With effect from 1st July 2011 to 30 June 2012 EU mobile operators will again be obliged to lower retail prices for roaming calls in line with EU rules first introduced in 2007 and amended in 2009. Consumers opting for the EU-regulated "Eurotariff" will pay no more than 35 cents per minute for calls made and 11 cents per minute for calls received while abroad in the EU. This is the last in the series of regulated price cuts under the current EU Roaming Regulation, which expires end June 2012. On 30 June 2010 the Commission published a report (see IP/10/851) indicating that, while such price cuts have temporarily reduced roaming prices during the regulated period, the current rules did not solve the underlying problem of lack of competition in roaming services and prices remained stubbornly close to the retail caps.

See Press Release
Source: Europa

The UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) has referred to the Competition Commission (CC) the price control matters in appeals brought against the telecom's regulator, Ofcom by British Telecom, Everything Everywhere, Hutchison 3G and Vodafone. The reference is about the prices that Ofcom permits communication providers to charge for the termination of a wholesale mobile voice call. The charges, which Ofcom announced in March 2011, cover the period to the end of March 2015. When fixed and mobile operators offer their customers the ability to call UK mobile numbers, they pay mobile communication providers a wholesale charge to complete those calls. The rates that operators pay are called MCT charges or more commonly 'mobile termination rates' (MTRs).

See Press Release
Source: Cellular-news

The Philippine telecoms regulator the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) is again considering proposals to reduce fees for mobile services in the country by lowering interconnection charges for voice calls and SMS messages sent between rival networks. It is understood the regulator has published two draft decisions on the matter – akin to previous measures floated in 2008 and 2009 – and is launching a public hearing on the plan, timed to take place before any decision is made on PLDT’s plan to acquire a controlling stake in Digital Telecommunications Philippines Inc (Digitel). In a statement released yesterday, the NTC said: ‘The country’s 85 million cellphone subscribers stand to gain from the … thrust of reducing interconnection charges on voice calls and short messaging service.’

See Press Release
Source: Telegeography

Brazilian state-owned telecoms company Telecomunicacoes Brasileiras (Telebras) has signed its first contract to supply cheaper broadband services, as part of the federal government’s plan to improve internet access in the country. Under the broader remit of the National Broadband Plan (PNBL), Telebras signed the contract with internet service provider (ISP) Sadnet, which offers services in the city of Santo Antonio do Descoberto about 30km from Brasilia. Sadnet plans to begin marketing the plan in about 30 days and is looking to provide a maximum 1Mbps connection for BRL35 (USD22.2) per month. Sadnet currently offers end users tariff plans ranging from 100kbps to 200kbps for between BRL29.90 and BRL39.90.

Telebras was given the green light by the telecoms regulator Anatel to operate broadband internet services in the last mile. The decision to issue a Multimedia Communication Service (SCM) licence, published on 20 January, allows Telebras to provide services directly to consumers, as part of the PNBL’s plan to provide nationwide access for high speed internet access by 2014.

See Press Release 
Source: Total TeleGeography

Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)  launched an online consultation asking Canadians to comment on the way large cable and telephone companies charge independent Internet service providers (ISPs) for the use of their networks.  CRTC is seeking the views of Canadians on the following questions:

• How do you think large cable and telephone companies should charge independent ISPs for the use of their networks? 
• What kind of wholesale pricing plans encourage innovative products and services that benefit consumers?
• What kind of wholesale pricing plans encourage network investment by large companies and independent ISPs?
• What kind of wholesale pricing plans would be most beneficial for consumers?

See Press Release
Source: CRTC

Bangladesh's government has agreed to revise the controversial plans to charge for radio spectrum and keep them at a "rational level". The proposed charges had been widely condemned as too high, and penalizing the larger networks by charging them proportionately higher rates than the smaller operators. Telecoms Minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju told reporters that the guideline drafted by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission would be revised. "The radio spectrum price as well as other charges would be determined after another meeting with the finance ministry," he said. "Fees will be reconsidered and kept at rational level."

See Press Release 
Source: Cellular-News

The Spanish government expects to raise up to 2.0 billion euros ($2.8 billion) from the auction of new mobile telephony spectrum starting in May, the government said on Friday. Most of the frequencies have become available after Spain's analogue TV switch-off last year, and will boost spectrum available for fast-growing 4G smartphone services by 70 percent. The bulk of the sale process will take place via a public auction, the Industry Ministry said in a statement, and the amounts can be paid in two tranches, half this year and half next, helping to boost Spain's public coffers.

See Press Release 
Source: Reuters

Germany’s network regulator, the Federal Network Agency (FNA), has lowered the monthly fee that incumbent telecoms operator Telekom Deutschland (TD) can charge rivals for using its lines connecting homes and businesses to the local telephone exchange, known as the ‘last-mile’. The FNA has made a preliminary decision that the rate will fall to EUR10.08 (USD15.3) per month from today (1 April 2011), from the previous fee of EUR10.2. The FNA also lowered the fee for local loop unbundling (LLU) access to a street cabinet from EUR7.21 to EUR7.17. The new rates are subject to national and European Union (EU) consultation procedures, with a final decision expected by the end of the second quarter of 2011. 

See Press Release 
Source: TeleGeography

 

Price reductions expected for landline and broadband customers

New prices that Openreach, BT’s wholesale access division, can charge communications providers for access to some of its main wholesale telecoms services were today proposed by Ofcom.The prices are regulated by Ofcom because Openreach has been found to have significant market power in the delivery of these services.

Ofcom expects its proposed prices to lead to real term price reductions for consumers, as communications providers pass on savings to their landline and broadband customers.

Competitive landline and broadband markets

Today’s consultation relates to wholesale charges for telephone and broadband services delivered to homes and businesses over BT’s copper network in two ways:

 

·         Local Loop Unbundling (LLU), which allows communications providers to install their equipment in Openreach’s telephone exchanges to provide broadband and telephone services to their customers; and

·         Wholesale Line Rental (WLR), which is used by communications providers to offer telephone services to consumers using lines rented from Openreach.

 

These wholesale products underpin the competitive provision of broadband and landline services in the UK.  LLU can be supplied alongside or in combination with WLR, providing choice and flexibility for consumers.

The number of ‘unbundled’ lines has increased from 123,000 in September 2005 to 7.59 million today and there are 6.14 million WLR connections in the UK, enabling a range of communications providers to offer landline and broadband services.

 

See Press Release
Source: OFCOM

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)  launched, of its own initiative, a proceeding to review its decisions on billing practices that would have applied to the residential customers of Small Internet service providers (Small ISPs).  “The great concern expressed by Canadians over this issue is telling of how much the Internet has become an integral part of their lives,” said Konrad von Finckenstein, Q.C., Chairman of the CRTC.

 “Our approach is based on two fundamental principles: cas a general rule, ordinary consumers served by Small ISPs should not have to fund the bandwidth used by the heaviest residential Internet consumers, and it is in the best interest of consumers that Small ISPs, which offer competitive alternatives to the Large Distributors, should continue to do so.

See Press Release

Source: CRTC

The President of ANCOM, Mr. Cãtãlin Marinescu, and the Minister of Communications and Information Society, Mr. Valerian Vreme, signed at the Ministry’s headquarters the Non-reimbursable Financing Contract for the creation of the online application enabling the end-users to compare between the electronic communications offers.

ANCOM is continuously striving to offer the users tools whereby to enable them to better manage their relation with the providers of communications services, the decision concerning the electronic communications providers’ obligations to inform the end-users being one of the decisions adopted by the Authority to this end. One of the provisions under Decision no.77/2009 obligates the operators to provide ANCOM with the information necessary for the Authority to create and make publicly available a web portal which would allow the tariffs and terms offered by the providers of mobile telephony, fixed telephony, and broadband Internet access to be compared by means of a „price calculator”-type interactive application. The application will enable the user to insert a set of consumption options and will carry out a comparative analysis of the offers existing on the market (introduced in the database), ranking afterwards the most advantageous offers as price is concerned, in direct connection to the options expressed by the user.

See Press Release 
Source: ANCOM

The UK's Communication Workers Union (CWU) has called on the government to ring-fence revenues raised from next year's 4G license auction and use it to expand broadband internet services in rural areas.
The union says that the money could take the pressure off BBC funding cuts by using a different stream to fund broadband and leave licence fee and digital switchover money where it was meant for.

See Press Release
Source:Cellular-news

The French industry watchdog Arcep has notified the European Commission (EC) and submitted to public consultation its plans on tariff supervision for mobile voice call termination in Metropolitan France for the period to the end of 2013. Under the plan, the regulator is looking to institute a progressive reduction in maximum mobile call termination rates (MTRs) in mainland France between 1 July 2011 and 31 December 2013. Currently, incumbent cellcos Orange France and SFR are charging EUR0.03 per minute for MTRs and Bouygues Telecom is levying EUR0.034. However, Arcep’s third phase of mobile termination rate regulation intends to usher in a more symmetrical approach to pricing.

See Press Release 
Source: TeleGeography

 

Bangladesh's mobile networks are protesting against proposals by the telecoms regulator to not only raise the radio spectrum fee they pay, but also to set the fee based less on the amount of spectrum they have than their respective customer bases. Different spectrum charges have been imposed on the operators in line with their subscriber bases, an official of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) told the Daily Star newspaper. "That's why per MHz spectrum within the same band is different."

Although operators with higher customer bases often pay more due to their needing more radio spectrum, it is almost unheard of for them to be charged a higher per-Mhz fee as well.

See Press Release
Source: Cellular-news

The UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has announced that mobile termination rates (MTRs) for all of the country’s mobile network operators will be reduced from 1 April 2011. According to the watchdog it aims to see an 80% reduction in interconnection charges over the next four years, claiming that the cuts will benefit consumers and promote competition. Following a consultation on the matter Ofcom has also revealed that it is changing how MTRs are set, announcing that for all of the country’s network operators – Everything Everywhere (the joint venture between Orange UK and T-Mobile UK), O2 UK, Vodafone UK and Hutchison 3G UK – the regulator will only take into account ‘costs that are incurred directly from terminating calls from other networks. For some 28 other mobile communications providers, including smaller and newer operators, rates will be set ‘on a fair and reasonable basis.’

See Press Release 
Source: TeleGeography

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has revealed its interim access determinations (IADs) for fixed line services, having suspended a full review of charges in December 2010 in light of the changes to the country’s regulations; the passing of the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Competition and Consumer Safeguards) Act 2010 in November 2010 prompted the halt in the study. Under the now-released determinations the ACCC has issued interim price and non-price terms for the six declared fixed line services, those being: unconditioned local loop service (ULLS); wholesale line rental (WLR); line sharing service (LSS); PSTN Originating and Terminating Access (PSTN OA and PSTN TA); and local carriage service (LCS). According to the regulator the determinations have been backdated to start from 1 January 2011 and will expire at the end of this year, or on the introduction of a final access determination (FAD) for any of the aforementioned services.

See Press Release
Source: Telegeography

The Netherlands’ largest telecoms group KPN Telecom (also known as Royal KPN) has informed its customers that from 2011 its call rates for fixed line services will be changing. Under the review of pricing, the telco’s fixed line subscription services will be charged at the same rate for calls made to either a fixed or mobile number, while the cost of international calls will rise. Prices for the incumbent’s combined internet and telephony subscription package ‘Internet Plus Call’ will be adjusted from 15 January 2011, cutting the cost of a call to a mobile number, although fixed-to-fixed calls will more than double in terms of their cost per minute. As it stands, it costs EUR0.04 per minute to call another landline

See Press Release
Source: Telegeography

The Swedish Post and Telecom Agency (PTS) says that it is proposing the continuation of rules to ensure that mobile operators accept voice calls from other operators and maintain cost-orientated prices. Market stakeholders are now being consulted about this proposal and have one month to submit their views. The PTS says that it wants to prevent operators charging excessive prices for services that they sell to each other and that are required for interconnection to function.

There have been similar rules for major mobile operators since 2004, but PTS now proposes that additional operators should be covered by these rules. The operators that PTS proposes should continue to have obligations in the market include Hi3G, Tele 2, Telenor and TeliaSonera. New operators that did not previously have obligations have been added: AINMT (Icenet), Lycamobile, Spring Mobil, TDC and Ventelo.

See Press Release
Source: Cellular News

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is planning on changing the way the current mobile phone industry bills its customers. While the notion of per second billing is welcome by the country's 450 million mobile subscribers, it is a jarring note for the operators who may see their revenues falling by 15% as a result.

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Source The Economic Times

It has been recommended by a legal adviser to Europe's highest court, that the Europe-wide law forcing mobile operators to cut the rates they charge for using a mobile phone abroad is upheld. Setting the tariff caps, Viviane Reding, the E.U.'s telecom commissioner, said the idea that consumers should pay more when they are travelling in Europe than in their home country goes against the principles of the European single market.

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Source Total Telecom

Côte d’Ivoire proved itself as a potential hub, routing neighbouring countries’ traffic when a submarine fibre cable in Benin was damaged recently. However, what might have been a bright future, is now looking glum as Côte d’Ivoire’s Government has introduced a new tax that applies to all international incoming voice traffic. This includes direct traffic as well as transit traffic and roaming calls.

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Source Balancing Act

Mobile termination rates in Slovakia are amongst the highest in Europe. Therefore, the European Commission has repeated its calls for the Slovakian telecoms regulator, Telekomunikaèný úrad Slovenskej republiky (TÚSR), to bring mobile termination rates to more competitive levels in Slovakia.

Further, the European Commission has, for a second time, asked the Czech telecoms regulator, Cesky telekomunikacni urad (CTU) to further reduce mobile termination rates (MTRs) in the Czech Republic.

See More - Slovakia
See More - Czech Republic
Source Europe's Information Society

The Commission  opened an infringement procedure against Germany because the country's national regulator − the Bundesnetzagentur − did not consult the Commission and other national regulators prior to deciding on new levels of mobile termination rates. Termination rates are wholesale fees charged by operators to connect calls from one network to another operator's network. Contrary to Germany's obligations under EU telecoms rules, the Bundesnetzagentur's final decisions on mobile termination rates were adopted on 31 March 2009 before the Commission and other national regulators had the possibility to comment on the level of these rates. This lack of transparency is a first in the application of EU telecoms rules in the 27 EU Member States. Without prior consultation of other regulators, there is an increased risk that the regulatory approach to termination rates will differ among Member States and distort competition in the EU's single telecoms market. Already today, termination rates, and the methodology used to set them, vary widely across the EU. The Commission has therefore called for them to be better coordinated.

See more
Source: Europa

La Comisión del Mercado de las Telecomunicaciones (CMT) ha lanzado hoy una consulta pública en la que propone un recorte del 43% en los precios de terminación de los tres principales operadores móviles con red propia y un descenso del 52% para Xfera(que opera bajo la marca Yoigo). La consulta establece una senda de descenso (glide path) de los precios medios máximos de terminación que durará dos años (del 16 de octubre de 2009 hasta el 15 de octubre de 2011).
 
La CMT plantea que al final del nuevo periodo regulatorio el precio mayorista que cobran los operadores de red móvil –Telefónica (Movistar), Vodafone, Orange y sus respectivos operadores móviles virtuales completos (OMV)- por terminar las llamadas en sus respectivas redes sea de 0,04 €/minuto, frente a los 0,07 €/minuto actuales.
 

See Press Release
Source: Comisión del Mercado de las Telecomunicaciones (CMT)

The Philippines’ dominant telecoms company Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) yesterday launched a nationwide service offering unlimited calls to all areas, but the move was greeted coolly by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) which said such promotions break local telecoms rules and as such, must be stopped.

According to a report from online journal Business World, the telco’s ‘Call All’ offer promises unlimited calls all over the Philippines for an additional PHP250 (USD5.27) on the user’s landline phone bill. Anyone taking the add-on will be given a PLDT ‘Landline Plus’ subscriber identification module (SIM) for a fixed-wireless connection. ‘We are targeting over 1.3 million PLDT retail landline subscribers and we are also aiming to capture at least 200,000 additional applications each month,’ PLDT retail voice acquisition head Patrick S Tang told reporters.

See Press Release
Source: Telegeography

It’s good news for locals making international calls as Swaziland Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (SPTC) has announced a discount rate of up to 50%.

International calls made from landlines in Swaziland to cellphones either to South Africa, or any other country in the world will also be discounted same as international calls made from one landline to another.

The discount rates, which will range from 35% to 50% will come into effect from the 1st of July.

See Press Release
Source: BalancingAct-Africa

The European Commission has set out clear guidance for EU telecoms regulators on the cost-based method to be used when calculating termination rates - the wholesale fees charged by operators to connect the call from another operator's network which are part of everyone's phone bill. The guidance is in the form of a "Recommendation" that national regulators are obliged to take "the utmost account" of. The Recommendation indicates specifically that termination rates at national level should be based only on the real costs that an efficient operator incurs to establish the connection. Eliminating price distortions between phone operators across the EU will lower consumer prices for voice calls within and between Member States, saving business and household customers at least EUR 2 billion in 2009-2012, and help investment and innovation in the entire telecoms sector. Mobile termination rates varied widely in the EU in 2008 from 2.00 euro cents per minute (in Cyprus) to 15 euro cents per minute (in Bulgaria). Mobile termination rates (on average 8.55 euro cents per minute) are also typically 10 times higher than fixed termination rates (on average ranging from 0.57 to 1.13 euro cents per minute). Higher mobile termination rates make it harder for fixed and small mobile operators to compete with large mobile operators. These divergences, and differing regulatory approaches, undermine the Single Market and Europe's competitiveness.

See Press Release
Source: Europa

The Review of BT Network Charge Controls proposes a range of new controls for some wholesale charges paid by other Communication Providers for use of BT’s network. Network Charge Controls protect BT’s wholesale customers from excessive pricing for these services, and provide BT with incentives for efficiency and cost reduction in their provision. Ofcom is proposing new network charge controls for the next four years. The consultation can be found here. 
 
The Review of the Fixed Narrowband Services Retail Markets relates to telephone lines and voice calls made by consumers and businesses. Ofcom proposes to deregulate BT’s retail products  in those markets where Ofcom has found healthy competition. This competition is a result of Ofcom opening up the market in 2005 with the creation of Openreach and improved wholesale products like Local Loop Unbundling and Wholesale Line Rental. Today’s proposals seek to further competition in the voice market. For the first time BT will be able to offer telephone lines and calls as part of a bundle of other services (such as broadband or Pay-TV) like other communications providers do at the moment. The consultation can be found here. 

In the Review of the Fixed Narrowband Services Wholesale Markets, Ofcom proposes to deregulate certain specific BT wholesale products where Ofcom considers the market is now competitive. Ofcom proposes to keep regulation in other wholesale areas where it supports healthy competition in the retail market. The consultation can be found here.

Source: OFCOM
 

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) submits its Recommendations to DoT On The Spectrum Charging For 3G Services moves from spectrum charges linked with revenue to Flat Rate linked to market based price and on Allocation and pricing of spectrum fro 3G and BWA services.

See paper
Source: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)

Competitive pressure is forcing MTN to eliminate roaming fees for users travelling between different countries, in a move that could noticeably dent its profit . The cellular operator has not yet wiped out roaming fees across its networks, but has tested the feasibility of doing so in Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria.

Last week it said it would introduce free roaming across all 21 countries where it operates in the first half of next year . Benin will be the next country to benefit, joining the trio of pilot countries by the end of this month.

Rival operator Zain demonstrated that free roaming is perfectly possible way back in September 2006 when it launched its "One Network" service, letting users cross between Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda without paying high roaming fees. Nor do they pay to receive incoming calls when they travel -- another favourite way for operators to inflate their profits.

See Press Release
Source: Balancingact-africa

Los presidentes de los organismos reguladores de América Latina eligieron al Organismo Supervisor de la Inversión Privada en Telecomunicaciones (OSIPTEL), para que lidere en el año 2010 a las entidades regulatorias de América Latina que están agrupadas en Regulatel.

Por otro lado, el OSIPTEL y los miembros de Regulatel se han propuesto reducir las tarifas del roaming internacional entre los países de América del Sur, la cual permitirá que el público que viaje al interior de nuestros países lleve su equipo móvil y realice sus llamadas a un precio mucho más bajo del que se paga actualmente.

See Press Release
Source: OSIPTEL

Ofcom has today published a joint response with the UK Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform to the European Commission draft Recommendation on the Regulatory Treatment of Fixed and Mobile Termination Rates in the EU consultation. The response can be found at here.  A technical document supporting the response can be found at here.

Source: OFCOM
 

The Department of State for Communication, Information and Information Technology, in conjunction with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, has declared a drastic reduction in interconnection rates between GSM mobile and fixed network operators with effect from October 8.

According to the officials, interconnection rates among all the operators in the country would be reduced from D2.50 (US$0.12)/D2.00 (US$0.10) to D1.00 (US$0.1), by October 8. There will be a second phase to the reduction campaign as the authorities intend to bring the tariffs further down from the revised charge of D1.00 to D0.50 (US$0.025) by April 8, 2009.

See Press Release
Source: Balancing Act

Aiming to spur competition among operators and lower phone charges for European consumers, the Commission started on 26 June a public consultation on the future regulation of "voice call termination rates" in the EU based on a draft Commission Recommendation on termination rates. Voice call termination rates are the wholesale tariffs charged by the operator of a customer receiving a phone call to the operator of the caller's network. Included in everyone's phone bill, and therefore eventually paid by the consumer, these tariffs are determined by the intervention of national telecoms regulators. At the moment the decisions of the national telecoms regulators result in very divergent rates across the EU. Mobile termination rates range from EUR 0.02/min (in Cyprus) to over EUR 0.18/min (in Bulgaria) and are 9 times higher than fixed line termination rates (on average EUR 0.0057/min for local call termination). This distorts competition between operators from different countries and between fixed line and mobile phone operators. The public consultation on this proposal will be open until 3 September 2008.

See Press Release
Source: Europa

European Commission launches public consultation on the functioning and the effects of the EU Roaming Regulation
As of today, the European Commission invites feedback by industry, consumers and other interested stakeholders to review the functioning and effectiveness of the EU Roaming Regulation, which entered into force on 30 June 2007. According to the provisions of the Regulation, the Commission must report to the European Parliament and the Council in 2008 about the functioning of the new roaming rules and their effects. The public consultation aims to gather responses from mobile operators, businesses, consumer associations and any interested party by 2 July 2008.

See Press Release
Source: Europa

In this Decision, the Commission determines that it was inappropriate for TELUS Communications Company (TCC) to impose a $2.95 per month network access charge for certain residential subscribers of basic toll services. For basic toll subscribers who had not used TCC's long distance network during the applicable period, the Commission finds that the network access charge was equivalent to an unauthorized residential local rate increase in non-forborne areas and contravened the rate cap in forborne areas, and directs TCC to reimburse or credit those affected customers.

See Press Release and Decision
Source: CRTC

Price cap regulation of telecommunications services came into force as a result fo the Fair Trading Commussion's Decision, which outlined the reasons for the move from the Rate of Return form of economic regulation to the Price Cap methodology to regulate telecommunications services provided by Cable and Wireless (Barbados) Limited "Cable & Wireless"

See Press Release
Source: Fair Trading Commission - Barbados

In two decisions, ComCom has come to the conclusion that in the years 2004 to 2006, Swisscom Fixnet AG charged its contractual partners excessively high prices for various interconnection services. These relate exclusively to services in the fixed-network area, which are used primarily for voice transmission. In 2004, COLT Telecom AG and Verizon Switzerland AG had applied, through separate submissions, for ComCom to determine interconnection conditions. Now, on the basis of today's decisions, the applicants can demand reimbursement of excess payments from Swisscom. Other providers can benefit from the decision if they have included a corresponding third-party clause in their contract with Swisscom.

See Press Release
Source: ComCom

El Consejo de la Comisión del Mercado de las Telecomunicaciones (CMT) ha aprobado un informe sobra la situación de los precios minoristas de acceso a Internet de banda ancha en España, solicitado por el Defensor del Pueblo y la Secretaría de Estado de Telecomunicaciones y para la Sociedad de la Información.

El análisis tiene por objeto comparar los precios de la banda ancha en España con los de los países de la UE-27. La CMT ha centrado su estudio en las ofertas dirigidas al segmento residencial de los 27 países de la UE y emplea datos de junio de 2007. Se han descartado aquellas ofertas que limitan el uso de Internet a un determinado número de horas, así como las ofertas empaquetadas que incluyen televisión.

Si se tienen en cuenta las ofertas empaquetadas de todos los operadores, en el rango de velocidad más representativo en España –de 2 Mb hasta 9,99 Mb (velocidad media) – la oferta (PPP) más barata a junio de 2007 es de 40,2 €, un 9,6% inferior a los 44,5 € de la media de las mejores ofertas de la UE. Para la velocidad alta (a partir de 10 Mb) la oferta más económica en España es de 46,6 € PPP, el 7,4% más barata que la media de las mejores ofertas en la UE (50,3 €), mientras que el precio de la mejor oferta española en velocidades bajas es un 4% más cara: 36 € PPP frente a los 34,6 € de la media comunitaria.


See Press Release

Source: Comisión del Mercado de las Telecomunicaciones (CMT)

The Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) of the European Union (EU) has reached an agreement on the ''VAT package''. At a meeting held on 4 December, the Council put together a compromise on the application of value added tax (VAT) on the provision of telecommunications, broadcasting and electronic services.

The new measures involve a change in the place of taxation for VAT on services from the place where the supplier is located to that where the customer is situated, with a ''one-stop'' system enabling suppliers to fulfil a single set of obligations in their home Member State, including for services provided in other member states. VAT revenue will be transferred from the supplier's home country to the member states where the consumer is located.

See Press Release

Source: National Communication Authority (ANACOM), Presidency of the EU

The Federal Council has adapted the Ordinance on Fees in the Telecommunications Sector. Until now the radiocommunications licence fees for various users were sometimes calculated using different models. From 1 January 2008 a uniform computational model will be used. On average the adjustments will result in slight financial savings for licensees.

See Press Release

Source: Swiss Confederation - Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM)  

La Comision de Regulacion de Telecomunicaciones (CRT) establecio las nuevas reglas que definen las condiciones bajo las cuales los operadores de telecomunicaciones remuneran el uso de sus redes por la interconexion.

En resolucion emitida, se establece que los diferentes prestadores moviles y de larga distancia pagaran ahora por el uso de la red local un valor maximo, dependiendo de la clasificacion del operador local.

See Press Release

Source: Comision de Regulacion de Telecommunicaciones (CRT)

On 12 October 2007, the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications put forward a proposal on changes in the Norwegian Telecommunication Act. A new § 4-14 on international mobile roaming is proposed, implementing the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 June 2007 on roaming on public mobile telephone networks.

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Source : Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority

In relation to the work of the committee on ISP, ARCEP will launch a process leading to a list of QoS indicators for each Intenet Service Providers (ISPs) and a public consultation on the cost model regarding ISP's.

See the Press Release

Source : ARCEP

After approval by the EC, France ARCEP reduces wholesale mobile termination rates for the period 2008-2010.

Source: ARCEP

Consumers in the European Union have been paying up to 60% less for using their mobile phone abroad since this summer. The transition to the Eurotarrif by Europe's mobile phone operators is proceeding according to plan. This is the result of a study carried out by the 27 national telecom regulators – united in the European Regulators Group (ERG) – in collaboration with the European Commission.

(04/10/2007) Mobile operators have generally complied with the requirements to introduce, offer, and make available a "Eurotariff" (tariffs no higher than 49 eurocents per minute for calls made abroad and no higher than 24 eurocents for calls received abroad, excluding VAT) for all their roaming customers from 30 July. By 30 August, around 200 million EU consumers had already switched to the Eurotariff. Many operators have moved faster than legally required and activated the Eurotariff already in July or in August. The ERG study also shows that operators are generally on track to implement the new transparency provisions introduced by the EU Roaming Regulation.. Full press release

Source: Europe's Information Society

Hoy martes entró en vigencia el bloqueo de las llamadas de larga distancia nacional e internacional, según dispuso el Organismo Supervisor de Inversión Privada en Telecomunicaciones (Osiptel), según informó la agencia Andina.

Telefónica del Perú anunció que ya se procedió a bloquear los códigos "0" y "00" de salida de larga distancia nacional (LDN) e internacional (LDI), respectivamente, a los clientes de telefonía fija que a la fecha no hayan escogido la compañía que les brindará dicho servicio, según el proceso de preselección dispuesto por el Osiptel. Full press release

Source: El comercio news paper, Perú

The monitoring tariff due for 2007 was established at 0.171%, based on the financial statements submitted to the National Regulatory Authority for Communications and Information Technology by 2,436 electronic communications providers and postal services providers, out of the 2,510 providers authorised by ANRCTI. Last year, the monitoring tariff that providers owed to ANRC was calculated as 0.125% of the turnover or of the revenues achieved from the provision of electronic communications networks or services and of postal services.   

 

ANRCTI asserted that 500 electronic communications operators and 65 operators of postal services of the total number of providers who submitted the documents necessary for the calculation of the monitoring tariff have the obligation to pay it. The total value of the monitoring tariff for 2007, established as a percent either of the turnover or of the revenues achieved from the provision of electronic communications networks or services and of postal services, amounts to RON 23,871,803. Full press release

 

Source: ANRC, Romania

La aplicación del canon digital, en las actuales condiciones que han pactado el Ministerio de Industria, Turismo y Comercio y el de Cultura, podría llegar a duplicar el precio de algunos dispositivos electrónicos, como determinados teléfonos móviles, según la Asociación de Empresas de Electrónica, Tecnologías de la Información y Telecomunicaciones de España (AETIC).

El canon digital por copia privada es una medida para compensar a los autores y editores prevista por la Ley de Propiedad Intelectual, aprobada el 8 de julio del año pasado, que transpuso así al derecho español las disposiciones de una norma europea aprobada en 2001. Full press release

Source: consumer. es

La Comisión de Regulación de Telecomunicaciones pone a disposición de los agentes del sector la “Propuesta Regulatoria para la fijación de los cargos de acceso a redes fijas y móviles en Colombia”, a la luz de los principios y objetivos regulatorios que ha trazado la entidad. En dicho documento se revisa de manera integral el actual esquema de cargos de acceso y se presenta una nueva propuesta para la remuneración de las redes de telecomunicaciones por concepto de la interconexión. Adicionalmente, se espera que los beneficios de la misma se transfieran en el corto plazo a los usuarios de servicios de telecomunicaciones en Colombia. Full report

Source: CRT, Colombia

 

On Tuesday, September 4, 2007, came into force the decision on establishing certain financial obligations owed by the providers of electronic communications networks or services and of the postal services providers to the National Regulatory Authority for Communications and Information Technology.

 

The maximum term provided for establishing the monitoring tariff owed for 2007, in accordance with the provisions of the Government Emergency Ordinance no.79/2002 on the general regulatory framework for communications, approved with amendments and completions by Law no.591/2002, with the subsequent amendments and completions, is September 15, 2007.

 

Among other, this decision aimed at establishing the conditions of enforcing the provisions of the Government Emergency Ordinance no.79/2002 regarding the exemption from payment of the monitoring tariff due to ANRCTI of the providers who register a turnover which does not exceed the equivalent in RON of 100,000 euros, at the average exchange rate of the period when the turnover was achieved.

 

As well, the decision contains provisions which would lead to ensuring a greater flexibility as regards the possibility of the providers of public electronic communications networks, of publicly available electronic communications services or of postal services to revise the opinion they have previously expressed regarding the establishment of the monitoring tariff in terms of the turnover or of the revenues resulted from the provision of electronic communications networks or services or from the provision of postal services.

Source: ANRTCI

In a procedure under the EU Telecom Rules regarding mobile termination rates in France, the Commission welcomed the proposal of the French regulator, ARCEP (Autorité de Régulation des Communications Electroniques et des Postes), to further lower the wholesale rates charged by French mobile operators. For the Commission, ARCEP's decision represents a clear move towards rates reflecting real costs. In its letter sent today, the Commission also supports ARCEP's call for a common European approach for calculating cost-oriented mobile termination rates as soon as possible. “The French regulator's proposal to lower mobile termination rates, as foreseen by our EU Telecom rules, is good news for consumers," said Viviane Reding, the EU's Telecoms Commissioner. "I congratulate ARCEP for making this move, which at the same time raises important questions of a European dimension. Should mobile termination rates in the EU be reduced further and eventually converge with fixed termination rates? What is the right balance between consumer benefits and the need to invest in mobile networks? And, finally and most importantly, what should be done to ensure that competition in the single market is not distorted between EU Member States, with operators in some Member States having to pay substantially higher mobile termination rates than in others? Let's not forget that the mobile industry is becoming truly pan-European, with operators often active in several EU countries. National regulators' decisions are therefore crucial and may significantly influence competitiveness, for better or worse. I thus welcome the call by the French regulator for a common approach among Europe's telecom regulators, and for a consistent way to calculate appropriate mobile termination rates. The Commission is ready to guarantee such a harmonised approach across the EU, and will work closely with the European Regulators Group to achieve this as soon as possible." See: http://www.europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/07/1333&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

The Justice Department told the Federal Communications Commission that Internet service providers should be allowed to charge a fee for priority Web traffic.   It is opposed to "Net neutrality," the principle that all Internet sites should be equally accessible to any Web user.

See article

Source: Associated Press

On Tuesday, September 4, 2007, came into force the decision on establishing certain financial obligations owed by the providers of electronic communications networks or services and of the postal services providers to the National Regulatory Authority for Communications and Information Technology.

 

The maximum term provided for establishing the monitoring tariff owed for 2007, in accordance with the provisions of the Government Emergency Ordinance no.79/2002 on the general regulatory framework for communications, approved with amendments and completions by Law no.591/2002, with the subsequent amendments and completions, is September 15, 2007. Full press release

 

Source: ANRC, Romania

The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICT Authority) has released the approval of a decrease in the tariffs of the Half-Circuit International Private Lease Circuits, (IPLC), of Mauritius Telecom by 20%. The ICT Authority’s decision is pursuant to the powers conferred upon the national regulator under Section 31 of the ICT Act 2001 and follows an application by Mauritius Telecom Ltd.

See the Press Release

Source: ICTA

Last week, Lebanon’s Telecoms Minister promised to review mobile phone call charges before the end of his government’s term. The country’s charges are considered to be amongst the highest in the world, with pre-paid calls costing an average of more than USD0.45 per minute, and calls for contract users averaging around USD0.20 a minute.


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Source: Telegeography

New Delhi, 28^{th August, 2007 : It has come to the notice of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India that certain service providers are providing CLIP facility as a compulsory chargeable Value Added Service. Examination by the Authority showed that no significant amount of work is involved in presenting the caller line identity to the called subscriber and thus the incremental cost of providing CLIP facility is negligible. Thus the Authority finds no justification in making CLIP facility a compulsory chargeable item. The Authority recalled its earlier Direction issued vide F.No.301-49/2005 dated 16th September, 2005 that all monthly fixed recurring charges including CLIP which are compulsory for a subscriber under any given tariff plan shall be shown under one head to make it easier for the consumer to make a choice from among all tariff plans available in the market. Full Pres release}

^{Source: TRAI, India}

The Office of the Telecommunications Authority ("OFTA") today (10 August 2007) issued the following press statement in response to the publication of a new Unified Interconnection and Local Access Service ("UILAS") tariff by PCCW-HKT Telephone Limited ("PCCW") in the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Gazette No.32 Vol.11:

"In filing the tariff with the Telecommunications Authority ("TA"), PCCW has indicated that the existing Fixed-Mobile Interconnection Charge ("FMIC"), Local Access Charge ("LAC") as well as existing agreements between PCCW and other fixed telecommunications operators in relation to the Fixed-Fixed Interconnection Charge ("FFIC"), will remain in full force and effect without any change whatsoever. Furthermore, PCCW has indicated that Mobile Network Operators, Fixed Network Operators, External Telecommunications Service Operators and other licensees may continue to enjoy the current interconnection services from PCCW pursuant to those tariffs and agreements. Full Press release

Source: OFTA, Hong Kong

Balanço preliminar produzido pela Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel) sobre a implantação do novo sistema de tarifação na telefonia fixa local demonstra que 30% dos usuários dos novos planos (Plano Básico e Plano Alternativo de Serviço de Oferta Obrigatório - Pasoo) já receberam pelo menos uma fatura emitida em minutos. Não houve, segundo os dados avaliados, variação no número de reclamações feitas nas centrais de atendimento da Anatel e das concessionárias em função da mudança, o que pode ser considerado um primeiro indício de satisfação do consumidor com o novo método de tarifação.

Dos 35,3 milhões de terminais fixos das concessionárias em serviço no Brasil, 8,8 milhões (cerca de 25%) já pertenciam a outros planos alternativos tarifados em minutos - os que eram oferecidos em pulsos foram convertidos para o novo sistema. Dos 26,5 milhões (cerca de 75%) restantes, que pertencem ao Plano Básico, em torno de 800 mil (cerca de 3%) estão em 2.825 municípios em que o novo sistema ainda não foi implantado, por opção das prestadoras (Brasil Telecom e Oi). Por força da regulamentação, esses usuários não pagarão pelas ligações locais para telefones fixos até que a concessionária implemente, nesses municípios, a tarifação por minuto. Full Press release

Source: ANATEL, Brazil

Osiptel anunció ayer oficialmente que el nuevo factor de productividad, o porcentaje de reducción anual de las tarifas de telefonía fija, será de 6,42% para el período comprendido entre setiembre del 2007 y agosto del 2010. La cifra aprobada por el consejo directivo se encuentra casi en el justo medio entre el planteamiento de Telefónica del Perú (4,13%) y el presentado inicialmente por el equipo técnico de Osiptel (8,23%).

La empresa, notificada casi a mediodía, no tardó en rechazar la decisión y aseguró que la cifra "solo beneficiará a quienes ya tienen teléfono", pues, al verse obligada a rebajar sus tarifas, la empresa no podrá seguir invirtiendo en ampliar la cobertura a lugares que aún no están conectados. "El nuevo factor es el más alto de la región, a pesar de que las tarifas actuales están en el tercio más bajo del comparativo internacional", aseguraron. La empresa anunció que "Telefónica está evaluando la resolución emitida por el organismo regulador". Full Press Release

Source: El Comercio News Paper, Peru

ANRCTI launches for public consultation a draft decision on the procedure for determining the monitoring tariff, as well as on the exertion of the right to choose as regards the financial obligations of the companies in the fields of electronic communications and postal services.

 

According to the draft decision, the providers of public electronic communications networks, of publicly available electronic communications services or of postal services which register a turnover that does not exceed the equivalent in lei of 100,000 euros - at the average exchange rate on the date when the turnover was achieved -, computed based on the monthly average exchange rate provided by the Romanian National Bank, are no more obliged to pay the monitoring tariff owed to ANRCTI, according to the provisions of Law no.133/2007 for the approval of the Government Emergency Ordinance no.70/2006 on the amendment and completion of certain normative acts in the fields of electronic communications and postal services.

 

Source: ANRC, Romania

Starting Saturday, June 30, 2007, the Regulation adopted in Luxembourg by the 27 EU Member States, which settles the gradual decrease of the international roaming tariffs in mobile networks, came into force.

According to the Regulation adopted on June 7, 2007, the maximum tariff for the initiation of a call abroad shall be 0.49 euro/minute + VAT during the first year of adoption, while during the following two years shall decrease to 0.46 and respectively 0.43 euro/minute. For the received calls, the Regulation provides a maximum tariff of 0.24 euro/minute for the first year, 0.22 euro/minute for the second year and 0.19 euro/minute in the third year.

During July, all the mobile telephony companies which offer international roaming services must contact their clients in order to offer them explanations on the tariffs offered for such type of services. The clients shall decide afterwards whether they choose the new euro tariffs or comply with the provisions of the contract previously concluded, should they benefit already from preferential tariffs for the roaming services. If they do not opt for the euro tariff and they do not have a subscription which would stipulate preferential tariffs for the roaming service, the euro-tariff shall be automatically applied on them.

The roaming service clients which, by the entry in force of the Regulation, have already deliberately chosen a specific tariff or a specific roaming package, other than the roaming tariff which would have been applied if they had not have done such a choice, and which have not expressed their option, shall be charged according to the tariff or package previously chosen. The tariff requested must be activated no later than a month from the receipt of the client’s request by the operator located in the client’s native country.

Moreover, at the end of September, the mobile telephony operators shall be obliged to send to each client that crosses the boarder an automatically generated SMS. The message, which may be deactivated by the persons who do not wish to receive it, shall contain explanations regarding the costs when initiating or receiving a call. Furthermore, the operators shall have the obligation of offering more detailed information related to the tariffs to the persons requesting it.

On the wholesale market, the value of the tariff paid at the offset between operators for the roaming calls must not exceed 0.30 euro/minute + VAT in the first year, 0.28 in the second and 0.26 euro/minute in the third year since the enforcement of the Regulation. On the other hand, the regulation of the wholesale tariffs shall be enforced within two months from the entry in force of the Regulation hereby.

The regulation regarding the roaming tariffs, examined by four specialised commissions of the European Parliament, was subject to a long series of consultations, public hearings, impact analyses, as well as intense negotiations carried between the Members of the Parliament, on the one hand, and the European Union’s German presidency, on the other hand.

The National Authority for Communications and Information Technology is the institution entrusted with the monitoring and surveillance of the compliance with the provisions of the Regulation on Romania’s territory and it is empowered to request all relevant information in this regard from the operators of mobile public telephony networks.

Source: ANRC, Romania

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The critical importance of free-of-charge access to emergency services using new telecommunications technologies was emphasised today with the release of proposed amendments to the regulatory obligations for telecommunications providers.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is proposing changes to the Telecommunications (Emergency Call Service) Determination 2002 to confirm the obligation to provide free-of-charge access to emergency call services for ‘two-way’ and ‘dial-out only’ voice over internet protocol (‘VoIP’) services. The proposals are designed to provide greater certainty for consumers about access to emergency call services as new and innovative services are introduced.

ACMA’s proposals deliver on recommendations for emergency call access contained in the Examination of Policy and Regulation relating to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Services report by the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, released in November 2005.

‘ACMA’s proposals implement the relevant recommendations of the VoIP report’ said Chris Chapman, ACMA Chairman. ‘The current emergency call service arrangements have served the Australian public well and it is intended to maintain this safeguard.’

‘Many VoIP providers already provide free-of-charge access to triple zero and these proposals clarify that the obligation applies to all VoIP services capable of dialling into the public telephone network.’

ACMA is also proposing that VoIP services must be flagged in the Integrated Public Number Database (IPND) so that the emergency call service operator will know to ask the caller for location information. The IPND is a national database of all listed and unlisted public telephone numbers, customer name and address information and the name of the customer’s carriage service provider.

The details of the proposed changes are contained in a consultation paper and draft amendment, released for public comment today and available on the ACMA website.

Source: ACMA, Australia

Celtel International announced on 6 June 2007, that it is expanding its One Network service to more than 160 million people in six African countries, as part of its roll-out plan targeting the entire African continent.

In September 2006, Celtel was the first mobile operator worldwide to offer its customers in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda the opportunity to move freely across geographical borders without roaming call surcharges. Since, Celtel offers its customers the same services abroad that they could access in their home country such as airtime transfer from friends, voicemail and customer service in their local languages.

The One Network service is now available in the Republic of Congo, Gabon and Democratic Republic of Congo. The extension of the service from East Africa into Central Africa, means post- and pre-paid Celtel subscribers within the six countries, will be able to make calls at local rates, receive incoming calls free of charge and top-up their pre-paid phones with locally bought airtime cards.

Source: Celtel International, 6 June 2007

On 7th June 2007, the European Union adopted its Roaming Regulation requiring mobile telephone service providers in the EU not to set higher rates than the maximum rates determined by the EU.

Minister of Economy and Transport, János Kóka , responsible for telecommunications met National Communications Authority, Hungary (NCAH) Chairman, Dániel Pataki this Thursday to examine the consequences of the above decision. After the meeting the Minister met Hungarian service providers in person requesting such providers to communicate their new roaming tariffs and the means of accessing such tariffs to their clients. The said decision will allow clients to enjoy positive impacts as early as during summer holidays.

The Minister also urged the NCAH to develop sanctions for cases of potential non-compliance by mobile service providers.

After their meeting, Mr Kóka and Mr Pataki held a press conference to announce the expected schedule of the reduction in roaming tariffs.

According to the Regulation, all mobile service providers in the EU will have the following obligations in the future:

• offer so-called Eurotariffs with all their tariff packages;
• send free text messages to clients entering any EU Member State informing them of the minute tariffs for incoming and outgoing phone calls;
• operate a toll-free number to inform users of tariffs valid in every mobile network in the given Member State.

Eurotariff caps set by the European Union, in EUR (net):

Year	Net wholesale price [EUR]	Net consumer price [EUR]
		Outgoing calls	Incoming calls
2007	0.30	0.49	0.24
2008	0.28	0.46	0.22
2009	0.26	0.43	0.19

Source: National Communications Authority

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OTTAWA-GATINEAU — The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today denied requests by Bell Canada, Bell Aliant and TELUS to make changes to the local telephone rates for residential customers. The companies had proposed to eliminate the connection charges for new customers and existing customers who move in exchange for approval to increase rates for all residential customers.

“We did not feel it was appropriate to approve a rate increase for all residential customers to compensate for the elimination of connection charges. The government’s recent direction on forbearance removed the CRTC’s restrictions over promotions and winbacks,” said Richard French, the CRTC’s Vice-Chairman of Telecommunications. “Telephone companies are free to apply at any time to reduce or eliminate their connection charges, and the Commission will deal with their requests expeditiously.”

In their submissions, Bell Canada and Bell Aliant proposed to increase the monthly rates for each residential customer by $0.80, while TELUS proposed increases ranging from $0.58 to $1.

Source: CRTC, Canada

Ofcom today published its Tariff Tables for 2007/8, which sets out an overview of the fees due from industry for the coming financial year.

Ofcom is funded by payments from broadcasting licensees and communications providers, as well as payments for the management of the UK radio spectrum.

For the fourth successive year Ofcom will operate under a budget which is lower in real terms than the budget for the previous year.

Operating budget

On a like-for-like basis, Ofcom’s budget for 2007/8 will be £126.7m, which is 5 per cent lower in real terms than its budget for 2006/7 and 9.8 per cent lower than its budget for 2005/6.

As a result of recent discussions with HM Treasury, there has been a minor change to Ofcom’s funding arrangements. In the past, technology research was funded directly by HM Treasury under the Spectrum Efficiency Scheme. In the future, this research, which is expected to cost £3.5m in 2007/8, will be included in Ofcom’s budget. However, because the research will relate predominantly to the management of the radio spectrum, it will be funded by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). This gives a total budget on the new basis of £130.2m.

DTI loan

To cover the cost of establishing the organisation Ofcom received a £52.3m loan from the DTI. The set-up costs were incurred during the period March 2003 to January 2004. By the end of 2007/8 Ofcom will have repaid the loan, together with the accumulated interest. Therefore, from 2008/9 onwards the loan will no longer be recouped through regulatory fees, reducing further the financial burden on stakeholders.

Ofcom’s operating costs are allocated to each sector according to the extent of work proposed for that sector in 2007/8. The stakeholder charges are set in accordance with the Statement of Charging Principles. Details of individual company fees are not disclosed.

Ofcom’s work programme for 2007/8 is set out in its Annual Plan. The draft for consultation was published on 12 December 2006 and the final version of the Annual Plan will be published on 3 April.

Source: OFCOM, UK

Peru's congressional consumer defense committee has revived a debate about whether to eliminate a monthly fixed fee charged by incumbent fixed line operator Telefónica del Perú (TdP), local press reported.

The committee voted 5-5 on the bill that scraps the charge but chairman Yonhy Lescano's casting vote meant the measure was approved. The bill will be debated in the full congress in 15 days.

The fixed charge became a matter of debate in September of last year, when the same committee led by Lescano approved a bill to eliminate the charge. Peru's congress then approved the bill in a period of 48 hours, surprising many industry analysts.

However, the country's President Alan García stopped short of signing the bill, opting for negotiations between the transport and communications ministry MTC and TdP instead.

In December the MTC and TdP reached an agreement to cut by 30% the basic charge, which TdP implemented on March 12 this year.

Despite the committee's decision to revive the debate, it will be a tougher sell in the full congress than last time considering the long period of negotiations and successful reduction in the fixed charge, according to Liliana Ruiz, former director of telecoms regulator Osiptel and president of consultancy Alterna Perú.

"It won't be the same situation as before, the other congress members will not likely have the same opinion considering the negotiations have taken place," Ruiz told BNamericas.

Ruiz added that most of the support for the bill comes from a minority group led by Lescano.

But Ruiz expects the new bill to receive the same support from the general public as the previous bill did given that rate reductions have already been put in place for some low-income segments and this would be the third time congress has taken up the subject since TdP's entry in 1994.

Source: Business News Americas

On 22 March, the European Parliament's Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee as well as the Culture and Education Committee voted on the Commission proposal to reduce, by means of an EU Regulation, international mobile roaming charges by up to 70% by this summer. After the vote on the report of Rapporteur Joseph Muscat (PSE, Malta) - for the Internal Market Committee - and of Manolis Mavrommatis (EPP-ED, Greece) - for the Culture Committee -, EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding commented as follows: "I welcome that in today's votes, two further Committees of the European Parliament have supported the main elements of the EU Regulation proposed by the Commission: caps for roaming charges both at wholesale and at retail level as well as clear transparency provisions. I welcome also the ambitious wholesale tariff favoured by the Internal Market Committee and the fact that it rejected the idea of supplementary average caps. However, I find it regrettable that many in the European Parliament want only new customers to profit automatically from cheaper roaming tariffs. Mobile phone penetration in the EU is today at 103% - there are thus not many consumers who would profit from the EU regulation if it would apply automatically only to new customers. The whole debate about "opt in" - "opt out" is also about who finally will have to be in charge of advertising for cheaper roaming tariffs. I believe the burden of proof should be on the operators to demonstrate that their packages are really cheaper - and thereby to convince consumers to "opt out" from the consumer protection tariff. If consumers first of all will have to "opt in" to the cheaper consumer protection tariff, then operators will be able to rely on the passivity of many consumers. And it will in the end be the European taxpayer who will have to pay for national regulators and the European institutions to explain to every single consumers that they have a right now to opt in. Even though I welcome the general trend towards a fast consensus on the EU Roaming Regulation, I believe that this aspect merits some further reflection. The new EU Roaming Regulation should benefit all consumers, and nobody should be left behind." The next steps in the legislative process are: Vote in the Industry, Research and Energy Committee (leading) on 12 April, Rapporteur: Paul Rübig. Vote in the plenary of the European Parliament: in the course of May. Formal EU Telecom Council in Luxembourg: 7 June. Source: http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/newsroom/cf/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=3313

Russia's Supreme Court has upheld the legality of fees for calls from fixed-line to mobile phones, ITAR-TASS reported Friday.

 Earlier this year, Stanislav Mirochnik, a lawyer and an aide to a State Duma deputy, filed a claim with the Supreme Court seeking to void a governmental ruling on local and long-distance communications. In particular, Mirochnik challenged the fees that fixed-line users subscribed to tariff plans with unlimited calling have to pay when they make calls to mobile users. The court rejected Mirochnik's claim. The fees were introduced in July 2006 simultaneously with the launch of the Calling Party Pays (CPP) principle. In most cases, fixed-line users pay 1.5 rubles per minute for calls to mobile phones.

Source: Cellular-News.

Ofcom today announced an inquiry into the use of premium rate telecoms services (PRS) in television programmes.

Premium rate calls cost up to £1.50 per minute from the BT network and typical services include TV vote lines, competitions, and interactive TV games.

Viewers and a range of other stakeholders have raised serious concerns with Ofcom regarding apparent systematic compliance failure on the part of a number of broadcasters, whose actions appear to contravene existing consumer protection rules. (…)

The inquiry will examine:

• Consumer protection issues and audiences’ attitudes to the use of PRS in television programmes;
• The benefits and risks to broadcasters in the use of PRS in programmes;
• The respective compliance and editorial responsibilities of broadcasters, producers and telecoms network operators and others involved in those programmes;
• The effectiveness of broadcasters’ and telecoms operators’ internal compliance procedures, guidelines and arrangements to ensure compliance with Ofcom and ICSTIS codes;

The inquiry will also propose recommendations on actions necessary to restore confidence and trust. (…)

Source : Ofcom, UK.

The European Council is pushing for a fast-track agreement on roaming. Heads of EU Member States have agreed that every effort should be made should be made to successfully conclude the legislative process on the reduction of roaming tariffs by the end of the first half of 2007. European Commissioner Viviane Reding commented: "A political agreement on an ambitious reduction of roaming tariffs by summer is now within reach. I call on all Ministers and Parliamentarians currently working on the Roaming Regulation proposed by the European Commission last July to listen more to consumers and less to the industry lobbyists. All citizens in the EU should be able to judge in July on their mobile phone bills how effective the work of their ministers and their Parliamentarians has been." The Commission proposed last July to reduce international mobile phone charges within the EU by up to 70%. The proposal is currently discussed in the European Parliament and among the 27 national ministers responsible for telecommunications. A ministerial meeting between the 27 ministers and EU Commissioner Reding will take place on 15 March in Hannover. Source: EC See: http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/newsroom/cf/itemlongdetail.cfm?item_id=3274

In 2006, the Tariff Monitor, a free tool on ANACOM’s website ( www.anacom.pt) that allows consumers to compare tariffs for mobile telephone services, was accessed around 43.2 thousand times by consumers and was used to make over 57.1 thousand simulation operations. This translates to an average of around 3,600 accesses and 4,760 simulations per month.

ANACOM’s Tariff Monitor has now been in public operation for 16 months, and during this time a total of around 75.3 thousand accesses and 129.2 thousand simulation operations have been recorded.

Among the range of tools available - monthly consumption, call and message comparison, virtual calls and messages – the use of the call and message comparison tool has proved to be especially popular. According to available data, up to 31 December 2006, around 73 thousand tariff consultations and 37.3 thousand call or message comparisons have been carried out by users. This corresponds, respectively, to around 56.5% and 28.9% of the all simulation operations performed.

The Tariff Monitor is a simulator developed by ANACOM with the cooperation of the three mobile operators (TMN, Vodafone and Optimus). It gives private consumers the information they need to assess and compare the various tariff alternatives for terrestrial mobile services available in Portugal.

Source: Anacom, Portugal

Taiwan’s government has approved the first cut in the country’s phone tariffs for seven years. The National Communications Commission has given the green light to a proposed 5.35% cut in leased line rates which will be applied annually between 2007 and 2010, Dow Jones reports. Mobile tariffs will fall by 4.88% each year over the same period, although the cut will not be applied to 3G services. The NCC proposed the price drops in October, but operators responded by calling for the regulator to leave pricing to market factors.

Source: Telegeography

The Hungarian telecoms watchdog the National Communications Authority (NHH) has announced plans to reduce mobile termination fees by as much as 20%, effective from February 2007, writes online news portal Interfax. The cuts in call termination fees form part of wider plans to trim rates by between 40% and 50% to a uniform HUF16.84 (USD0.08) by January 2009. T-Mobile Hungary will have to cut its charges by 14.7% as of 2 February, and implement a similar reduction in January 2008 and 2009 respectively. Pannon, owned by Telenor of Norway, faces an annual cut of 17%, while Vodafone’s local subsidiary will have to drop its termination fees by 19.8%.

Source: Telegeography

Honduran telecoms regulator Conatel is lowering the ceiling of peak rate mobile calls from USD0.25 per minute to USD0.20, from 1 January 2007. Off-peak call rates will also drop from USD0.18 to USD0.15 per minute following a technical study carried out by the regulator earlier this year. Conatel's president Rassel Tomé says the cuts should translate to savings of USD33.3 million to consumers in the coming year.

Source: Telegeography

On December 12, 2006, ANRC adopted the decisions on postponing the implementation of the second stage of the decrease of tariffs for the interconnection with the networks of Orange Romania and Vodafone Romania.

The maximum interconnection tariffs that may be charged by Orange Romania and Vodafone Romania as of January 1, 2007, will be of 7.21 eurocents per minute. The second stage of tariff reduction will be postponed with one year and, therefore, the level of 6.4 eurocents per minute - initially set out for the beginning of 2007 - will be applied as of January 1, 2008.

ANRC sustains the correctness of the applied model, since the maximum level of 5.03 eurocents per minute, to be reached by the interconnection tariffs by the end of the transition period, namely January 1, 2009, is maintained.

Considering the harmonisation target at the European level, in the context of Romania’s accession to the European Union, ANRC decided to postpone by one year the reduction of the tariffs for the interconnection with the mobile networks, scheduled for January 1, 2007. ANRC took into account both the level and the evolution of the tariffs for call termination in mobile networks in the European Union Member States as well as the fact that the tariffs for call termination in the networks of the two operators are already the lowest in Europe.

ANRC president’s Decisions amending ANRC president’s Decisions no.436/2006 and no.437/2006 are published on the website of ANRC, under the ANRC Decisions section.

 

Source: ANRC, Romania

The Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority (NPT) has announced its latest round of price cuts for mobile termination charges. The new rules require all mobile operators with significant market power (SMP) to be charging the same fees by the end of 2008, before lowering charges to the cost-based level of NOK0.45 (USD0.07) by July 2010.

According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database, the NPT designated a number of operators as having SMP during 2005, under guidelines imposed by the EU. In September 2005 it categorised network operators Telenor, NetCom (a subsidiary of Sweden's TeliaSonera) and Teletopia, as well as MVNO Tele2 Norge, as providers with SMP in the market for termination of voice services in their respective mobile networks. All are therefore subject to individual regulation. Telenor and NetCom were subjected to a maximum price adjustment that reduced their termination prices by NOK0.08 and NOK0.18 per minute respectively. This lowered maximum prices to NOK0.65 per minute for Telenor and NOK0.91 per minute for NetCom, calculated as a weighted average of the call start tariff and the price per minute. Both operators appealed against the decision but the Ministry of Transport and Communications ruled in the NPT's favour in April 2006. The NPT does not apply price caps to resellers who charge indirect termination fees — a fact that Telenor has repeatedly bemoaned.

Source: Telegeography

CAT Telecom's board yesterday approved deep cuts in its earlier proposed interconnection (IC) rate by 35-85% in an attempt to encourage more telecom operators to use its international networks for connections. The new rates will be submitted to the National Telecommunications Commission this week.

Earlier, CAT Telecom had proposed an IC rate of 1.07 baht per minute for origination, termination and transit rates. The new rates are 0.69 baht per minute for both origination and termination, a 35% drop, and 0.16 baht for the transit rate, or 85% lower than the earlier rate.

CAT president Phisal Jorpoocha-udom said that increased competition forced the company to lower IC rates. He was confident that the new rates would encourage more operators, both old and new, to use its network for overseas connections. If more calls pass through CAT's network, then people will benefit in terms of lower service prices, he said. For mobile phone users, CAT charges 15 satang for an SMS/MMS, and one satang/Kb of data transmission, he said.

An origination rate is paid by the receiving carrier to the carrier that originates a call. This fee will apply to CAT, which must share international call revenue with telecom operators that transfer calls to CAT's international gateway. A termination rate is paid by the outgoing call's carrier to the provider at the receiving end. A transit rate is paid by the outgoing call's carrier to an intermediate carrier.

Earlier, Advanced Info Service proposed three baht per minute for the origination rate, 1.07 baht for the termination rate, and one baht for the transit rate. DTAC proposed rates of three baht, one baht and 50 satang, while True Move proposed three baht, one baht and 20 satang.

Source: Bangkokpost, Thailand

Taiwan's National Communications Commission (NCC) on November 27 held a second public hearing for its draft plan to control pricing of local fixed-line telephone, 2G mobile communications and leased-circuit services and indicated that a final plan will be announced by the end of this year and take effect on April 1, 2007 as originally scheduled.

All telecom carriers that attended the meeting objected to the planned pricing controls.

Based on the two public hearings, NCC decided to reevaluate the value of a adjustable coefficient used in a formula for calculating allowable price adjustments by the telecom companies. In addition, the NCC requested that the telecoms provide more evidence to support their argument that there is sufficient market competition for leased ADSL circuits, local fixed-line phone calls to mobile phone numbers and mobile pre-paid cards. The NCC also decided that low-power PHS (personal handy-phone system) will be exempt from the pricing control.

NCC stated there probably will be no further hearings and that after possible adjustments to the pricing coefficient are taken into account, the price controls will go into effect on April 1, 2007. See http://www.digitimes.com/telecom/a20061128PD204.html

In a letter sent to the Office of Communications ("Ofcom", the UK telecom watchdog), the European Commission expresses concerns as to how wholesale tariffs, charged by the five UK mobile operators for terminating calls to their customers, have been assessed. In the Commission’s view, Ofcom's proposed tariffs keep termination values higher than necessary due to 3G spectrum cost valuations which risk overestimating the costs. The Commission therefore asks the UK watchdog to reconsider the valuations. OFCOM’s approach would be detrimental to fair competition in the UK's mobile market and lead to higher consumer prices for consumers.[...]

Source: European Commission.

The Commission initiates a proceeding to consider a revised definition of essential service, and the classifications and pricing principles for essential and non‑essential services made available by incumbent telephone companies, cable carriers and competitive local exchange carriers to other competitors at regulated rates (wholesale services). The proceeding will include an oral hearing to be held in Gatineau, Quebec starting in October 2007.

Source: CRTC.

Romania’s telecoms regulator ANRC says it is postponing a planned reduction in mobile termination rates for the country’s two dominant cellcos, Vodafone and Orange. The second stage of a long-term plan to lower mobile termination rates was due to be implemented on 1 January 2007, but the regulator says that with local rates now among the lowest in Europe there is no need for a reduction at the present time. The ANRC is working to harmonise Romania’s telecoms markets with those in the European Union ahead of Romania’s accession to the EU at the start of next year.

Source: Telegeography

Ecuadorean mobile operators Porta and Movistar Ecuador have been ordered by the country’s telecoms regulators Conatel and Senatel to cut the maximum price they can charge for calls from USD0.50 to USD0.30 per minute, according to BNamericas citing local paper La Hora. The new rates ceiling will start on 29 November 2006 for Movistar and 26 August 2008 for Porta – the dates for their respective contract renewals. The regulators’ decision is final and not open to appeal, and will be good news to the country's pre-paid users who account for around 86% of all mobile customers and are charged the highest rates. Pay-as-you-go users are charged an average USD48.5 per minute for calls, while those with contracts pay between USD0.08 and USD0.09, the report said citing regulator figures.

Source: Telgeography

 

Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) is to realign tariffs with their underlying costs next month, which will lead to international rates falling and local rates rising. A BTC spokesman said that monthly residential line rentals would increase from BWP35 (USD6) to BWP60 (USD10). According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms, the state-owned monopoly’s fixed line subscriber base decreased by 4,389 to 132,034 in the year ending 31 March 2006.

 

Source: Telegeography

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has ruled that fixed line incumbent Telstra must continue to limit the unbundled local loop (ULL) prices it charges competitors for using its PSTN, starting on 1 August, for a further three years. ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel said that maintaining regulation of ULL services would promote competition, but added that pricing issues surrounding ULL remained contentious and the ACCC would therefore not be releasing pricing guidelines immediately. The ACCC said pricing caps will also be extended to line rental charges, prompting Telstra spokesperson Liz Jurman to claim ‘the regulator is stuck in a timewarp,’ according to the Financial Times. The decision has heightened tensions between the incumbent and regulator, which have been long involved in a bitter exchange over how Telstra will provide rivals with access to its planned AUD3.1 billion (USD2.4 billion) next generation network. Telstra releases its annual results on 10 August, after which the government will decide whether to sell its remaining 51.8% in the company. The question of network access will have a major bearing on Telstra’s future, including affecting its sale value. Source: Telegeography

UK fixed line incumbent BT Group is mulling a revamp of its consumer telephony tariffs after watchdog Ofcom removed the price controls regulating its retail phone services for the first time, 22 years after the company was privatised. Ofcom said increasing competition meant it would abolish controls limiting rises in the price of calls and line rental for BT customers from next month. The retail price controls apply to local, national and international calls, as well as those made to mobiles. Around eleven million UK users now take retail fixed line services from a company other than BT. The former monopoly remains ultimately responsible for the bulk of these connections via its wholesale division – whose prices remain regulated – though the number is falling as more alternative operators invest in local loop unbundling (LLU). BT said it was now reviewing its options following Ofcom’s decision.

Source: TeleGeography.

Kenya’s telecoms regulator the CCK has launched a KES72 million study to review the country’s phone tariffs. According to Business In Africa, the study will run until October and could result in the watchdog pushing through lower retail and interconnect tariffs.

Source: TeleGeography.

The European Commission has outlined rules regarding the fees mobile operators charge their customers for making calls when abroad, but has had to reduce its demands under mounting industry pressure, and still faces an uphill struggle to get governments to adopt its recommendations. The Commission has long argued that roaming charges are disproportionately high, estimating their worth at EUR8.5 billion (USD11 billion) annually, and accounting for 5.7% of the mobile industry's revenue and 15% of profits. The current rates generate profit margins of up to 400% for network operators and the EC’s proposed price caps have outraged cellcos across the continent. It wants to cut international roaming fees by up to 70% and has stated that customers making local calls with their phones abroad should pay no more than EUR0.33 per minute(plus VAT), whilst international calls should be a maximum EUR0.49 (plus VAT). The Commission wants the rules to take effect from mid-2007, but for that to happen, both the European Parliament and the 25 EU governments must approve. As a concession, it has agreed to a six-month phase-in period, but EC President Jose Manuel Barroso fears this might not be enough to convince governments of member countries: ‘Let's see if all the governments are as ambitious as the Commission,’ he told journalists. ‘I'm afraid that not all of them will be.’

Source: TeleGeography.

Brazil's telecoms regulator Anatel is expected to announce a 2.7% cut in fixed line domestic long-distance call rates, according to BNamericas quoting local newspaper Estado de São Paulo. The board of directors will vote on the proposal on 14 July and, if approved, the reduction will come into effect within 48 hours. The regulator is also expected to authorise a rate reduction for international long-distance calls on the same day. The paper says that the agreed 2.7% cut for DLD rates has been calculated using the average base rate of the country’s fixed line operators – Telemar, Spain's Telefónica. Brasil Telecom, CTBC and Sercomtel – and will give them greater flexibility to adjust prices to compete with emerging players, such as new providers offering VoIP. Estado de São Paulo goes on to say that Anatel is treating DLD operator differently and plans to calculate its rates separately. The readjustment follows Anatel's decision on 5 July to reduce rates for local calls by between 0.38% and 0.51%, depending on the company, the first negative readjustment for eight years.

Source: TeleGeography.

Romania’s telecoms regulator the ANRC has approved Romtelecom’s request to rebalance retail telephony tariffs. Romtelecom proposed to increase monthly rental tariffs by an average of 25%, but lower call charges for local, long-distance and fixed-to-mobile calls, while also extending off-peak hours and increasing the free minutes included with monthly line rental. ANRC says the telco’s request was reasonable and comes at a time when alternative telcos are continuing to improve their market shares, so should have no significant impact on competition.

Source: TeleGeography.

The Dominican Republic’s telecoms regulator Indotel has launched a comprehensive overhaul of telephony tariffs, abolishing the domestic long-distance (DLD) categorisation of rates within a single province, according to BNAmericas quoting Indotel. Previously, DLD rates were applicable to all calls between locations more than 15km apart. The new rates have been introduced in Santiago Rodríguez, El Seibo, San Pedro de Macorís and Azua, with nine more provinces due by year-end, and a further eleven to follow in 2007. Source: TeleGeography.

Vodafone Ireland says it plans to launch a flat-rate 3G mobile internet access service costing EUR49 (USD61.6) a month and confirmed that the rate would apply to its High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) service, due for launch later this year. Vodafone Ireland has around 250,000 customers signed up to its 3G service and is investing over EUR1 billion in improving the network. It is the country’s leading mobile operator with a market share of around 47%, ahead of nearest rival O2 Ireland. Source: TeleGeography.

The European Regional Seminar on "Telecommunication Liberalization - Challenges and Opportunities for CEE, CIS and Baltic States", will be held in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova from 20 to 22 June 2006

The Seminar is aimed at building capacity in addressing the following major policy and regulatory issues to ensure competitive and vibrant ICT markets throughout the region and allow for the edification of the Information Society:

• Policies, strategies and regulation for liberalized markets; roles and functions of policymakers, regulators and operators.

• Key subjects of regulation – challenges in implementing effective regulation; interconnection of networks and services; VoIP regulation; and lessons learned.

• Ensuring independence and improving the efficiency of the national regulator by increasing authority and enforcement powers.

As you may be aware, ITU and infoDev are jointly developing the ICT Regulation Toolkit, an online resource for regulators and policy makers. The Toolkit includes two modules that are highly relevant to the themes of this workshop, the Legal and Institutional Framework for Regulatory Authorities and Competition, Interconnection and Price Regulation.

According to reports in Japanese business newspaper Nihon Keizai, the country’s Communications Ministry is considering asking dominant fixed line provider NTT to cut the charges it levies on other wireline service providers for use of its fibre-optic lines. The proposal is likely to form part of a report due in July on competition in the Japanese telecommunications market. The monthly fibre-optic access charge per customer household is currently fixed at JPY5,074 (USD44.6) until the end of March 2008, but this could fall by as much as half depending on the outcome of the proposal. Source: TeleGeography.

Some of Europe's largest mobile phone operators on Thursday agreed to cut the price of wholesale roaming tariffs in half in the latest bid to avoid punitive legislation from the European Commission. The move is expected to pave a way for charges levied on customers who make and receive calls on mobile phones across Europe to fall by a similar amount and is a response to the Commission's plans to outlaw roaming charges altogether.

The operators, which include Deutsche Telekom-owned T-Mobile, Orange of France, Telecom Italia and its domestic rival Wind and Norway's Telenor, said they had agreed to cap the average wholesale rates they charge each other for providing roaming services at 45 euro cents a minute from October 2006, falling to 36 euro cents by October 2007. This would lower current wholesale rates by about half, a reduction the companies promised to pass on to the almost 200m consumers that use their services.

"The operators commit to pass the benefits of these wholesale reductions on to customers through market-driven reductions in retail prices as fully and quickly as possible. This would pave the way for a reduction in average retail roaming tariffs in the EEA (European Economic Area) by around 50 per cent," the group said.

The companies also promised to set up an independent body to audit retail roaming prices and publish a six-monthly index to track pricing trends. "This makes it apparent that market forces in the mobile industry function and do not need regulatory intervention," argued Rene Obermann, chief executive of T-Mobile International.

T-Mobile, Europe's largest wireless carrier, and Orange, owned by France Telecom, last month signalled their intention to slash roaming charges, while UK-based Vodafone - which is the second- or third-biggest operator in many European countries but has not yet signed up to Thursday's agreement - said it would cut rates by at least 40 per cent by April next year when compared with last summer with the average cost of roaming falling from more than 90 euro cents a minute to less than 55 euro cents.

However, although the Commission welcomed these initiatives, Viviane Reding, EU telecommunications commissioner, indicated that legislation was still necessary to ensure all EU consumers benefited from cuts, not just those from particular companies.

In Thursday's agreement, the operators said they were extending the invitation to join the proposed code of conduct to all other European operators, whether they were based on the continent or not, and added that their proposals improved upon the Commission's by providing more scope for competition between operators at both the wholesale and retail level.

Source: Financial Times.

With more people in the rural Africa getting access to telecommunication, indications have emerged that calls within the West African Sub-region will be treated as local calls going by plans by different regional governments in the region. The Executive Vice- Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Engr. Ernest Ndukwe who dropped this hint during the Telecom Consumer Parliament held last month in Lagos, noted that such common tariff has become necessary for the purpose of harmonization of ICT regulation and standards across Africa. "Calls within the West African Sub-region should be treated as local calls. Plans are underway as meetings are being held by different regional governments to actualize a common tariff. There is need for common regional tariff to be established immediately within the region," Ndukwe pointed out. Source: Balancing Act http://www.balancingact-africa.com/

The Board of the National Communications Authority (NCAH) published its draft resolution on the retail price-based wholesale prices of five operators with significant market power (SMP) to improve the retail competition conditions of broadband access and reduce prices. Press Release. Source: NCAH.

In a decision issued today, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) set out the criteria for deregulation of local exchange telephone services, the last major regulated telecommunications market in Canada.

“This decision reflects the CRTC’s commitment to a reliance on market forces and to innovation,” said CRTC Chairman Charles Dalfen. “From this point forward, there are essentially two criteria we will require before deregulating an incumbent local exchange telephone company. First, competitors must have a 25% market share. Second, the incumbent must have provided competitors with well-functioning access to its network for a six month period. Such access is necessary to ensure sustainable competition. These criteria will allow us to deregulate as market forces take over, while ensuring that local competition is sufficiently robust to protect consumers after deregulation.” For full article, click here. Source: CRTC.