TRA decision to regulate telecom sector

Muscat: With the third telecom operator expected to enter the Oman market in the coming days, the Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRA) has issued a decision that will help regulate the anti-competitive behaviour in the sector.

TRA issued decision 59/2020 amending some provisions of the earlier decision 70/2013, regarding the rules for post-market regulation (anti-competitive behaviour).

Article 1 of the decision stipulated that the text of the article shall be replaced by the text of Article (4) of the rules for post-market regulation (anti-competitive behaviour) will now read, “The authority may, on its own initiative or on the basis of a complaint submitted by the concerned parties, initiate investigations to ensure that the actions or the licensee’s activities that prevent or limit competition, including abuse of a dominant position, entering into agreements, providing anti-competitive facilities, or violating prior regulatory obligations, in accordance with the procedures for adjudicating competition complaints.”

Article 2 of the decision includes complaint submission and examination procedures, investigation and determination of the complaint, and confidentiality.

The decision demands making a judgement on the complaints within 90 days from the date of acceptance of the complaint or initiates an investigation on its own against the violating party. The investigation period can be extended if the circumstances of the complaint require more time.

Currently, TRA is undertaking a periodical review of the telecommunications service markets, with the view of updating the Market Definition and Dominance (MDD) Report published in 2013.

“Since the issuance of MDD Report 2013, significant developments took place in the sector such as entry of new companies, including the forthcoming third mobile operator. Similarly, the market witnessed growth in the deployment of fiber, LTE, and fixed 5G services whereas 5G mobile services are also in the pipeline. From the consumers’ side, demand for data services, bundled plans, and OTT services are on the rise,” TRA said.