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Regulatory Framework:
- The fixed Telecommunications sub-sector has been fully liberalized since 1/1/2005 and it is now fully opened for competition.
- o A new GSM Mobile license has been granted to a Jordanian company "UMNIAH" in August 2004, bringing the number of mobile operators to four;
- FastLink ( GSM)
- MobileCom (GSM)
- Xpress (iDen)
- Umniah (GSM)
- Government has approved the General Policy for Universal Service in the Telecommunication Sector (21/12/2004).
- TRC, in line with approved Universal Service Policy, has set the Universal Service Regulatory Framework, which includes the Instructions on Sharing of USO cost, and published it on its website on 24/4/2006.
- The new Integrated Licensing and Regulatory regime represents adoption principles of unified licensing supported by a body of regulation. Two forms of licenses have been adopted:
- Individual License: Obtaining an individual license is required by all public telecom network operators or by operators providing public telecom services using scarce resources, which are defined as radio frequency spectrum, public rights of way and numbers. The fee for an individual license is 100,000 Jordanian Dinars ($ 140,000).
- Class License: Obtaining a class license is required by all public telecom service providers that do not use scarce resources or those providers whose use of such scarce resources is deemed by the TRC not to have a tangible effect on these resources. The fee for this type of license is 30,000 Jordanian Dinars ($ 43,000).
- Markets for Networks and Services:
- On 27/6/2006, the Government of Jordan offered all of its remaining stakes in the incumbent (Jordan Telecom) for sale. The sale has not been fully successful. Government still owns 11.7%
- A new GSM Mobile license was granted to a Jordanian company "UMNIAH" on 9/8/2004.
- A Trunked Radio Dispatch License was granted to Jordanian company (New Generation Telecommunication Company – Xpress) on 6/4/2003 to provide Trunked Radio Dispatch Service (TRDS) using iDEN technology.
- The new Integrated Licensing and Regulatory Regime has eliminated any limitations on the number of licenses that will be issued or on the type and range of non public mobile wireless services that may be provided the types of associated networks used, except as required by considerations relating to normal network safeguards, security, use of scarce resources, and technical limitations.
- Twelve ISPs are currently operating in Jordan, which are: LINK, Wanadoo, Batelco, MEC, NEXT, Cyberia, Al-Deka, TE-Data, Viacloud, Sama, Arab International Company for Education & Investment, and Swftel .
- TRC has transitioned 23 existing class licensees to the new licensing regime, which permits expansion of the scope of services to compete with the incumbent Jordan Telecom.
- TRC has transitioned three Mobile Service licensees; FastLink, UMNIAH, and XPress to the Integrated Licensing Regime (Individual License). The process of transitioning Jordan Telecom and MobileCom to the Integrated Regime is still in progress.
- On 29/8/2006, TRC published an RFC seeking comments and ideas that would lead to the realization of Next Generation National Broadband Networks in Jordan. TRC is now in process of evaluating the comments received from interested parties.
- The total numbers of licensees for Public Telecommunication Services in Jordan is 60.
- Two Radio Spectrum Licenses for Fixed Broadband Wireless Access services (FBWA) were awarded through a competitive bidding process to two Public Telecommunication Services licensees; Umniah (3.5 GHz) in December 2006, and ATCO-Clearwire (3.6 GHz) in January 2007.
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