Middle East & North Africa Telecommunications

ABU DHABI — Mobile phone subscribers in the UAE would be able to watch television on their hand sets from next year, as the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA) is creating necessary legal and technical frameworks to launch the new service.

“The mobile TV service will be provided by the two telecom operators, Etisalat and du, who are currently studying the idea and mechanism suggested by the authority, and would come up with their inputs very soon. The inputs would then be put up before the Higher Committee for the Supervision of Telecom Sector to announce its policy,” said Mohammed Nasser Al Ghanem, Director General of the Telecommunication Regulatory Authority, while spelling out the new opportunities in the telecom sector, at the two-day forum on telecoms and multimedia being organised by the French Busness Group (FBG) here in the capital.

Ghanem said that the TRA has carefully studied eight different models which are in service in Europe, the US and other countries for the mobile TV service, either managed by telecoms or by broadcasters. “Both have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. So, We want to try a different model by blending the two,” he elaborated. “We want to give equal excess to the new avenue to both the telecom as well as broadcasting companies operating in the country,” he said.

Speaking further on the topic, the TRA director general said that broadcasting companies are not prepared for billing the subscribers, while telecoms would be finding it difficult to venture into the new area of broadcasting to offer television service. “With our plan to blend the services, TRA wants to strike a balance and make use of the expertise of telecoms as well as broadcasting companies,”he said.

Ghanem said that the details on the financial model of the independent company being planned would be made available in due course of time.

VOIP: Clearing confusion on Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP), TRA Director General said that a policy would be announced soon. However, he clarified that the VOIP would only be provided by Etisalat and du, in the first phase, while all Web sites providing the same would be strictly blocked.

Call rates: Later, speaking to reporters, he strongly assured the telephone subscribers in the country that Etisalat and du would not be allowed to form a cartel, to manage the telecom tariffs. Ghanem said that there would be a perfect competition in providing efficient services and on best prices. Already Etisalat has announced lowering its international call rates, he added.

To a question about on net and off net tariffs, he said that in the spirit of liberalisation of telecom sector, the two telecom companies would not be allowed to charge any surcharge on providing services to each others networks.

Interconnectivity: Responding to a question about the much delayed interconnectivity agreement between the Etisalat and du, TRA chief disclosed that both have now agreed on trivialities of an agreement which besides other arrangements for future, would allow du to use the existing telecom infrastructure managed by Etisalat. “We can expect signing of an agreement on Wednesday, if everything goes well as the papers are being prepared,” Ghanem said. The TRA director general impressed the French telecom companies by disclosing that mobile penetration in the country has crossed an enviable level of 125 per cent and 100 per cent for fixed lines. The use of broadband and wireless Internet is on rapid rise, making UAE one of the top nations benefiting from the information revolution.