1) Provide a framework to govern Wholesale National Roaming Service agreements between Telecommunications Operators; 2) Provide clarity on the rules and procedures the Authority shall follow to regulate Wholesale National Roaming agreements, in accordance with Article 44 of the Proclamation; 3) Provide a more level playing field for New Licensees to reach customers beyond their cellular mobile network coverage, during their initial network roll out period; and, 4) Lower the barriers to entry and expansion to enhance competition amongst Telecommunications Operators. 4. Scope of Application 1) This Directive shall apply to the provision of Wholesale National Roaming Services within the territory of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. 2) The provisions in this Directive do not apply to, or preclude, the provision of Wholesale National Roaming Services between Telecommunications Operators for redundancy purposes in the event of natural disasters, planed, or unplanned network outages. PART TWO ROLE OF THE AUTHORITY 5. Role of the Authority 1) The Authority shall: a) Regulate the provision of Wholesale National Roaming Services (“Wholesale Roaming”); b) Provide a high degree of certainty on the rules governing the provision of Wholesale Roaming between Telecommunications Operators; c) Intervene to determine the terms of the agreement in accordance with Article 44 (9) of the Proclamation, and this Directive, when parties are unable to reach an agreement for Wholesale Roaming; and, d) At all times, reserve the right to examine agreements for Wholesale Roaming to ensure consistency with the relevant licenses and compliance with this Directive or any other applicable Directive adopted by the Authority. 2) The Authority may: a) Intervene at its own discretion, or if requested by a party to a Wholesale Roaming agreement, determine whether the charges for Wholesale Roaming are lawful, in accordance with Articles 45 and 46 of the Proclamation, this Directive, or any applicable Directive adopted by the Authority; and b) Intervene at its own discretion, or at the request of a party to an agreement, to resolve a Wholesale Roaming agreement dispute in accordance with the mechanism provided in the dispute resolution mechanism in this Directive and the Authority’s Dispute Resolution Directive. 3