QNA/Doha
The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) said that Civil Passive Infrastructure Access Regulation, issued in June 2015 and published in the Official Government Gazette (Issue No 18, dated November 29, 2015), enables access to civil infrastructure for telecommunication services, and applies to all public or private entities that control access to such infrastructure.
The Access Regulation, a result of vigorous consultations with stakeholders, will help resolve the many access related issues telecom service providers in Qatar had been facing, and provide clarity on what infrastructure should be accessed.
Strategically, the Regulation will contribute to the development of a competitive and sustainable telecommunication sector as well as act as a catalyst to facilitate Qatar’s economy to diversify, grow and attract long-term investments.
The Regulation establishes the obligations of the access providers and access seekers and sets out the minimum terms and conditions to ensure all provisions are non-discriminatory in terms of product, price, process, and quality. The Regulation includes infrastructure like ducts, manholes, cable trays, telecom towers, masts, collocation facilities, cooling units, back-up generators, and electrical power connections.
The Regulation stipulates clear guidelines on how the request must be initiated and processed. For instance, the access provider is obliged to respond to any request for access clearly stating justifications to its initial response as it may be within 10 days. It also specifies how CRA will deal with non-compliance issues.
