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The Director General of the Regulatory Authority for Telecommunications and Posts (ARTP), yesterday in Dakar officially launched the introduction of unbundling of the local loop in Senegal.
"The launch of unbundling of the loop in Senegal on Tuesday, July 10, 2018, marks the beginning of a new era for many players, particularly telecommunication network operators open to the public and suppliers. access to the Internet (FAI) ". These words are from the Director General of Artp, Abdou Karim Sall. Indeed, unbundling is one of the main levers of regulation that allows the development of competition and the promotion of innovative services in telecommunications, and especially on the market of high and very high fixed speed internet. According to Sall, the local loop is an infrastructure that belongs to the incumbent Sonatel. It is considered essential in that the economic and technical conditions of its replicability are difficult, if not impossible. As a result, the telecommunication code requires the sharing of such infrastructures on technical and tariff conditions defined by the regulatory authority.
A process initiated since 2005
For Abdou Karim Sall, the overall objective of the ARTP is to increase competition in the internet market and promote user development for all categories of customers, ie individuals, households and businesses. According to him, through the unbundling of which the file has been open since 2005, the ARTP aims, among others, a real competition in the commercial efforts ADSL or xDSL, the freedom of choice of the operator and a fall of the retail rates. "As part of this project, and indeed in all projects and of this nature, the ARTP has adopted a concerted and inclusive approach. The gradual steps have been taken with all operators of telecommunication networks open to the public, "he explained. And to add that "through this long transparent and concerted approach, the regulatory authority has introduced unbundling which is a complex operation. The process involves extensive work with stakeholders, particularly Sonatel, to find a market equilibrium that promotes both investment and infrastructure sharing. " Thus, the CEO of ARTP reminded that the development of Internet services is raised in Senegal to more than 98% by mobile, and only less than 2% by fixed. This is why the focus must be on the fixed Internet, with the objective of increasing competition in the fixed broadband and broadband market. As for the president of the Consumers' Association of Senegal (ASCOSEN), Momar Ndao, he asked the ARTP to watch over the tariff so that there is competition so that we can have different prices, to the benefit of the consumer. "If it sets up this unbundling, we must add a dashboard to see the actual evolution of unbundling," Ndao suggested.
Zachari BADJI
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