TRA reduces raft of Batelco’s wholesale charges

Bahrain’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has issued an order setting ‘fair and reasonable’ charges for regulated wholesale access and interconnection services offered by Batelco to alternative operators, modifying the incumbent telco’s previously published terms in its Reference Offer for 2012. Amongst the charges being reduced are: bitstream and wholesale DSL broadband access (by between 2% and 26%); interconnection links (30%-50%); domestic leased lines (up to 46%); international leased half circuits to Gulf countries (28%-68%), and to Southeast/East Asia, Europe and the USA (41%-45%). Interconnection service charges will remain static, as will duct access charges. The TRA is also introducing a maximum price that Batelco can charge altnets for a field study required prior to cabling.