The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) has issued a decision in response to a complaint filed by Qatar National Broadband Network (QNBN) against Ooredoo for not complying with an agreement to provide access to its ducts infrastructure.
This is the second such complaint filed by QNBN requesting regulatory intervention by CRA under its Dispute Resolution Framework.
The previous complaint was filed in 2013 when Ooredoo stopped providing QNBN access to its ducts.
The-then Regulatory Authority under Ministry of Information and Communications Technology issued a decision ordering Ooredoo to provide access to its duct infrastructure.
In late 2015, Ooredoo again stopped providing access to its ducts prompting QNBN to complain to CRA.
CRA issued an interim decision asking the parties to implement the agreement previously reached between themselves.
CRA also conducted a thorough investigation and found Ooredoo engaging in anti-competitive behaviour with multiple breaches of the Telecommunications Law, including the foreclosure of the fixed market and inconsistent provision of access to its ducts infrastructure to QNBN and Vodafone Qatar that led to the final Decision issued today.
CRA has directed Ooredoo to process and fulfil all pending access requests and resume processing new access requests submitted under their agreement.
The Decision also ask Ooredoo to implement an access agreement with Vodafone Qatar in compliance with the approved Reference Infrastructure Access Offer.
According to the decision, Ooredoo shall provide CRA a monthly report setting out the number of access requests received during the previous month, as well as a Performance Bond of QR15mn to guarantee its compliance with these orders.