Kuwait's parliament approves bill to create telecom regulator

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By Sylvia Westall KUWAIT, April 1 (Reuters) - Kuwait's parliament approved a bill to create an independent telecom regulator on Tuesday, which should end a conflict of interest as the Ministry of Communications currently regulates the industry and operates the fixed-line network. It was **t clear though what the new regulator's powers will be or what impact it might have on the country's four major Internet service providers or its three mobile operators, Zain , Saudi Telecom Co affiliate Viva and Wataniya, a subsidiary of Qatar's Ooredoo. Kuwait is the only Gulf Arab country without a telecom regulator and the creation of such a body may indicate the government will revive plans to privatise the fixed network, which has been under consideration for more than 20 years. Market participants such as Internet service provider Qualitynet have complained that state control of the fixed network has left Kuwait lagging behind its Gulf peers in terms of Internet connectivity.

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