The Albanian government is revising the electronic communications legal framework by putting forward a consultation for a new draft law focusing on 5G technology, which will bring local law in line with that of the EU.
The draft will aim and improve the general regulatory framework for electronic communications in the hopes of attracting investments for very high-capacity electronic communications networks and 5G.
“The draft law revises the regulations in force, in relation to the frequency spectrum, the universal service regime, the rules for consumer protection, numbering and emergency communications, the rules for access and the regulation of the market as a whole, based on a more symmetrical regulation” the relation underlines.
“The current regulations need to be reviewed in the context of the changes that have occurred in the electronic communications sector, developments in digital technologies, new applications, and services that enable electronic communication tools.
“The drafting of a new draft law emerges as a need to address the market’s problems better and to fulfil the strategic objectives for a gigabit society, taking into consideration the continuous changes in technologies,” the report underlines.
As for investments in the 5G network, the draft explicitly underlines security and the need to mitigate risk at a national level for users, providers and suppliers of 5G.
Other provisions include detailed assessments of suppliers, the submission of critical data on components and sensitive parts of the 5G network and the creation of methodology to evaluate stakeholders properly.
The methodology for assessing the risk profile of suppliers and network equipment providers enters into force on the day of publication in the Official Gazette. It is subsequently published on the website of state organisations with the authority and power to guarantee security, reliability and trust for interoperable networks.
Albania does not currently have a 5G network, but steps have been taken towards rolling it out. In June 2021, Prime Minister Edi Rama signed an agreement with the US on coordinating 5G infrastructure.
Albania is part of “The Clean Network”, a US-led initiative to secure digital trust standards across a coalition of democracies. More than 60 countries have joined the industry so far. Notably, it highlights security risks for countries relying on Chinese 5G technology.
Rama stressed that his government had kept Albania safe from untrusted 5G technology and infrastructure vendors. He called on all countries in the region to join the US initiative.
