ITU-T Recommendations

In many countries, Other Licensed Operators (OLOs) are allowed to compete with the incumbent operator. This creates an environment where a company has to install, operate and maintain its network bearing in mind that other networks exist right beside it, or even at the same location. In a number of countries, it is also determined that the operators should share some parts of the network with OLOs, in a transparent process to the users. This is called Unbundling of Network Elements or, in short, unbundling, and is a very complex task. Some new issues have to be taken into account to allow the accommodation of those operators sharing the same location to do so without problems. To guarantee an environment where operators interact but do not affect the Quality of Service provided by other operators, legal, regulatory and administrative statements must be followed by the correct technical solutions, which assure the network integrity, easy use of equipment and access to security. This Recommendation is intended to provide the guidelines to achieve these targets for the local loop in copper networks.