August 26, 2022 Results of Solicitation of Opinions on Draft Revisions to the Guidelines on Application Relationships of the Telecommunications Business Act and the Radio Act concerning Infrastructure Sharing in the Mobile Communications Field and Release of Revised Guidelines

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) made a solicitation of opinions from Saturyday, June 25, through Monday, July 25, 2022, on draft revisions to the Guidelines on Application Relationships of the Telecommunications Business Act and the Radio Act concerning Infrastructure Sharing in the Mobile Communications Field. As a result, nine opinions were submitted. Accordingly, MIC discloses the submitted opinions along with MIC’s views on the opinions and the revised Guidelines to the public.

1. Results of solicitation of opinions

In developing the fifth-generation (5G) mobile communications system, it is important to promote "infrastructure sharing" in which mobile communications carriers have others use their equipment, such as steel towers, or make shared use of such equipment among multiple carriers. The Infrastructure Plan for Digital Garden City Nation (published on March 29, 2022) also states that, in order to push forward development of 5G base stations utilizing infrastructure sharing, "the 'Guidelines on Application Relationships of the Telecommunications Business Act and the Radio Act concerning Infrastructure Sharing in the Mobile Communications Field' will be revised by the end of FY2022 toward developing rules on infrastructure sharing between mobile phone carriers and infrastructure sharing business operators."
Therefore, toward developing rules on infrastructure sharing between mobile phone carriers and infrastructure sharing business operators, MIC prepared draft revisions to the Guidelines on Application Relationships of the Telecommunications Business Act and the Radio Act concerning Infrastructure Sharing in the Mobile Communications Field in order to further clarify the application relationships of the Telecommunications Business Act (Act No. 86 of 1984) and the Radio Act (Act No. 131 of 1950). Then, from Saturday, June 25, through Monday, July 25, 2022, MIC solicited opinions on the draft revisions.

2. Results of solicitation of opinions

As a result of the solicitation of opinions, nine opinions were submitted.

3. Revision of the guidelines

Based on the results of the solicitation of opinions, MIC revised the Guidelines on Application Relationships of the Telecommunications Business Act and the Radio Act concerning Infrastructure Sharing in the Mobile Communications Field.

4. How to obtain reference information

MIC will make the reference information available for viewing and obtaining copies at the Land Mobile Communications Division, Radio Department, Telecommunications Bureau, MIC (10th Floor, MIC). The reference information will also be posted on the public comment page of the e-Gov (https://www.e-gov.go.jp/).

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