"Bite-sized" updates from TRPC on tech-related developments in APAC. In Hong Kong more spectrum has been earmarked for 5G, while Indonesia wants to better monitor the QoS. The long-drawn saga of the Common Tower initiative in the Philippines continues to play on. Other updates include on data protection updates in India, New Zealand, and South Korea, new OTT rules and consultations in Australia, India, and Taiwan. And digital payments acceptance requiring new consumer protection and security systems in place.

1. August 2020
Digital Bytes

2. Additional Spectrum Assignment in 4.9 GHz Band Considered
TELECOMS
DIGITAL BYTES
AUGUST 2020
Kominfo to Build Telecommunications Monitoring Centre
Common Tower Permit Issued
• The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) along with 8 other government
agencies issued guidelines to streamline permits for common towers.
• The guidelines are aimed at reducing the entire construction timeline for shared passive infrastructure
from 200 to 16 days.
• The Communication Authority (CA) and the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (SCED)
carried out a public consultation on the assignment arrangements of an additional 80 MHz spectrum in
the 4.80 - 4.96GHz band for public mobile services including 5G.
• To accelerate digital transformation, Kominfo plans to establish a Telecommunications Monitoring Centre
that will measure the quality of service of telcos in Indonesia.
• Measurement of service quality is expected to be carried out using two methods, a static test and a drive
test on roads.

3. New Zealand Consults on Establishing CDR
• The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is consulting on whether a Consumer Data
Right (CDR) is needed in New Zealand and how it should be designed.
• A CDR will enable individuals to consent to sharing their data with trusted third parties in a safe and secure
way. This will promote competition and give consumers access to a wider range of products and services.
DATA
• The govt has amended the enforcement decree of its Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) to allow
for the use and provision of personal information without consent, while introducing new procedures for
the use of pseudonymised information.
Draft Non-Personal Data Governance Framework Released
• The committee constituted by MeitY to study non-personal data has released a Draft Governance
Framework, which defines three main categories of non-personal data - public non-personal data,
community non-personal data and private non-personal data.
• The draft recommends separate legislation to govern and regulate non-personal data, and a regulator
who would have legal powers to request data, supervise data sharing requests and settle disputes.
DIGITAL BYTES
AUGUST 2020
Revisions Made to PIPA Enforcement Decree

4. Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules Released
• The Consumer Affairs Department’s E-Commerce Rules include requiring e-commerce entities to display
‘country of origin’ of products, take consent of consumers through an ‘explicit and affirmative action’,
appoint nodal officer located in India, and provide accurate information.
OVER-THE-TOP (OTT)
ACCC Consults on Draft Mandatory Code for Media and Digital Platforms
NCC Drafts Management Measures for OTT Media Services
• NCC intends to adopt a voluntary registration system except for service operators with a large operating
scale and significant market influence.
• Provisions on key information disclosure, self-regulation, prohibition on inappropriate content and
incentives for local content creation are also included in the draft regulations.
• The code offers a framework under which Australian media companies can bargain with Google and
Facebook to secure fair payment for their news content.
• It addresses bargaining power imbalances and offers a binding final offer arbitration process if Australian
news businesses and the digital platforms cannot strike a deal after bargaining in good faith.
DIGITAL BYTES
AUGUST 2020

5. BOT Approves the Use of Facial Recognition
• The Bank of Thailand (BOT) has announced a set of guidelines for biometric technologies, including facial
recognition, and five banks have been allowed to put systems in place for new accounts.
• The BOT’s plan is to first enable the use of biometrics for new or existing customers, and then widen their
use to allow cross-verification of users’ identity across financial service providers.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
RBI Announces ODR for Digital Payments
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced the introduction of an Online Dispute Resolution (ODR)
System for resolving consumer disputes and grievances.
• Payment System Operators (PSOs) – banks and non-banks, will be required to put in place ODR Systems
by 1 Jan 2021. They will also provide access to this System to Payment System Participants (PSPs).
FSC Unveils Information Security Action Plan
• The information security Action Plan issued by the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) will serve as a
guide for financial institutions and associations to review their information security strategies,
technologies and management systems to improve security, convenience and uninterrupted financial
services.
DIGITAL BYTES
AUGUST 2020

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TRPC is a boutique consulting firm which specialises in
telecommunications and information technology, particularly the
policy and regulatory issues associated with national information
infrastructure development, with an emphasis on the Asia-Pacific
region. We offer specialised advisory, research, and training
services, with a focus on economics, regulatory and strategic
business issues, and possess an extensive network of industry
experts and professionals throughout the region.