TRA drafts access and interconnection regulations

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) of Oman has proposed draft legislation on principles and procedures aimed at regulating access and interconnection in the Sultanate. The Muscat Daily reports that the TRA has formulated the draft rules to promote competition and remove barriers to market entry, as well as to increase high speed broadband coverage, particularly in rural areas. ‘The interconnection of networks is critical to the development of competition as it enables one operator or service provider to reach subscribers on another operator’s network. As such, the authority considers that all public telecom licensees should be subject to the obligation to interconnect their respective networks to ensure end-to-end connectivity,’ the draft legislation states. The TRA adds that it is now seeking ‘to review the rules and regulations governing the provision of A&I [access and interconnection] services and to develop a single regulation governing the provision of all A&I services, including those provided by dominant and non-dominant operators’. The regulator has invited stakeholders, interested parties and the public to comment on the draft regulation by 25 May.