The Maldives telecommunications services market is made up of two players Dhiraagu and Ooredoo Maldives, both providing all telecommunication services under universal licenses and a 3rd service provider Focus Infocom. Focus Infocom is an ISP mainly focused on providing internet services only in the capital Male’. Dhiraagu had been the only telecom service provider in the country until the competition was introduced in 2003 with the licensing of Focus Infocom as the second internet service provider. Ooredoo Maldives started their service in 2005 under the name of Wataniya Telecom Maldives when they were licensed as the second mobile operator. They expanded their services to provide nationwide mobile internet services from very early on and began providing fixed broadband services when they were issued with an additional ISP license. In an effort to develop and enhance the communication services in Maldives, the 4th Licence was awarded to Starlink Services Maldives, a company incorporated by the SpaceX Corp, to provide it's Starlink internet services in Maldives.
Broadband coverage is nationwide with mobile broadband available on every single island and fixed broadband covering about 80% of the population. While older fixed broadband services were rolled out over a cable network, currently fixed broadband over fibre is available in about 40% of the islands and growing.
Internet service providers provide a wide-ranging variety of packages providing speeds from 5 Mbps to 200 Mbps with different data allowances and benefits. With the ever-increasing demand from the public for enhanced quality of internet services at lower prices, CAM is keen to ensure that what is being delivered to the public is what is stated by the service providers.
Therefore, CAM plans to monitor the quality of broadband services in the country on a regular basis and publish the results thereby building public confidence in the services.
The objective of this assignment is to establish a comprehensive monitoring and reporting framework for the Communications Authority of Maldives (CAM), ensuring that the infrastructure and service providers fulfil their commitments. This involves identifying the necessary resources and equipment, including training required for the personnel to operate such equipment to enable consistent monitoring of broadband services throughout the country. Additionally, the assignment includes developing and updating regulatory frameworks to promote open access and fair competition in the telecommunications industry. Furthermore, recommendation of detailed capacity building programs would need to be designed and implemented to enhance the oversight and enforcement capacity of CAM staff, enabling effective regulation and monitoring of the sector.