Tag Archives: Regulate

UAE To Introduce New Laws Soon To Regulate Drones

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The United Arab Emirates will finalize laws to more heavily regulate the sale of drones and their operations soon, aiming to minimize risks posed by unmanned aerial vehicles, an official at the aviation regulator said on Monday.

Dubai International Airport was closed for more than an hour on June 12 due to unauthorized drone activity in the surrounding airspace that resulted in millions of dollars of losses for the economy.

“Several incidents have happened and to integrate them (drones) safely into the commercial airspace is a challenge,” Mohammed Faisal al-Dossari, director, air navigation & aerodromes department, UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), said.

Current regulations on drones in the UAE, introduced in April 2015, relate mainly to commercial licensing and approving how companies use drones and are under constant development, al Dossari told reporters at a regional conference on drones in the UAE capital.

“The Emirates Authority for Standardization & Metrology (Esma) is working on laws that will have a framework for the UAE for imports, sales and performance of drones,” he said.

Abu Dhabi has banned the sale of recreational drones since March last year until new laws are issued, saying they posed a risk to aviation.

The new laws will also address air-worthiness for heavier drones, standards for pilotless aircraft and pilot training among other issues, al Dossari said.

At least 400 drones, mostly commercial, are registered with the GCAA. Drones are used for commercial operations such as mapping, security surveillance, wildlife surveys as well as for environment, transport, agricultural and maritime purposes, among others in the UAE.

Read More: reuters

Nigeria May Regulate Use Of WhatsApp, BBM, Skype, Facebook

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The Nigerian Communications Commission is considering a framework for the regulation of over-the-top services in the Nigerian telecoms market.

Over-the-top services, otherwise known as OTT, are services carried over the networks, delivering value to customers, but without any carrier service provider being involved in planning, selling, provisioning, or servicing them.

OTT services are offered through Internet communication.

In Nigeria, the most common OTT services are WhatsApp messenger, BlackBerry Messenger, Facebook, and Skype which are classified under social media applications.

In other words, telecom operators such as MTN, Etisalat, Glo, and Airtel lack direct control or influence over WhatsApp messenger, BBM, Facebook or Skype.

Internet telephony and live streaming are also part of OTT services.

The growth of OTT services is encouraged by the access to 3G and 4G networks which offer mobile broadband and high speed IP data.

A report, ‘An Overview of Provision of Over The Top [OTT] Services’ published recently by the Policy, Competition & Economic Analysis Department of the Nigerian Communications Commission, says OTT services were becoming a threat to the traditional telephone network operators.

This development, the report said, is a global issue.

The threat, according to the NCC report, comes from the fact that Internet telephony is not only cheap, and free in some cases, but it also offers many features previously unavailable with telephones, therefore making it more attractive to consumers.

And unlike the traditional telephone network operator, the operators of Internet telephony don’t pay tolls for their services.

Besides, the report said since telecom operators such as MTN, Etisalat, Glo and Airtel do not have control over WhatsApp, BBM, Facebook and the rest of the social media applications, they (the telecom operators) cannot do not generate revenues from services offered through these applications.

Credit: PremiumTimes

Nigeria Has No Power To Regulate DSTV Prices- MultiChoice

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?South African digital satellite television company, Multichoice, has defended its decision to increase DSTV subscription rates in Nigeria, saying neither the country nor its courts, has the powers to regulate its prices.

The ruling on the objecti?on by Multichoice Nigeria Limited against an application seeking to stop ?the price increase ?has been scheduled for Thursday, May 21, 2015 at the Federal High Court, Lagos.

Two Lagos-based lawyers, Oluyinka Oyeniji and Osasuyi Adebayo, had initiated a class action on behalf of millions of Nigerians who criticised the new subscription rates as exploitative and insensitive.

The duo had sought the order of the court to stop MultiChoice or its agents from implementing the 20 per cent hike in the fees charged subscribers for using the service effective April 1, 2015.

The plaintiffs equally asked the court to compel the National Broadcasting Commission to take steps to monitor and regulate MultiChoice operations in Nigerian to ensure that it does not hike their fees arbitrarily.

The two applicants said they were expecting the NBC to ensure that they compel DSTV to deal with Nigerians the same way DSTV deals with other subscribers in other parts of the continent where MultiChoice operates, by ensuring that the pay-per-view scheme was introduced in the country.

This arrangement, they argued, would ensure that Nigerian subscribers to DSTV would only pay for programmes actually watched, as is the case in South Africa.

Read More: premiumtimesng