The Supreme Council of Information and Communications Technology, ictQATAR, has designated Qtel as a Dominant Service Provider (DSP) in all 14 relevant retail and wholesale markets in Qatar, following the Regulatory Authority’s 2010 Market Definition and Dominance Designation (MDDD) Review. From the review, Vodafone was deemed to be a DSP in two wholesale terminating markets (fixed and mobile), in which a network operator is always inherently dominant.
The 2010 MDDD review was the second time ictQATAR has undertaken the MDDD process. On 24 June 2008, Qtel was designated as a DSP in all 15 relevant retail and wholesale markets. In the 2010 MDDD review, ictQATAR examined the relevant retail and wholesale markets in Qatar and, in consultation with QTel and Vodafone, further defined 14 relevant retail and wholesale markets.
The MDDD review is conducted periodically by ictQATAR to safeguard the interests of consumers and the public, and to ensure the continued development and liberalization of Qatar’s telecommunications sector.
The designation as a DSP triggers a range of legal obligations under Telecommunications Law 34 of 2006, Executive By-Law 1 of 2009, the Licenses issued to QTel and Vodafone, and other regulatory instruments. Specific obligations that apply to DSPs include dealing on a non-discriminatory basis and the prohibition of an abuse of their dominant position.
ictQATAR launched the MDDD review in October 2010, which entailed a comprehensive review of the relevant markets in the telecommunication sector in Qatar, and an analysis of whether the service providers have significant market power or hold a dominant position in one or more of those relevant markets.
Due to the dynamic nature of some relevant markets, Qtel and Vodafone are to supply a set of basic indicators to ictQATAR on a quarterly basis to serve as a first indication of market development, and enable a reassessment of market power in shorter time periods. These ‘dynamic’ relevant markets at this point in time are:
ictQATAR’s final MDDD 2010 Notice and Orders, with the Final Response Document and a Notice of Methodology that may be applied in future MDDD reviews are all available at this link.
The public consultation documents related to the MDDD 2010 are available at:
- First Round of Consultation is available at this link.
- Second Round of Consultation is available at this link.