Annual Report 2008 - TRA - Telecommunication Regulatory Authority

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Working for Consumers TRA Annual Report 2008 15 For the region as a whole, fixed telephony services, leased line tariffs, and especially broadband rates were high compared to OECD countries. However mobile tariffs compared well by international standards, with prices for low and medium usage being particularly economical. For the Kingdom of Bahrain specifically, mobile rates compare well, even with other countries in the region. Fixed voice tariffs also compare very favourably (however, Batelco’s current tariff structure is out of line with underlying costs). By international standards, rates for both leased line and broadband services are high, especially for higherspeed broadband services. This has implications for Bahrain’s ability to be competitive in the knowledge economy. Measures resulting from the Strategic and Retail Market Review (see Building a Competitive Market) address some of these issues. Table 1: Shows the number of Tariff Proposals submitted by Batelco No. of Tariff Proposal requests Type of services submitted by Batelco* Approved Rejected Withdrawn International calls 8 3 2 3 National fixed 2 2 0 0 Fixed and mobile 2 2 0 0 Fax 1 1 0 0 Paging 2 2 0 0 Internet 17 14 2 1 Mobile 12 10 0 2 Total 44 34 4 6 *In addition TRA has received about 30 temporary mobile promotions Quality of services An issue of great importance to telecommunications users is the quality of service they receive. In May TRA issued a draft regulation for consultation which would require licensed operators to measure and report on quality for fixed, mobile, internet and directory enquiry (DQ) services. Indicators included the number and type of complaints, the time taken to resolve them and how quickly DQ and fault-reporting calls were answered. This information enables consumers to compare performance between operators and will help TRA to set targets where needed. Following the consultation TRA issued a regulation in September making the publication of the performance measures mandatory. The two Advisory Groups welcomed the move. Registration of prepaid mobile subscriber details In a move to support public safety and deter attempts to misuse telecommunications networks, TRA required mobile operators to register details of existing and new subscribers to prepaid mobile services. In the case of new subscribers, the operators needed to register verifiable subscriber data before activating a prepaid mobile SIM card. The decision was issued for consultation in July. Operators were required to submit their proposed plans and processes to fulfil this obligation by 1 August and to start registering subscribers on 1 September. TRA encouraged consumers to take an active part so that the mobile operators would hold details of all subscribers by early 2009. Towards the end of the year it became clear that there was a significant number of unregistered subscribers. As a result TRA decided to extend the registration period till 31 March 2009, allowing more time for operators to complete the registration process. Consumer complaints During the year, TRA received a total of 22 complaints from consumers. These related to matters they were not able to resolve with their service providers. This compares with 17 in 2007. TRA was able to resolve most of these cases within the year.
16 TRA Annual Report 2008 Building a Competitive Market 16 BUILDING A COMPETITIVE MARKET As competition continued to grow, the new National Telecommunications Plan set the high level objectives for telecommunications in the Kingdom over the next three years, while the outcomes from the Strategic and Retail Market Review set the milestones for the year. The prospect of a third mobile operator gave a boost to competition in the mobile market. TRA faced a challenge in adapting the regulatory environment to support the development of innovative services that use emerging and converging technologies. These services bring considerable benefits for both consumers and the market. There was also progress in removing some long-standing barriers to effective competition, such as the lack of number portability. Working with the industry TRA developed a better way ahead on other issues, such as building telecommunications infrastructure.
Page 1 and 2: We regulate We help 2008 ANNUAL REP
Page 3 and 4: OUR VISION To develop the Kingdom o
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Annual Report 2008 - TRA - Telecommunication Regulatory Authority

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