights and Activities

International Meetings attended by MCA representatives

IRG Training Course: Economic Replicability Test (ERT)
An MCA official attended a training course was held between the 19th and 21st June 2018, in Brussels, Belgium. The training course focused on the EU recommendation related to the application of the ERT. During the course a number of countries presented their experiences in deploying the ERT methodology in their models.

25th Article 13A Meeting by ENISA and NMHH
The MCA attended the 25th Article 13A Meeting organised by ENISA’s and NMHH in Budapest, Hungary, between the 20th and 21st June 2018. This meeting serves as a platform for NRAs to discuss topics related to network security and integrity and share best practices in the field. During this meeting, amongst other topics, ENISA’s Annual report about incidents notified to it along with an aspect of the Net Neutrality regulation via-a-vis network security were discussed in detail.

ITU Multilateral Meeting
Representatives of the MCA’s Spectrum Management & Technology Group participated in a meeting organised by the International Telecommunication Union to discuss harmful interference to the sound broadcasting services in the FM band caused by Italy to its neighbouring countries, including Malta. The meeting was held in Rome on the 20th and 21st June 2018.
The meeting analysed the harmful interference situation as reported by Italy’s neighbouring countries and agreed on a number of action points to be undertaken mainly by Italy which should lead to resolve a number of harmful interference cases in the region.

6th Meeting of the H2020 Future Internet Forum
The MCA participated in the scheduled Horizon 2020 Future Internet Forum (FIF) meeting at the European Convention Centre in Ljubljana, Slovenia on the 21st June 2018. This meeting was held during the Networld 2020 event which focused mostly on 5G and the opportunities this technology will bring to the market.
The FIF meeting which was chaired by Mr. Peter Stuckmann, Head of Unit E1 – Future Connectivity Systems DG CONNECT touched upon a number of topic areas. These included the Next Generation Internet and how it features in the next Multi Annual Financial framework and also a presentation on a white paper on strategic research and innovation titled “Smart network in the context of NGI”. Drafted by the 5G-PPP, the main achievements of 5G-PPP namely 5G system design and evaluation, 5G air interface innovations, network management, security and virtualization were detailed.
The Networld 2020 exhibition provided an ideal backdrop to the discussions of the FIF where numerous start-up technology organisations, universities and industry demonstrated the latest communication technologies to those present.

The 53rd Meeting of the Administrative Board of the European GNSS Agency
An MCA representative attended the 53rd meeting of the Administrative Board of the European GNSS Agency which was held on the 18th June 2018 in Prague, Czech Republic. During this meeting a review of the state of play of the European GNSS Agency and the activities related to the European GNSS Programmes that the Agency is responsible for, was presented. The delegations present were also provided an update on activities concerning security, GSMC, communications, market development, H2020 and Fundamental Elements, EGNOS and Galileo services.

35th BEREC Plenary Meetings in Gdańsk – Sopot, Poland
The MCA participated in the 35th BEREC plenary meetings, which took place between the 13th and 15th June 2018 and were hosted by the Office of Electronic Communications (UKE), the Polish national regulatory authority. During the meetings, the BEREC Board of Regulators adopted a Report on Mergers and Acquisitions which examines the post-merger effects on prices and Quality of Service, based on three mergers in the European mobile market. The Board also discussed work that BEREC is conducting to facilitate a fast and smooth deployment of 5G in Europe, issuing a Public Consultation on BEREC’s Common Position on Monitoring Mobile Coverage and adopting a report on Infrastructure Sharing. In the same meetings, BEREC signed a "Memorandum of Understanding" with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India aimed at securing closer cooperation for effective electronic communications regulation.

Innova Foster EU Project
A representative of the MCA attended the Innova Foster EU Project between the 12th and 15th June 2018, in Oldham, Manchester, UK, as a part of a Malta Enterprise delegation. The itinerary included visits to a number of stakeholder organisations in the Manchester/Oldham ecosystem, including Oldham Council, The Growth Company’s Business Growth Hub, WeWork Manchester, and Nat West Bank business incubator. The visit revolved around exchange of best practices and networking aimed at creating pan-European connections across ecosystem stakeholders. The visit was fully funded by Malta Enterprise.

Participation in Radio Spectrum Policy Group Meeting
The MCA participated in the RSPG meeting on the 5th June 2018, in Brussels, Belgium. The RSPG agreed to publish its Draft Opinion on WRC19 for consultation prior to formal adoption at the next RSPG meeting. The respective working groups provided an update on the progress achieved since the last meeting. These included the work relating European Electronic Communications Code, development of a long-term European Spectrum Strategy, 5G and progress on the country roadmaps on the assignment of the 700 MHz band.

Postal Directive Committee (PDC) Meeting
An MCA official attended the Postal Directive Committee meeting on the 4th June 2018 in Brussels, Belgium. The main outcome of the meeting was the positive opinion given by the PDC on the adoption of the Implementing Act relating to Article 4 (Provision of Information) of the Cross-Border Parcel Delivery Regulation (2018/644). The Implementation Act will be formally adopted by the Commission before the end of September 2018. Presentations were also delivered on customs and taxation issues and the impact on the postal sector, GDPR, the recent developments on the Universal Postal Service in the EU Member States and the UPU issues to be discussed at the upcoming mid-term congress in September. The PDC was also given an update on the study being carried out by Copenhagen Economics on the main development in the postal sector 2013 - 2016. Reference was also made to the recent ECJ Judgement of the 31 May 2018 relating to haulage, freight-forwarding and express mail undertakings providing services involving the clearance, sorting, transport and distribution of postal items.

Forum of European Supervisory Authorities for Trust Service Providers
The Forum of European Supervisory Authorities for Trust Service Providers (FESA) meeting was held in Vilnius, Lithuania on the 4th and 5th June 2018, at the premises of the RRT which is the designated supervisory body for Lithuania. Following registration, FESA of which the MCA is a member introduced themselves. An update was given by ETSI on work related to standardization for eIDAS. There was then a further presentation by ETSI on a new draft related to requirements for Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs). A small workshop related to Trusted List (TL) management then took place which ended the first half of the meeting.
On the following day, the first agenda item related to outsourcing of Qualified Trust Service Providers (QTSP) activities to non EU member states. This was followed by a talk on EEA / EFTA countries and how they are adopting the eIDAS regulation. This was the last discussion point on the agenda.

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MCA Publications & Website Uploads

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Media participation by MCA

Television

14.06.18 ‘Fuq Net' – Net TV

(Importation of Radio Equipment - Yanika Bugeja)

21.06.18 ‘Fuq Net' – Net TV

(Roaming [Part 1] - Yanika Bugeja)

28.06.18 ‘Fuq Net' – Net TV

(Roaming [Part 2] - Yanika Bugeja)

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Legal Updates

Pending Lawsuits

4th June: Final judgment by the Court of Appeal (Inferior) in the case GO plc vs. L-Awtoritá ta’ Malta dwar il-Komunikazzjoni whereby the Court confirm MCA’s decision relating to market 4 taken in 2012.
6th June: Judgment by the First Hall of the Civil Court in a case Vodafone Malta Limited vs Awtoritá Maltija dwar il-Komunikazzjoni et - filed by Vodafone Malta Limited (later joined by GO plc) contesting a directive issued in 2005 by the MCA whereby the MCA established the procedure to be followed in the collection of contributions to finance the legal interception system used by the Security Service. The Court did not uphold the claims by Vodafone contesting the validity of this directive. Vodafone and GO have now filed an appeal from this court judgment before the Court of Appeal (Superior).

Disputes/Complaints by Undertakings

18th June: Vodafone Malta Limited filed a compliant against GO plc alleging breach of number portability norms by GO. The complaint is being investigated.

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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.