The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) has issued the final Mobile Site Sharing Instruction to set out requirements for telecom service providers to share mobile sites towards national network coverage and quality of service.
The mobile service providers are required to meet national network coverage and quality of service criteria under their licences.
Mobile service providers are required by Article 112 of the Telecommunications Law to allow mobile service providers to share sites and co-locate Telecommunications Network facilities on the existing facilities of the other, where such site sharing and co-location is technically and economically feasible. So far, mobile service providers have been able to share sites and collocation facilities on a commercially negotiated basis.
This Instruction will help set the way forward for service providers to share mobile sites more efficiently in the future.
Prior to issuing the Instruction, CRA conducted consultations
with Ooredoo and Vodafone Qatar on the subject. . The submissions received from both service providers were reviewed and taken into consideration by CRA. The draft Instruction was accordingly revised including certain modifications in finalizing the Mobile Site Sharing Instruction.
Based on a review of the submissions made by Ooredoo and Vodafone Qatar, CRA has now published the Mobile Site Sharing Instruction.