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The Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory
Authority (ATRA) would like to contract a Consultant for the review
of the Spectrum Policy including the spectrum pricing and spectrum
allocation procedures that are needed for the telecom operations in
Afghanistan. The TOR of this Consultancy is attached to this
announcement.
Instructions for Applicants:
Experts who are interested in this Consultancy should submit their
proposals and CVs by e-mail to secretary@atra.gov.af by the
deadline; 1600 hours 20th April 2008. Hard copies of the proposals
and CVs can be sent to the following address:
Secretary, Afghanistan Telecommunications Regulatory Authority
(ATRA), 10th Floor of MCIT Building, Mohammad Jan Khan Watt, Kabul,
Afghanistan.
The proposals for this Consultancy should have the following
information:
1. The approaches of the Consultant for the completion of this
Consultancy within the framework as outlined in the TOR.
2. Time Schedule for the implementation of the Project, which should
include all the activities that are needed for the completion of the
work plus on the job training for the personnel of ATRA. The
Consultant is free to propose a shorter implementation period.
3. Detailed CV of the Consultant and Monthly Salary or the total
amount of cost for the complete Consultancy in (USD) and should
indicate whether the amount shown in the proposal is negotiable or
not.
4. Verifiable references for the projects that are completed by the
Expert in the past. Each reference should include the name of the
Referee, his role in the project, name of the organization, duration
of the project with start and finish dates, address of the project,
e-mail and telephone number of the Referee.
5. Cover Letter which will briefly state the interest of the
consultant in this consultancy.
Enquiries on specific issues can be sent to secretary@atra.gov.af.
The required information will be provided within 2-3 days after the
receipt of the enquiry. This line of communication should be kept to
a minimum
Terms of Reference for a Consultant on
Spectrum Allocation and Pricing
(Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority (ATRA))
The Afghan telecommunications sector is expanding rapidly in a
post-conflict environment. Now, there are over 4.7 million
subscribers, with current investments of US$1.05 Billion and
expected to reach US$1.5 billion by 2010. About 99 per cent of these
subscribers use wireless networks, that is, GSM and CDMA. It is
likely, given topographic and security considerations, that
Afghanistan will continue to see an expansion of its wireless
coverage in voice telephony and even in broadband services.
Consequently, it is essential for continued growth in the sector
that the Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority (ATRA) identifies
and allocates sufficient spectrum to meet current and future
demands.
There are two specific concerns for ATRA regarding spectrum
management:
• How it should allocate and price the spectrum for both current and
future users
• How it can ensure the supply of spectrum for future uses.
ATRA would like to contract a consultant to review the existing
arrangements for spectrum allocation and pricing and assist ATRA in
developing new mechanisms to allocate and price spectrum to ensure
fairness, transparency and efficiency, both for current and future
uses.
The consultant will be engaged for 04 months in 2008.
Deliverables:
(1) The consultant will prepare two reports for ATRA:
a. The first report will assess current spectrum allocation
mechanisms and the exact requirements of ATRA and make specific
recommendations on how ATRA can allocate further spectrum to current
users and new entrants.
b. The second report will identify potential mechanisms for the
allocation and pricing of spectrum in the future, develop a roadmap
for moving from the current spectrum management regime to the
proposed one and make specific recommendations on how spectrum might
be re-farmed from incumbent users for the purpose of efficient
utilization of spectrum, prevention of spectrum monopoly and
strengthening competition.
(2) Individually, each report will:
a. Have specific and concise assessment and analysis of the spectrum
allocation and pricing regime and the associated issues and
challenges. For the second report, this assessment will be directed
towards the expected demand for spectrum given technical and market
trends, such as broadband wireless and 3G networks. This will
require identification of the spectrum bands required for these
technologies.
b. Have a brief summary of the options available to ATRA for
spectrum allocation mechanisms based on international experiences
and best practices.
c. Detailed analysis of pricing mechanisms with clearly indicated
valuations of spectrum in the appropriate spectrum bands, based on
international benchmarks and Afghan market conditions.
d. Evaluate these options in the Afghan context and present the best
mechanism for ATRA to implement a fair, transparent and efficient
allocation and pricing mechanism. Further, these mechanisms should
encourage efficient utilization of spectrum.
e. Provide, in the second report, a detailed and specific roadmap
for ensuring the future supply of spectrum depending on the timeline
for potential technologies’ introduction into Afghanistan.
f. Have specific, clearly defined, and actionable recommendations
based on the assessment and analysis.
g. Have a specific and clearly defined recommendation on a
methodology to re-farm spectrum from incumbent users.
Methodology/Tasks:
The consultant should:
(1) Review the legal framework and the license conditions; identify
areas of conflicts between the existing legislation and the license
conditions.
(2) Interact with ATRA and other stakeholders to understand the
specific issues and challenges and potential benefits and costs for
the involved parties from the current and proposed spectrum
allocation and pricing regime.
(3) Assess the current spectrum allocation and pricing regime,
current allocations and assignments, as well as usage and scope for
better utilization.
(4) Provide a clear analysis of the technology and market
developments (e.g. 3G and broadband wireless) that will influence
the requirements for spectrum in the future.
(5) Perform a cross-country survey and comparison of different
options for allocation and pricing.
(6) Recommend the best allocation and pricing mechanism based on
this survey and comparison and considering the specific context of
Afghanistan’s telecom sector and growth prospects.
(7) Provide a detailed and specific timeline to indicate the
requirements of spectrum into the next five to ten years to ensure
adequate availability and prepare ATRA for re-farming procedures.
(8) Develop a mechanism for re-farming spectrum from incumbent
users.
(9) Provide any further advice to enable greater efficiencies in
allocation and utilization of spectrum and prevention of spectrum
monopoly.
(10) Interact and engage with the ATRA to ensure that the quality of
the output at the end of the consultation period is very high.
Specific terms of reference:
The consultant should:
(1) Create two specific and concise reports that will assess and
analyze the current and future allocation and pricing mechanisms and
provide actionable recommendations.
(2) The recommendations – for both reports – should be set to a
time-line for implementation, with specific milestones and
evaluation mechanisms to gauge successful implementation.
(3) Work with translators to create a summary version of the final
report in Dari.
Qualifications of the Consultant:
(1) A qualified candidate will have significant experience in the
analysis of ICT regulation. The consultant should have experience in
issues related to spectrum policy. Further, it is desirable that the
consultant should be familiar with assessing the implications of
market and technical developments.
(2) Working experience in either Afghanistan or South Asian or
Middle Eastern markets is desirable. Fluency in English is
necessary, while knowledge of Pashto/Dari is desirable.
(3) Consultant should be willing to travel to Afghanistan for the
accomplishment of this task.
Level of Effort:
The consultancy is expected to require a level of effort of four
months.
Timetable:
The consultant will complete the assignment in four months from the
joining date at Kabul. Main milestones of the assistance are as
under:
• Methodology/Inception Report (Joining Date + 20 days)
• Progress Report 1 (Joining Date + 60 days)
• Progress Report 2 (Joining Date + 90 days)
• Final Report and the Concluding Work (Joining Date + 120 days)
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