This week SCF is in Kuala Lumpur at the TowerXchange Asia meetup, where Richard Kennedy, SCF COO, is running a workshop on regulation.

Why is this important?

All too often we tend to look at technology and regulation in isolation, but to effectively meet requirements for ubiquitous connectivity we need to consider both, together, through a commercial lens. Quite simply, this is why SCF exists: to bring regulation and technology together and ensure they’re fit-for-purpose for future-proof service delivery.

That’s why for some time now SCF has believed that developing a global baseline regulatory framework will help drive multi-operator network infrastructure. As an action-oriented organization committed to helping solve the real challenges our members face, we’re not just championing such a framework but actively trying to define it.

We’ve been working with service providers in Europe and the US to gather inputs around the pain points they’re experiencing. Despite local country differences there are a number of emerging themes and commonalities across the two regions:

• Access to local physical infrastructure: the need for cellular service providers to secure streamlined access to critical infrastructure such as street furniture and utility poles
• Zoning and permit approvals: delays to securing these directly impacts deployments, delaying the delivery of connectivity to businesses and communities
• Antenna siting: restrictions on antenna placement are impacting network deployments
• Right-of-way access: there is a clear need for standardized access to right-of-way infrastructure
• Environmental policies: challenges in finding the right balance between environmental goals and economic growth in telecoms operations
• Local fees and taxes: these local costs can have a significant impact on cellular infrastructure economics
• Data privacy and security: when it comes to cellular network security there is a clear imperative for consistent regulations
• Spectrum allocation: regulations on both spectrum sharing and allocation have significant impact on private network providers
• Globally fragmented regulatory policy: variations in policies create deployment challenges and make it difficult for players to scale across regions
• Neutral host and private networks: limited understanding of the associated business models
• Undeveloped regulation and policies: for private networks, infrastructure and spectrum sharing in particular

That’s why our attendance at Kuala Lumpur this week is so important: because the next stage in this journey is to understand if these pain points align with Asia concerns.

We know Asia is a significantly more fragmented market than other regions, so we’re looking forward to discovering the commonalities and unearthing any additional regional specific issues that we need to add into the mix.