RESTRICTED
GENERAL AGREEMENT S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
19October 1994
ONTRADE INSERVICES
(94-2124)
Negotiating Group onBasic Telecommunications Original: English
COMMUNICATION FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY AND ITSMEMBER STATES
Response toQuestionnaire onBasic Telecommunications
Theattached communication iscirculated attherequest oftheEuropean Community andits
Member States toMembers oftheNegotiating Group onBasic Telecommunications.S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page2
PART I
Definition andMarket Structure
Definition
1. What areconsidered tobebasic telecommunications under your regulatory regime? How
aretheydefined? Howdoesyourregulatory regime define thatwhich isnotconsidered basic
telecommunications?
Noformal definition exists of"basic" services intheEuropean Community, andthistermis
usedinanindicative manner only. Inaneffort toavoid afruitless debate about thedistinction
between "value-added" and"basic" services theEuropean Community hasdefined onlythose
services which maystillbemade subject inindividual Member States tospecial andexclusive
rights (sometimes referred toinourresponses as"reserved services"), namely, public voice
telephony. Thisisdefined as"thecommercial provision forthepublic ofthedirect transport
andswitching ofspeech inrealtimebetween public switched network termination points,
enabling anyusertouseequipment connected tosuchanetwork termination point inorder
tocommunicate withanother termination point"1.Itshould benoted thatother service
areas, suchas,telegraph, telex, mobile radio telephony, paging andsatellite services,
andinfrastructure, arenotcovered atCommunity level, although some ofthese areas
maybeaddressed infurther legislation inthenearfuture (e.g. certain satellite and
mobile services).
However,forthepurposeofthesenegotiationstheCommunityconsiders"basic"services
tocomprise, inaddition tovoice telephony -asdefined above -packet andcircuit
switched data, mobile, paging, satellite services andvoice telephony which isnot
provided tothepublic.
2. Does yourregulatory regime distinguish between networks (facilities) andservices
indefining basic telecommunications? Ifso,howisthisdistinction made?
Action ataEuropean Community level hasfocused ontheliberalisation of
telecommunications services, buthasnotsofaraddressed theissue ofinfrastructure
competition. There aredifferences intheregulatory regimes oftheindividual Member
States.
Networks andservices, however, havebeendefined2atCommunity levelasameans
ofclarifying thescope oftheobligations ensuing fromtheintroduction ofcompetition
inthemarkets fortelecommunication services.
1Commission Directive oncompetition inthemarkets fortelecommunications services,
90/388/EEC, OJL192/10, 24.07.90
2Commission Directive referred toinQuestion 1S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page3
"Publictelecommunicationsnetwork"meansthepublictelecommunicationsinfrastructure
which permits theconveyance ofsignals between defined network termination points
bywire, bymicrowave, byoptical means orbyother electromagnetic means.
"Telecommunications services" means services whose provision consists wholly or
partly inthetransmission androuting ofsignals onthepublic telecommunications
network bymeans oftelecommunications processes, with theexception ofradio
broadcasting andtelevision.
These basic definitions would have tobetaken intoaccount inassessing whether
particulartypesofofferingsareinfactservicesorinfrastructure,forexample,intelligent
network functionalities.
3. Arethere anynetworks orservices which would beconsidered tobebasic
telecommunications within thescope oftheGATS definition which would notbeso
considered byyournational definition? Ifso,what arethey?
Seeanswer toquestion 1.
Market structure
4. Listanybasictelecommunicationssub-sectorsorcategorieswhicharereservedtosupply
bymonopoly orexclusive supplier(s).
Allservices have been opened tocompetition intheEuropean Community withthe
exceptionofpublicvoicetelephony,telegraph,telex,mobile,pagingandsatelliteservices.
Seequestion 1formore detail.
Aclear timetable wassetatEuropean Community level inJuly19933forthefull
liberalisation oftelecommunications services by1January 1998, subject topossible
transitional arrangements forcertain Member States withlessdeveloped networks in
order forthemtoachieve thenecessary structural adjustments. Thistimetable alsocalled
forpublication ofaGreen Paper onInfrastructure bytheendof1994inorder toaddress
thefuture ofinfrastructure liberalisation intheCommunity, andtheCouncil recently
called forthepublication ofthefirstpartofthisGreen Paper before 1November 19944.
Thetimetable, however, doesnotprevent Member States from liberalising more quickly, asshown by
thetable below, which gives additional details onthecurrent situation incertain Member States.
3Council Resolution 93//C213/01 of22inJuly1993
4Joint Industry/Telecommunications Council, 28September 1994: Council conclusions on
theInformation Society Action Plan, COM(94) 347finalS/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page4
COUNTRY
Belgium Mobile communications willbeopen toasecond operator atthelatest
in1994.
Germany Competition hasbeenintroduced formobile communications, satellite
communications andcorporate network applications.
Denmark Public voice telephony services aretobeliberalised before theendof
1994. Anational, public voice telephone service, however, willstill
becovered bytheconcession heldbyTeleDanmark A/S, complete
withcertain rights andobligations. Forexample TeleDanmark A/S
willcontinue tobetheonlyDanish operator whowillbegranted a
country codeintheinternational numbering planandwhowill,asthe
onlyone,havestatus asrecognised Danish international carrier of
telephone services.
Competition hasbeenintroduced forGSM networks andservices and
ERMES networks andservices.
SNG satellite networks andservices andsmall-scale receive-only
satellite services havebeenopened tocompetition. Theentire
satellite fieldisexpected tobeliberalised before theendof1994.
Telepoint services based onDECT Technology aretobeliberalised
before theendof1994.
Spain Competition hasbeen introduced formobile services (GSM network,
paging andpublic trunking).
France Competition exists formobile voice telephony networks andservices,
paging andsatellite services.
Greece Mobile telephony issupplied bytwoprivately owned companies.
Italy Asecond operator willbeintroduced formobile communications by
theendof1994.
Ireland Tenders willsoonbeinvited fortheprovision ofasecond GSM mobile
service andthepossibility forathird licesee willbeconsidered inthe
lightofexperience ofthecompetitive market.
The
NetherlandsCompetition hasbeen introduced formobile services andthere isa
licensing regime. Inaddition, satellite services willsoonbeliberalised.
Portugal Competition hasbeen introduced intelecommunications services
categorised ascomplementary (fixed andmobile) whose exploitation
involves theuseofcomplementary telecommunications infrastructures,
i.e.public telecommunications infrastructures which arenotpartofthe
basic telecommunications network.S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page5
United
KingdomNoareaoftelecommunications activity remains reserved toasingle
operator intheUK.TheWhite Paper setoutin1991 on"Competition
andChoice: Telecommunications Policy forthe1990s" announced the
Government 'scommitment thatitwould consider onitsmerits any
application foralicense tooffer telecommunications services inthe
UK, inlinewith thepolicies setoutthere. Inthecase ofnew
international operators, itwasconcluded thattheduopoly inthisarea
should beended, butthatitwould bepremature toinvite applications
forsuchlicenses inthelightofcontinuing constraints oncompetition
intheinternational market. Thisremains theposition.
5.Does yourregime designate oneoralimited number ofmonopoly/exclusive suppliers to
supply anybasic telecommunications nationally, onageographical basis, orforparticular
market segments? How isit(orthey) constituted (e.g. government ministry oragency,
wholly government-owned corporate entity, company partly owned bythegovernment,
privately owned)?
and
6.Isforeign equity participation orownership ofmonopoly orexclusive suppliers permitted?
Ifso,what isthemaximum percentage share allowed andwhat isthecurrent level of
identifiable foreign participation?
Member States oftheEuropean Community arerequired5towithdraw allspecial or
exclusive rights forthesupply oftelecommunications services other thanpublic voice
telephony. AllMember States have separated regulatory andoperational functions in
conformity withCommunity law.Member States may, iftheysochoose, maintain special
andexclusive rights intheareaofpublic voice telephony. These rights areassigned to
telecommunicationsorganisations(TOs)whichmaybeprivateorpubliclyownedcompanies
orpublic entities.
Telex, telegraph, mobile, paging andsatellite services arenotcovered bythislegislation,
noristelecommunications infrastructure. Intheabsence ofCommunity legislation, the
normal principles ofCommunity competition lawapply, which maysetlimits ontheability
ofMember States tomaintain themonopoly provision ofcertain services.
Theownership structure andconstitution forTelecommunications Organisations (TOs)
inthevarious Member States varies, asdescribed inthefollowing table:
5Commission Directive 90/388/EEC (referred toinQuestion 1)S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page6
Country Designation of
Monopoly-
Exclusive
Suppliers and
Status ofTOOwnership structure Ownership structure
Belgium According tothe
lawof21
March 1991,
BELGACOM
hasthe
exclusive
monopoly on
theprovision of
public voice
telephony for
thewhole
country
Status: State
ownedBelgian lawdoesnot
prohibit foreign equity
participation or
ownership butthere is
ageneral limit: the
participation in
Belgacom ofthe
"public authorities"
must remain at50%
ormore atalltimes.
Moreover, theshares
heldbypublic
authorities must give
theright tomore than
75%ofthevotes and
mandates. For
instance, Belgacom
Mobile -Belgacom 's
subsidiary specialised
inmobile telephony -
isowned for25%by
AirTouch BelgiumThedraft oftheRoyal
Decree forthesecond
licence formobile
telephony limits thenon-
ECparticipation at25%
oftheshares.
Germany Deutsche
Bundespost
Telekom isan
organisation
under public
law.DBP telekom isto
loseitspublic status
asof1/1/95, when it
willbecome aprivate
shareholding company
with100%
government-owned
shares. Shares will
besoldtothepublic
in1996.There willbenoforeign
ownership restrictions on
telecommunications firms
inGermany.S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page7
Denmark Totheextent
that
telecommunica-
tions services
arecovered by
anexclusive
right, cf.the
reply toq.4,
thisexclusive
right hasbeen
granted toTele
Danmark A/S,
cf.Executive
Order no.167
of10March
1994 onthe
concession
granted toTele
Danmark A/S.
Status: 51%
state-owned.TeleDanmark A/Sis
aprivate limited
company which, as
regards 51%ofits
share capital, is
owned bytheDanish
government, 49%
being owned by
private investors.TheDanish legislation
contains norestrictions
regarding foreign equity
participation.
Spain Telefonica has
theexclusive
right forpublic
voice telephony
services
covering the
whole country.
Status: Public
limited companyTelefonica is33%
state-ownedParticipation offoreign-
owned equity isrestricted
bylawtoamaximum of
25%, thislimitcanbe
increased under
Government
consideration.
France- Publicvoice
telephony
betweenfixed
pointsisprovided
byFrance
Telecom,an
autonomous
public entreprise-No national or
foreign private capital
participationis
possible, asFrance
Telecom hasnocapital
forthemomentS/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page8
Greece All "reserved"
telecoms
services, except
mobile
telephony, are
supplied bythe
HellenicTelecom
Organisation
(OTE)
exclusively. The
status ofOTE is
under
consideration.Currently stateowned. Concerning OTE, no
foreignequity
participation orownership
isallowed atpresent.
That regime isunder
examinationfor
modification.
Italy Telecom Italia
hasanexclusive
monopoly for
public voice
telephony andis
aprivate
company.
OMNITEL-
PRONTO Italia
isaprivate
company. Ente
Postisinvolved
onlyinnational
telex and
telegraph
services.Telecom Italia isa
public limited
company, quoted on
thestock market.
TheState hasa
majority holding
(62%) inTelecom
Italia through STET.
STET isaholding
company. 64%ofits
share capital isowned
bythegovernment.There isforeign equity
participation in
OMNITEL-Pronto Italia.
Minority foreign equity
participation inSTET
andTelecom Italia is
allowed.
Ireland Telecom Eireann
hasexclusive
rights inrespect
ofpublic voice
telephony,
mobile, paging,
telexandsatellite
servicesand
national
telecommunicati
o n s
infrastructure.
Telecom Eireann
isagovernment-
owned corporate
entity.Telecom Eireann is
100% state-owned.
Luxembourg -stateownedS/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page9
The Nether-
landsTheNetherlands
KPN hasthe
exclusive
monopoly for
theprovision of
mandatory
services as
mentioned under
1.KPN isa
private
shareholding
company witha
majority of
government-
owned shares.Foreign equity
participation/ownershi
pispermitted. There
isnomaximum
percentage share
allowed forforeign
participation. The
current level of
identifiable foreign
participation of
floated shares is
estimated at50%.
Portugal -Portugal
Telecom, a
public enterprise
-Companhia
Portuguesa
Radio Marconi-Portugal Telecom is
entirely state-owned
-Companhia
Portuguesa Radio
Marconi is51%state-
ownedParticipation offoreign-
owned equity isrestricted
bylawtoamaximum of
25%.S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page10
United
KingdomLicences issued
formosttelecoms
systems contain
nolimitation of
geographicalarea
covered except
where operator
itselfsorequests.
CableTV
companies have
beengranted
exclusive
franchises within
specificlocal
areas toprovide
both cable TV
andcable
telephony.In
providing
telephony they
are in
competition with
BT and other
licensed
operators. Some
licences e.g.BT,
MCL,mobile
andcable
franchises have
requirements to
buildand
maintain service
toaminimum
areaforthe
servicein
question.For
BT,this
obligation covers
whole ofUK
except Kingston.
Except Kingston,
allareprivately
owned corporate
entities.There are noforeign
ownership restrictions on
operators inthe UK
telecoms market.S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page11
7.Ifyourregime isgenerally characterised asnotpermitting competition, please indicate
(a) ifcertain activities orcategories ofwhat could beconsidered basic
telecommunications arenotreserved tothemonopoly, e.g.facsimile, telex,
datatransmission, mobile, satellite services;
(b) arethere anyother means through which foreign suppliers ofbasic
telecommunications areormay participate inthesupply ofbasic
telecommunications, e.g.sub-contract orbuild-operate-transfer arrangements
withthemonopoly suppliers.
Seeanswer toquestion 4.
8. Please listandbriefly describe anyintergovernmental agreements, bilateral orotherwise,
thatyourgovernment hasentered intorelating tothesupply ofbasic telecommunications
networks andservices.
AllECMember States participate ininternational co-operation concerning international
interconnection ofbasic telecommunications networks andservices (egwithin ITUand
theinternational satellite organisations).S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page12
PART II
Competition
Forthesub-sector andcategory headings insections AandB,thefivequestions listed below
should beaddressed foreachsub-sector andcategory thatyoudescribe. Recognising thatsub-
sectorsandcategoriesmayoverlap,pleasekeepinmindthatitistheintroductionofcompetition
andthewayithasbeenintroduced thatshould determine howtoselect which sub-sectors and
categories covered inyourresponses.
(i) Overview. What arethemain government policies andregulations regarding the
competition inthissub-sector orcategory? Canforeign suppliers participate inthesupply
ofbasic telecommunications inthissub-sector orcategory?
Thesubsectors listed atAonpage5ofthequestionnaire, originally taken from theUN
provisional central product classification of1991, arenotparticularly helpful for
explaining howtheregulatory system works intheCommunity. Moreover, much of
theCommunity 'sregulatory framework applies toanumber ofsectors, sothatanoverall
explanation isgiven here rather than adescription bycategory aslisted atB.
Clarifications relevant toparticular categories aregiven where relevant.
Thecurrent stateofdejureservices liberalisation intheECallows forMember States
toreserve theprovision ofpublic voice telephony service andoftelecommunications
network infrastructure forTOshaving exclusive rights. Individual Member States can
liberalise further andmore quickly thanthis.
Allotherservicesusingthefixednetwork(i.e.excludingradio-basedmobileandsatellite-
based services, where preparation oflegislation fortheremoval ofexclusive andspecial
rights isunderway) areopentocompetition, andservice providers havearighttooffer
these overTOowned infrastructure, subject toanylicensing requirements ordeclaration
procedures byMember States.
Voice telephony services willbeopened tocompetition by1998, withtransition periods
forsome Member States. Discussions ontheuseof"alternative" (i.e.non-TO-owned)
infrastructure areexpected tobegin laterthisyearfollowed bydiscussions onthefuture
ofinfrastructure provision foralltelecommunications services.6
Foreffective market access, service providers needfairandnon-discriminatory access
tothenetwork andtheavailability ofabasic setofservices throughout theEU. A
6InApril 1994, theCommission published aGreen Paper withpolicy proposals onmobile
services, while aCommunication ontheuseofalternative infrastructure isexpected tobepublished
during Autumn 1994. AnewGreen Paper withpolicy proposals regarding thefuture of
infrastructure provision foralltelecommunications services isexpected tobepublished bytheend
of1994.S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page13
regulatory framework known asOpen Network Provision (ONP) isdesigned toaddress
these issues.
1. Voice telephony
AtCommunitylevelallservicesexceptpublicvoicetelephony7areopenedtocompetition.
Services liberalised include notonlyvalue-added anddatatransmission services butalso
corporate communications andclosed usergroup (CUG) communications. Thus, voice
telephony notintended forthegeneral public maybecarried byservice providers other
thantheTOs. These services aredifficult todefine clearly, ofcourse, butforregulatory
purposes intheCommunity themainpointiswhether ornottheservice isvoice telephony
provided tothegeneral public.
Furthermore, asnoted earlier, agreement wasreached intheCouncil thatpublic voice
telephony services aretobeliberalised by1January 19988(with additional transition
periods forcertain countries) anddiscussion willtakeplace inthenearfuture on
alternative infrastructure andthefuture ofinfrastructure provision forallservices. (See
PartII,i.)
Inmost Member States public voice telephony andtheprovision ofinfrastructure are
stillunder monopoly.
TheUKhasgradually opened virtually allservices tocompetition.
InDenmark, voice telephony services aretobeliberalised inthecourse of1994. In
addition, inDenmark, itisexclusively aquestion ofservice liberalisation which means
thatnoaccess isgranted toestablish ownnetwork infrastructure forsuch services.
Liberalisation involves thatexisting restrictions ontheuseofpermanent leased lines
forvoicetelephonypurposesarelifted.Similarly,switchingfunctionswillbeliberalised.
Thismeans thatinthefuture, voice telephony services maybeprovided bywayof
permanent leased linesexclusively based ontheuseofthepublic telecommunications
network.
2. Value-added services
7Voice telephony asdefined inEClegislation, is"thecommercial provision forthepublic
ofthedirect transport andswitching ofspeech inreal-time between public switched network
termination points", (Directive 90/388/EEC of28.6.90). Similarly, Commission Directive
90/388/EEC of28June 1990 oncompetition inthemarkets fortelecommunications services
(90/388/EEC; OJL192/10, 24.07.90). Telex, mobile telephony, paging andsatellite services were
excluded from thescope ofthisDirective.
Secondly, following onfrom this,theCommission finalised aReview in1993 regarding, among
other aspects, theremaining exclusive rights oftheTOs.
8SeeEuropean Council Resolution of22July1993.S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page14
Value-added services (VAS) anddataservices arenotinfactdefined inCommunity
legislation, since inorder toreduce thedebate onfitting services intocategories
Community rulesfocus onthose services where competition hasnotyetbeenintroduced,
everything elsehaving beenliberalised.
These services havebeenopened tocompetition through theremoval ofexclusive rights
subject toanylicensing procedures Member States mayestablish. Alllicensing or
authorisation procedures mustaimonlyatcompliance withessential requirements and
theconditions forthegrant oflicences must beobjective, non-discriminatory and
transparent, andmust include aprocedure forappeals against anyrefusal.
Ageneral framework foraccess toanduseofthepublic telecommunications networks
(OpenNetworkProvision-ONP)9isinforce,togetherwithmoredetailedONPprovisions
forleased lines10,ISDN11,dataservices12andlegislative work isproceeding onONP provisions for
voice telephony13.
Formany value-added anddataservices itmaynotbenecessary toobtain anindividual license. The
issue ofone-stop-shopping arrangements andthemutual recognition oflicences iscurrently under
discussion.14
3. Leased linesand"alternative" infrastructure
9Council Directive of28June 1990 ontheestablishment oftheinternal market for
telecommunications services through theimplementation ofopen network provision (90/388/EEC;
OJL192/1, 24.07.90)
10Council Directive of5June 1992 ontheapplication ofopen network provision toleased
lines (92/44/EEC; OJL165/27, 19.06.92)
11Council Recommendation of5June 1992 ontheprovision ofharmonised ISDN access
arrangements andaminimum setofISDN offerings inaccordance withopen network provision
(ONP) principles (92/383/EEC; OJL200/1, 18.07.92)
12Council Recommendation ontheharmonised provision ofaminimum setofpacket-
switched dataservices (PSDS) inaccordance withOpen Network Provision (ONP) principles (OJL
200; 18.7.92)
13Proposal foraCouncil Directive ontheapplication ofopen network provision (ONP) to
voice telephony, COM(92)247 final -Syn437, 27.08.92
14Amended proposal foraEuropean Parliament andCouncil Directive onthemutual
recognition oflicences andother national authorisations fortelecommunications services,
COM(94)41 final -COD 438, 22.03.94, andproposal foraEuropean Parliament andCouncil
Directive onapolicy forthemutual recognition oflicences andother national authorisations forthe
provision ofsatellite network services and/or satellite communications services (COM (93)653 final
-COD 483,4.1.94).S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page15
Theavailability ofadequate leased circuits isakeycondition forthesupply ofservices
which areopen tocompetition. ONP conditions forleased lines15came intoforce in
June1993andrequire astandard minimum setofleased linestobeavailable; these also
address thequestion ofaccess toleased circuits. They determine thatcircuits maybe
interconnected witheachother andtothepublic network intheconfiguration oftheuser's
orservice provider 'schoice, andcallfortariffs tobecost-oriented, andforverifiable
costaccounting systems tobeestablished bytheTOsineachMember State.
Asalreadyreferredto,theuseof‘alternative'infrastructure16fortheprovisionofservices
already liberalised isbeing studied.
4. Mobile services
Liberalisation ofthese services hasnotbeenincluded directly inCommunity legislation
todateasitwasfeltthattheywould needfurther consideration.17Thedevelopment
ofthesector iscurrently being discussed.
Itshould benoted thatevenintheabsence ofCommunity legislation onmobile telephone
services there hasbeenasignificant opening ofmarkets within anumber ofMember
States, withGSM services being introduced during thecourse ofthisyearinsome
countries, andwithatleasttwoGSM competitors ineachmobile sector becoming the
norm.. Insome Member States, thisisalsothecaseconcerning DCS 1800 Services.
Anumber ofthirdcountry based TOsparticipate either directly orthrough jointventures
inthese markets.
5. Satellite services
Aproposal toextend theapplication ofagreed Community policy tothesatellite sector
hasbeen discussed since 199018.TheCouncil hasendorsed general principles of
liberalisation oftheearthsegment, access tothespace segment andcommercial freedom
forspace segment providers. Legislation topromote themarket forsatellite earth-station
equipment hasbeenadopted19,andlegislation tosimplify thelicensing process inthissector isbeing
15Council Directive of5June 1992 ontheapplication ofopen network provision toleased
lines (92/44/EEC; OJL165/27, 19.06.92)
16Thisincludes networks such asthose operated bycable TV,electricity andwater
companies andrailways.
17SeeGreen Paper COM(94)145 final, 27.04.1994.
18Satellite Green Paper of1990; ACommission Communication further elaborating policy
forthespace segment waspublished inJune 1994 (COM (94)210final 10.6.94.
19Council Directive of29October 1993 supplementing Directive 91/263/EEC inrespect of
satellite earth station equipment (93/97/EEC; OJL290/01, 24.11.93)S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page16
discussed20.Legislation addressing theopening ofthemarket forprovision ofsatellite services and
equipment isinpreparation.
Anumber ofMember States currently allow competitive satellite communications services byprivate
operators. Community legislation onliberalisation ofthese services iscurrently being discussed. Receive-
onlysatellite terminals notconnected tothepublic network were liberalised in198821.
(ii) Modes ofsupply. Inyour view, howdotheGATS modes ofsupply (cross border,
consumption abroad, commercial presence, andpresence ofnatural persons) apply to
thissub-sector orcategory? What kinds ofrequirements, conditions, orlimitations are
applied inthissub-sector orcategory which relate toeachmode ofsupply?
Intheview oftheCommunity anditsMember States, generally most services are
currently supplied through themode ofcommercial presence22.Companies providing
domestic andinternational voice telephony, mobile andsatellite services areestablished
inthecountries where theservice consumer islocated. Possible exceptions mayinclude
services based ontheuseofcalling cards (consumption abroad) 23andaspects offuture global
personalcommunications,forexample.Insomerespectsthejointlyprovidedservicessuchasinternational
facilities-based voice telephony seem nottofitinanyparticular category; nevertheless, inpractice the
foreign service supplier provides theservice totheservice consumer ofanother country through
establishment inthatcountry.
Note:Responses onmodes ofsupply should notnecessarily belimited tomeasures which might relate
tomarket access ornational treatment asdefined bytheGATS. Information provided mayhelpadvance
discussions onhowthemodes ofsupply, particularly cross border andconsumption abroad, relate
tobasic telecommunications.
(iii) Market access. What kindoflimitations onmarket access aresupplied, (i.e., Arethere any
quantitative limitations on,oreconomic needs testsapplied to,thenumber ofsuppliers? Are
thereanylimits onthetotalvalue oftransactions, totalnumber ofoperations, quantity ofoutput,
orthetotalnumber ofpersons thatmaysupply basic telecommunications orbeemployed by
asupplier? Arethere anyrestrictions orrequirements regarding typeoflegalentity thatmay
20Proposal foradirective onapolicy forthemutual recognition oflicences andother
national authorisations fortheprovision ofsatellite network services and/or satellite
communications services, COM(93)652 final -COD 482, 04.01.94.
21Directive 88/301/EEC
22iethesupply ofaservice byaservice supplier ofoneMember through commercial
presence intheterritory ofanyother Member
23iethesupply ofaservice intheterritory ofoneMember intotheterritory ofanyother
MemberS/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page17
supply basic telecommunications? Arethere anylimits onforeign ownership orequity
participation?)
Asfarasservices which havebeenopened tocompetition (i.e.forwhich allexclusive rights
forsupply havebeenwithdrawn) areconcerned, Member States which make thesupply ofsuch
services subject toalicensing ordeclaration procedure24havetoensure thattheconditions
forthegrant oflicences areobjective, non-discriminatory andtransparent. There isno
exantelimitationofthenumberofsuppliers,subject,ofcourse,totheavailabilityofthenecessaryphysical
resources.
Specific details onthesituation inindividual Member States specifically with regard tomobile
communications aregiven inthetable below:
24aimed atcompliance withessential requirements orother things fordataservices forthe
public -seeArticle 3ofDirective (90/388/EEC)S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page18
Country
Belgium Mobile telephony (GSM 900) willbeopen toasecond operator atthelatest in1994
taking intoaccount therespect ofpublic-service specifications.
Germany Alicence from theMinistry ofPostandTelecommunications isnecessary formobile
operators. Thiswillbegranted provided certain performance requirements aremet,
although numbers arelimited byfrequency shortage.
Denmark Access totheDanish market forliberalised services isrestricted only insofar as
suppliers ofGSM networks andservices, fortechnical reasons andreasons of
frequency allocation, have been limited totwo, whereas thenumber ofsuppliers of
ERMES networks andservices hasbeen limited tothree.
Spain There isa25%foreign ownership restriction tonon-EC participation, foronemobile
telephony GSM licence. There isanother GSM licence granted toTelefonica.
France There isa20% foreign ownership restriction formobile telephony. This limit can
bewaived inthecaseofbilateral ormultilateral agreements. 2licences have been
granted tomobile telephony operators. Anewlicence hasjustbeen granted toa
third mobile telephony operator.
Greece Mobile telephony isexclusively supplied bytwoprivately owned companies.
Italy Asecond GSM mobile telephony operator isabout tobeauthorised. There isa
licensing regime forGSM. TheGSM licensees fortheFirst (Telecom Italia) andthe
second (Omnitel-Pronto Italia) willbeissued bytheendof1994.
Ireland Itisproposed toissue asecond mobile GSM licence inthenearfuture. There will
benorestrictions onforeign ownership.
Luxembourg Mobile telephony issupplied bythenational operator.
TheNether-
landsThere isalicensing regime forGSM, ERMES, DCS 1800 andanalogue systems.
Forthislastcategory alicense willnormally begranted ifsufficient frequencies are
available. Thesecond GSM license willbeissued (after theconclusion ofanopen
tender procedure) before April 1995. Norestrictions onforeign ownership.
Portugal Theprinciple offreeaccess applies, except formobile services, access towhich is
subject torestrictions onthefrequency spectrum andtoopen tendering.
UnitedKingdomServices provided over other licensed operators 'infrastructure areliberalised inthe
UKand(with oneexception) may beprovided under theTelecommunications
Services License (TSL). This isagenerally-applicable class licence forwhich no
form ofregistration offeeisrequired. There arenoforeign ownership restrictions.
There arenoother limitations tomarket access. The oneexception relates to
"International Simple Resale" (ISR) i.e.provision ofinternational leased circuits to
third parties interconnected tothepublic switched network atbothends ofthecall.
ISRcanonlybeoffered bycompanies which have applied forandbeen granted an
individual licence todoso,andthenonlytothose countries designated bytheUKas
having anequivalent telecoms regulatory regime totheUK's-currently Sweden,
Canada andAustralia. ISRofdatacanbeprovided toallEEA countries under the
TSL, ascaninternational resale with breakout atoneendofthecallonly, andall
domestic resale.S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page19
(iv) National treatment. What kindoflimitations onnational treatment areinplace extending to
foreignsupplierstreatmentlessfavourablethanthatfordomesticsuppliers?(e.g.Arepreferences
given todomestic suppliers orrestrictions orobligations imposed onforeign suppliers with
respect toanyprocedures orregulations, including licensing? Arethereanylimitations onthe
nationality orresidency ofmanagers, directors, orboard members? Arethereanyrestrictions
onforeign ownership oflandorfacilities?)
Afundamental principle ofCommunity lawistheprohibition ondiscrimination onthegrounds
ofnationality against natural orlegalpersons whoarenationals orwhoareestablished inanother
Member State oftheEuropean Union.
There aregenerally nolimitations onnational treatment. IntheUnited Kingdom theArticles
ofAssociation ofBritish Telecom require thechairman tobeaBritish national.
(v) Licensing. Iflicensing isrequired inthissub-sector orcategory, briefly describe theprocedures
concerned andexplain themain requirements, criteria andfeesapplied. whataresome ofthe
principal terms andconditions onlicensees, oncealicense isobtained?
Seeanswer above to(iii)firstparagraph.
Note :Licensing isintended tobeunderstood inabroad sense, toinclude processes suchas
approval, authorisation, registration orcertification, asapplicable.
A. Sub-sectors
Foranysub-sector inwhich competition ispermitted inyourregime (i.e.,which arenotreserved
tomonopoly orexclusive suppliers) answer questions (i)through (v)above, asapplicable. The
following listofsub-sectors isconsidered illustrative andshould besupplemented withanyother
sub-sectors orsub-activities which youmaywishtodescribe.
a. Voice telephone services
b. Packet-switched datatransmission services
c. Circuit switched datatransmission services
d. Telex services
e. Telegraph services
f. Facsimile services
g. Private leased circuit services, and
o. Other
Seeabove.
Thefollowing aresome additional examples ofbasic telecommunications networks orservices
notexplicitly listed in(a)-(g)and(o),above, forwhich responses mayberelevant: voice/non-
voiceservicesusingdomestic/internationalprivateleasedcircuits;cableTV-relatedvoicetelephone
networks andservices; domestic/international satellite services andsatellite links/capacity;S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page20
analogue/digital cellular mobile networks andservices; PCSnetworks andservices; paging
services; mobile dataservices; fixed line/wireless local access; local/long distance linelinks;
local/long distance switching; international switching andother international gateway facilities.
Whereas some ofthese might beconsidered tofallunder (o),above, some might alsobe
considered tobeactivities falling within sub-sectors (a)-(g).
Seeanswer toquestion (i)above.
B. Categories
Foreachofthecategories thatfollow inwhich competition ispermitted, answer questions (i)
through (v)above, asapplicable, aswellasthespecific questions listed under agiven category.
Seeabove. Some additional comments provided here.
Local/long distance/International
1. How arelocalanddomestic longdistance distinguished ordefined?
Notapplicable.
2. Arethere anyregulatory orother distinctions between domestic (local andlongdistance) and
international networks andservices andbetween thesuppliers ofbasic telecommunications in
these market segments? Ifso,whatarethey? Wire-based, radio-based)
AtCommunitylevel,nodistinctionismadebetweenlocalandlong-distancenetworksandservices,
norbetween intra-Community domestic andinternational networks orservices.
Note :Please address alltypes ofrelevant radio-based telecommunications including satellite
links, access tosatellite capacity, VSAT. mobile cellular communications, paging, mobile data
servicesandotherradiocommunicationsystems.Recognisingthatwire-basedor"fixed"networks
canberadio based inpart, responses under thiscategory should relate toanyrequirements
specifically related toradio-based elements ofnetworks orservices.
3. Doyourregulations permit international resale ofprivate leased circuit capacity ifconnected
tothepublic network. Ifso,atoneend?Atbothends? Under what conditions? Isresale of
switched voice capacity permitted?
Intra-Community resale ofleased circuit capacity connected tothepublic network, without
interconnection restrictions, ispermitted forallservices which havebeenopened tocompetition.
Anyaccess andusage restriction mayonlybeaimed atensuring compliance withessential
requirements, asdefined inCommunity legislation, andareimposed bythenational regulatory
authorities through regulatory means. Notechnical restrictions canbeintroduced ormaintained
fortheintercommunication ofleased linesandpublic telecommunications networks.
4. Isresale ofprivate leased circuit excess capacity permitted? Ifso,under whatconditions?
Maybasic telecommunications beresold tomake them available tothirdparties? Forwhich
basic telecommunications isthispermitted?
Seeanswer toprevious question.S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page21
Asnoted earlier, alltelecommunications services (except mobile andsatellite services) inthe
European Community, including public voice telephony, willbeopened tocompetition by1
January 1998 (subject topossible transition periods forsome Member States).
Facilities-based
5. Maybasictelecommunications suppliers (foreign anddomestic) construct andoperate theirown
networks orinvest inconsortia toconstruct andoperate suchfacilities? Ifnot,whatorganisations
arepermitted toconstruct andoperate basic telecommunications network infrastructures?
AttheCommunity level, thequestion ofinfrastructure liberalisation (including alternative
infrastructure) competition isunder discussion asreferred tounder II(i). Adecision isexpected
tobetaken during 1995/96.
Inthemeantime, thesituation intheMember States varies, inthatinseveral Member States
independent infrastructure (forownuse)isexempted frommonopoly regulations. Some Member
States haveliberalised theprovision ofnetwork facilities asfollows:
IntheUK,individual licences arerequired toruntelecommunications systems involving the
construction oftelecommunications infrastructure ortheoffering ofasubstantial service tothe
public.IndividuallicenseesmaybedesignatedasPublicTelephoneOperators(PTO).PTOlicences
contain particular provisions, setoutinSection 8(1)oftheTelecommunications Act1984, which
addresses: requirement toprovide provision ofspecified services; prohibition onundue preference
orundue discrimination; andpublication ofcharges terms andconditions. Systems rununder
alicence containing suchprovisions maybedesignated asaPTObytheSecretary ofState.
IntheNetherlands, under current regulation, theprovision ofwireline infrastructure isreserved
toKPN. There areexceptions for:
-alternative providers ofinfrastructure forGSM (these areKPN, athirdparty which hasleased
alinefrom KPN, licenceholders offixed networks whohavereceived anexemption from the
TelecomandPostDepartment,licenceholdersofCTV-networkswhichhavereceivedanexemption
from theT&P Department);
-those whohaveapermit toinstall infrastructure because theincumbent operator isnotwilling
toinstall therequired infrastructure onreasonable conditions andwithin reasonable time;
-thecompanies which havetheirownnetworks which theyusefortheirownusage orfora
specific purpose (likebroadcasting).
There areplans toissue alicence forasecond national infrastructure supplier. Theintention
istoissueonelicence withnational coverage toaconsortium ofspecific companies which already
havenational networks inoperation, e.g.Dutch railways. There isnorestriction onforeign
participation inthisconsortium.
InFrance, aregulatory distinction ismade between infrastructure which isopentothepublic
andindependent infrastructure. Thelatter category groups together awidevariety ofnetworks,
suchasVSAT networks forprivate useorsatellite reporting stations. Independent infrastructure
isopentocompetition, subject toministerial approval. Thisapproval isintended onlytoconfirm
thatthenetwork fallswithin theindependent category. Radio-based infrastructure isalsoopen
tocompetition evenformobile voice telephony opentothepublic. Authorisations maybelimited
duetofrequency shortage.S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page22
InGermany, inthefield ofmobile radio, licences aregranted -onthebasis ofthe
Telecommunications Installations Act-forthesetting upandoperation ofmobile radio networks
tobeusedforpublic traffic, andfortheprovision oftherelevant mobile radio services.
InDenmark, theestablishment ofinternal networks hasbeenliberalised. Internal networks are
defined asnetworks fortelecommunications purposes (voice, textordata) located within the
boundariesofapropertyandintendedforconnectiontoandcommunicationviathepublicnetwork.
InSpain, themobile service providers (paging, telephony, trunking etc)canbuild andoperate
theirownnetworks inthecasewhere theauthorised network provider isnotabletofulfill the
needed network resources. Theinfrastructure builtandoperated insuchcircumstances willneed
anadministrative concession. Thisconcession willbewithdrawn subject totheavailability of
network resources, afteraperiod oftimeallowing torecover theinvestment made onthesystem.
Thisperiod willbefixed bytheAdministration. Theforeign ownership restrictions forthe
exploitation ofsuchservices aresimilar totheonesindicated inPartI,Spanish answer to
Questions 5and6.
InPortugal, under current regulation, there areexceptions fortheprovision ofcomplementary
telecommunications services: thelicensed operators forthesupply ofsuchservices arepermitted
toestablish, manage andexploit theirowninfrastructures.
Public/non-public supply
6. Does yourregime make distinctions between suppliers ofpublic switched andnon-public basic
telecommunications? Ifso,how?
Allnon-public telecommunications services areopentocompetition intheEuropean Community,
whereas, asmentioned earlier, public voice telephony services remain reserved until1January
1998. Thus, theonlydistinction isbetween voice telephony andnon-voice telephony services.
Voice telephony isdefined as"thecommercial provision forthepublic ofthedirect transport
andswitching ofspeech inrealtimebetween public switched network termination points, enabling
anyusertouseequipment connected tosuchanetwork termination pointinorder tocommunicate
withanother termination point"25.
7. What basic telecommunications doyourregulations require, explicitly orineffect, to
bemade available tothepublic generally?
Inthecontext ofthepreparation oftheliberalisation ofvoice telephony service by1
January 1998, aconsensus hasbeenachieved ontheneedtomaintain anddevelop a
universaltelecommunicationsservicewhichwillenableaccessthroughouttheCommunity
"toadefined minimum service ofspecified quality toallusers everywhere and,inthe
lightofspecific national conditions atanaffordable price"26.Thatservice includes
provision ofthebasicpublic telecommunications network anddefined elements ofavoice
telephony service. These principles should besupplemented through further legislation
25Commission Directive oncompetition inthemarkets fortelecommunications services,
90/388/EEC, OJL192/10, 24.7.90
26Council Resolution 93/C48/2, 16.2.94S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page23
by31December 1995. Furthermore, ainimum setofleased linesistobesupplied in
allMember States.27
8. What basictelecommunications doyourregulations permit tobesupplied onanon-public
basis (i.e., notrequired tobemade available tothepublic generally)?
Seeanswer toquestion 6.
9 What obligations orresponsibilities areincurred bystatus asapublic basic
telecommunications supplier andunder whatconditions? E.g., whatkinds of"common
carrier"likeobligationsareimposed(e.g.withregardtouniversalservice),andonwhom?
Seeanswer toquestion 7.
10. What, ifany,restrictions arethere onorganising andoffering aprivate network bya
telecommunications supplier?
Seetheoverview ofvoice telephony atthebeginning ofPartII.
11. Istheoperation ofpublic pay-phones reserved tomonopoly orexclusive suppliers?
According toCommunity legislation theprovision ofvoice telephony services asoutlined
above canremain subject toexclusive rights. Theactual physical provision ofcallbox
equipment hasbeenopened tocompetition.28
27Directive 92/44/EEC (OJL165/27, 19.6.92
28Directive 88/301/EEC (OJL131/73, 27.5.88S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page24
PartIII
Regulatory issues
Inresponding tothequestions inthissection, participants areasked toprovide specific references to
thesource orstatus ofthemeasures concerned (e.g., where possible, acitation ofthelaw,regulation,
rule,guideline, decision ordecree).
Relationship between regulatory andoperational functions
1. Doanybasic telecommunications suppliers become involved, directly orindirectly, inmaking
regulatory policy? enforcement ofregulations? informulating standards orenforcing standards?
Community legislation requires Member States toensure thatthegranting ofoperating licences,
thecontrol oftypeapproval andmandatory specifications, theallocation offrequencies and
surveillance ofusage conditions havetobecarried outbyabody independent oftheTOs29.
Concerning telecommunications terminal equipment, suppliers donotbecome involved
directly inmaking regulatory policy, although theyinfluence theformation ofpolicy
inanumber ofindirect ways. Animportant mechanism forinfluencing policy arises
from theobligation placed ontheCommission toperiodically consult manufacturers30.
Seeresponse toQuestion 9forstandards participation.
2. Isyourregulatory authority (orauthorities) alsoresponsible forformulating standards?
Forenforcing standards?
Seeresponse toquestion 1.
Asnoted earlier, Member States must ensure thatresponsibility fordrawing upthe
specificationsforterminalequipment,monitoringtheirapplicationandgrantingtype-approval
isentrusted toabody independent ofpublic orprivate undertakings offering goods and
orservices inthetelecom sector31.
Theformal procedures fortheprovision ofinformation inthestandardisation fieldhave
been laiddown inCommunity legislation, which hasalsonominated theEuropean
29Commission Directive 90/388/EEC
30Article 13ofCommission Directive 91/263/EEC andArticle 15ofCommission Directive
93/97/EEC
31Commission Directive 88/301/EECS/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page25
Standardisation Bodies CEN, CENELEC andETSI forthedevelopment ofharmonised
European Standards32.
Intheterminal equipment field, these standardisation bodies have been called onto
prepare harmonised standards which aretransformed intocommon technical regulations,
compliancewithwhichismandatory33.Theregulatoryauthoritiesareresponsibletoensure
thatthese regulations areenforced.
Inaddition, ONP regulation provides forharmonised standards, which theregulatory
authorities areresponsible toenforce.
3. Howmany levels ofgovernment (e.g., national, regional, state, local) haveresponsibility
forregulation affecting basic telecommunications? Please identify anddescribe relevant
levels ofgovernment authority. Arethere anyprocedures enabling suppliers toresolve
questions ofdisputes theymayhaveortoappeal adecision withtheregulatory body
concerned? Ifso,please describe.
Community law,inparticular, rules onthesingle market, oncommercial policy and
oncompetition, settheframework inwhich Member States conduct their policy.
Community legislation covers such areas asstandardisation, market access and
interconnection. Member States contribute effectively totheformulation ofCommunity
policy andareresponsible forenforcement ofobligations arising under Directives. The
European Commission monitors theimplementation ofCommunity legislation bythe
Member States andmayissuedecisions based onArticle 90oftheTreaty andintroduces
Court procedures withtheEuropean Court ofJustice.
Inaddition, atCommunity levelthere isaconciliation procedure forleased lineswhich
issetupbytheONP leased lineslegislation andwhereby there isarighttoappeal to
aNational Regulatory Authority. Inthecasewhere noagreement isreached atnational
level, there isarighttoappeal toaWorking Group oftheONP Committee (conciliation
procedure).
Details ofnational regulatory systems aresetoutbelow:
32Council Directive 83/189/EEC
33Directives 91/263/EEC and93/97/EECS/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page26
COUNTRY
Belgium Thefederal state isresponsible forthetelecommunications policy.
There isnodispute settlement procedure where theBIPT resolves
questions suppliers mayhave. Against decisions oftheBIPT, only
appeal totheMinister ortheCourts ispossible.
Anombudsman service isincharge ofdispute settlement between
Belgacom anditscustomers.
Germany TheFederal Minister ofPostandTelecommunications isresponsible
fortheregulation ofbasic telecommunications throughout thecountry.
TheMinister forP&T must approve thetariffs proposed byDBP
Telekom, inconjunction withtheMinisters ofFinance andEconomics.
TheFederal Agency forPostandTelecommunications isresponsible
forthedaytodayregulation ofthesector, within theguidelines set
down bytheMinister ofP&T.
Complaints byother telecommunications providers andusers about the
conduct ofDBP Telekom must beaddressed totheFederal Ministry of
Posts andTelecommunications.
Asof1/1/95, independent units with theMinistry ofP&T willbe
responsible fortheadministration ofcertain regulations.
Denmark TheMinistry ofResearch andtheNational Telecom Agency arethe
authorities responsible forregulating thetelecommunications field in
Denmark. TheNational Telecom Agency isanagency under the
Ministry andhasbeen empowered bytheMinistry tocarry outa
number ofregulatory tasks.
Telecommunications operators andservice providers, like other
citizens, have thepossibility ofsubmitting tothetelecommunications
authorities issues, including disputes, caused byquestions connected
with thetelecommunications legislation. Normally theNational
Telecom Agency willinthefirstinstance decide insuchmatters. The
Agency 'sdecision may bebrought before theMinistry for
reconsideration.
Adecision bytheauthorities mayalways bebrought before acourt of
law.S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page27
Spain TheMinistry ofPublic Works, Transports andEnvironment, through
theDirectorate-General forTelecommunications, isresponsible forthe
telecommunications policy throughout thecountry.
There isadispute settlement procedure whereby theGovernment 's
Delegation inTelefonica orspecial arbitrage bodies resolve disputes on
telephony service.
TheCourt forDefence oftheCompetence, isresponsible forallother
types ofdisputes. Adecision bytheadministrative bodies mayalways
bebrought before acourt oflaw.
France There isoneregulatory level atnational level, which isthe
responsibility ofDirectorate-General forPostandTelecommunications
under theMinistry forIndustry, Post andTelecommunications and
External Trade.
Disputes may bedealt with bythisAdministration initsroleof
mediator orarbitrator between service providers, suppliers andusers.
There are further reconsideration procedures through this
Administration andfinally through thecourts. Inthespecific caseof
administrative decisions resulting inthewithdrawal oflicences or
authorisations, Advisory Committees forradiocommunications and
telecommunications maybeconsulted.
Greece Currently theMinistry ofTransport andCommunications exercises a
general oversight over OTE, deals with spectrum management and
frequency allocation, issues licences forradio networks, approves
specifications andstandards forequipment, takes measures forthe
development ofinternational telecommunications relations and
concludes relevant international agreements. Dispute settlement
procedures areintheprocess ofbeing developed.
Italy TheMinistry forPost andTelecommunications istheonly body
responsible forregulation oftelecommunications throughout the
country. Disputes among operators, service providers andusers may
bedealt withbytheMinistry andalldecisions maybebrought before
acourt oflaw.S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page28
Ireland The Department ofTransport, Energy and Communications is
responsiblefordevelopingandimplementingnational
telecommunications policy. Pending theenactment oflegislation, a
separate division within theDepartment isresponsible forregulating
themarket. Noother level ofgovernment isinvolved other thanfor
physical planning requirements.
Formal procedures have notyetbeen developed fordealing with
disputes. Forthemoment, therefore, appeal procedures aredealt with
onacase-by -case basis. TheOmbudsman alsohascertain powers in
relation totelecommunications services provided bytheTO.Inthe
event ofasupplier being dissatisfied withthedecision oftheregulator,
hemayappeal totheMinister ortothecourts.
Luxembourg TheMinistry ofCommunications istheauthority responsible for
regulating thetelecommunications fieldinLuxembourg.
The Nether-
landsTheonlyregulatory body fortelecommunications istheMinistry of
Transport, Public works andWater management, Telecommunications
andPostDepartment.
Inaddition tocivil court, there isanindependent commission of
appeal forcustomers (small users) ofPTT. Itsdecisions oncomplaints
arebinding forPTTorother telecommunications operators. Appeals to
adecision oftheregulatory body canbemade attheadministrative
court ofappeal.
Portugal There isonlyonelevelofregulatory responsibility forcommunications
andthatisthePortuguese government assisted bytheICP(Portuguese
Communications Institute). Telecommunications operators mayapply
tothemember ofthegovernment responsible forcommunications on
anymatter ordispute which may arise inthecourse oftheir
operations, firstly, under theadministrative appeal procedure and,
secondly, under theadministrative dispute procedure.
United
KingdomThesecretary ofState forTrade andIndustry, andtheDirector
General ofTelecommunications (theheadofOFTel) haveduties vested
inthem under theTelecommunications Act1984, including the
promotion oftheinterests ofconsumers oftelecoms services, andthe
maintenance andpromotion ofeffective competition intheindustry.
TheDTIisresponsible fortheissuing oftelecoms licences (both class
andindividual), while OFTel isresponsible fortheir enforcement.
There isnoadditional regional, stateoflocal level regulatory body.S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page29
Frequency allotment orassignment
4. What aretheprocedures, requirement andcriteria applied fortheallotment orassignment
ofradio frequencies?
Theprocedures, requirements andcriteria applied fortheallotment orassignment of
radio frequencies mayvaryamong theECMember States.34Overall, theallocation
ofradio spectrum toaservice takesintoaccount anumber offactors, suchas,availability
ofspectrum, needforservice andcompliance withinternational frequency arrangements.
5. Doforeigntelecommunicationssuppliersreceivenationaltreatmentundertheseprocedures
andcriteria?
Yes.
Numbering andidentification codes
6. What aretheprocedures, requirements, andcriteria used toassign numbering and
identification codes?
Asforfrequencies, theprocedures, requirements andcriteria usedtoassign numbering
andidentification codes mayvaryamong ECMember States.
However, generally atthenational level theapproach isbased onconsiderations such
as:
a) theneedforsufficientnumberstobemadeavailabletomeettheanticipatedgrowth
indemand fortelecommunications services, balanced withtheneed forgood
husbandry ofthesupply ofnumbers;
b) theneedtoensure compatibility withthenumbering plans ofother operators;
c) theconvenience andpreferences ofend-users;
d) therequirements ofeffective competition fornon-reserved services;
e) anycosts orinconvenience imposed ontheapplicant, other network operators,
end-users andother interested parties;
34Community legislation hasbeen adopted onthefrequency bands tobedesignated: onGSM
(87/372/EEC), radio messaging -ERMES (90/544/EEC), anddigital cordless telecommunications -
DECT (91/287/EEC; 87/371/EEC, 90/543/EEC and91/288/EEC respectively; Atthesame time
Council Recommendations onthecoordinated introduction ofthese services were adopted
(COM(93)382 final. TheCouncil ofDecember 1993 concluded thatthemost important means of
allocating spectrum istheEuropean Radio communications Committee 'sdecision. (COM(93)382
final).S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page30
f) anyrelevant international agreements, recommendations orstandards; and
g) theviews oftheapplicant andother interested parties.
7. Doforeigntelecommunicationssuppliersreceivenationaltreatmentundertheseprocedures
andcriteria?
Yes.
Standards, typeapproval andequipment attachment
8. What types ofmandatory standards areinplace?
The following mandatory standards (Common Technical Regulations) for
telecommunication terminal equipment havebeenpublished intheOfficial Journal of
theEuropean Communities:
CTR 5 -GSM Access35
CTR 9 -GSM Telephony36
CTR 12 -ONP 2Mbit/s unstructured37
CTR 6 -DECT Access38
CTR 10 -DECT Telephony39
Several other mandatory standards areintheprocess ofbeing adopted andwillbe
subsequently published intheOfficial Journal. Where Common Technical Regulations
arenotavailable, national standards apply.
9. When astandard isunder review oranewstandard isbeing developed byyourstandards
authority, isthere anopportunity forpublic review andcomment prior toitsadoption?
Mayforeigners participate inthisprocess? Maytheprivate sector participate inthe
development ofstandards? Ifso,how?
TelecommunicationsstandardsdevelopedbyETSIundergoapublicenquiryphase,which
gives allinterested parties theopportunity tocomment priortoadoption ofeachstandard.
35Commission Decision 94/11/EC
36Commission Decision 94/12/EC
37Commission Decision 94/470/EC
38Commission Decision 94/471/EC
39Commission Decision 94/472/ECS/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page31
ETSI Associate Members andObservers, many ofwhom arebased outside ofEurope,
participate fullyintheprocess ofdeveloping standards. Observers donot,however,
havetheright tovoteontheacceptance ofstandards.
Theprivate sector doesparticipate inthedevelopment ofstandards process byvirtue
ofthefactthatETSI membership consists ofnetwork operators, which maybepublic
orprivate, plusprivate manufacturing industry.
10. What equipment issubject totypeapproval? Isself-certification allowed? Hasyour
government concluded mutual recognition agreements fortelecommunications equipment
certification? Aretheyrequired forforeign produced equipment?
Equipment40maybeassessed inoneofanumber ofways; thisincludes either ECtype
examination, (coupled withadeclaration ofconformity totypeorproduction quality
assurance), orfullquality assurance inaccordance withEN29001, orself-certification.
Atthepresenttimeself-certificationisonlypossibleforreceive-onlysatelliteearthstation
equipment.
TheEuropean Commission hasbeengiven amandate bytheCouncil tonegotiate Mutual
Recognition Agreements withthirdcountries. Detailed negotiations havealready taken
place withfourmajor trading partners, andagreements areexpected tobefinalised in
thenearfuture.
Foreign produced equipment already hasaccess totheEuropean market aslongasit
isproduced toEuropean technical requirements andisconformity assessed according
tothelegislation outlined inearlier responses.
11. Howistheabilitytoattachterminalequipmenttothenetworkregulated?Whatrestrictions
arethere onterminal equipment thatmaybeattached tothenetwork?
TheEuropean approach isbased ontheconcept ofplacing onthemarket andputting
intoservice. Equipment41which meets thelegal criteria within aCTR maycirculate
freelyontheEuropeanmarketandmaybeconnectedtothepublicnetworkwithoutfurther
administrative involvement. Thefollowing definition of"terminal equipment" hasbeen
laidout:
"terminal equipment" means equipment intended tobeconnected tothepublic
telecommunications network; i.e.
a) tobeconnected directly tothetermination ofapublic telecommunications
network; or
40Terminal equipment intended forconnection tothepublic network, including satellite earth
station equipment, falling under thescope ofDirectives 91/263/EEC and93/97/EEC.
41falling within theambit ofDirective 91/263 and93/97/EECS/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page32
b) tointerwork withapublic telecommunications network being connected directly
orindirectly tothetermination ofapublic telecommunications network,
inorder tosend, process orreceive information.
12. Maybasic telecommunications suppliers connected tothepublic network usetheirown
switches?
Therules governing telecommunication service providers whousepublic network
resourcesaregovernedbyOpenNetworkProvisionconcept(seeresponsetoQuestion14).
Suppliers ofprivate network equipment, including private switching equipment which
isconnected tothepublic network, aresubject totheirequipment being assessed for
conformity inaccordance withthelegislation referred toinQuestion 10.
13. Does thegovernment require network-based suppliers topermit theattachment of
customer-supplied terminal equipment?
Asnoted earlier, Member States areobliged42toensure thatsuppliers havetheright
toimport, market, connect, bring intoservice andmaintain terminal equipment.
Interconnection
14. Ingeneral, howisinterconnection regulated inyourregime? What aretheregulations
applied?
IntheCommunity, there isnotyetageneral regulatory framework covering
interconnection.43Some aspects oftheregulatory framework forinterconnection at
Community levelarelaiddown already inspecific legislative actsintheframework of
Open Network Provision. ONP concerns theharmonisation ofconditions foropenand
efficient access toanduseofpublic telecommunications networks and,where applicable,
public telecommunications services.44
42Commission Directive 88/301/EEC
43Where "interconnection" isreferred tointhisdocument, under Danish legislation, it
should beunderstood tomean interconnection ofnetworks inthereserved area, whereas access of
theliberalised services tothepublic network iscalled "network access". Inprinciple,
"interconnection" isbased oncommercial agreements (though theprinciples/conditions for
interconnection must beapproved bytheregulatory authorities), whereas conditions for"network
access" arecontained intheordinary conditions forsubscription.
44Commission Directive 90/387/EEC of28June 1990, andDirectives and
Recommendations asdescribed below;S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page33
thislegislation setsoutthebasic principles ofOpen Network Provision, describes the
areas towhich ONPapplies, andidentifies thenetworks/services forwhich specific ONP
application Directives/Recommendations should beadopted.
ONP conditions must:
- bebased onobjective criteria
- betransparent andpublished inanappropriate manner
- guarantee equality ofaccess andbenon-discriminatory inaccordance with
Community law.
Beyond thegeneral principles outlined above, areas forwhich theapplication
ofOpen Network Provision should befurther specified havebeenidentified, and
priorities aswellastheappropriate typeofregulatory measure foreachareahave
been setout.45These measures concern theapplication ofOpen Network
Provision principles toleased lines, theapplication ofOpen Network Provision
toPacketSwitchedDataServices(PSDS)46,andtheapplicationofOpenNetworkProvision
toIntegrated Services Digital Networks (ISDN)47.
With regard totheinterconnection ofleased lines, current legislation48provides thatno
technical restrictions shallbeintroduced ormaintained fortheinterconnection
ofleased linesbetween themorfortheinterconnection between leased linesand
public telecommunications networks.
Regulatory restrictions ontheinterconnection ofleased lines andpublic
telecommunications networks canbebased onlyonthegrounds thattheprovision
ofpublic voice telephony services issubject tospecial andexclusive rights, or
onthegrounds ofessential requirements.
While some Member States have already developed specific rules for
interconnection, general principles attheCommunity level, andspecific rules
atthenational level inanumber ofMember States, arestillintheprocess of
being developed.
45Directive 90/387/EEC
46Council Recommendation
47Council Recommendation
48Council Directive 92/44/EEC of5June 1992S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page34
Generally, thecommon trends emerging atboththeCommunity andMember
States levels include thefollowing principles:
- bothtechnical andcommercial arrangements should beamatter for
agreement between theparties involved, subject tointervention bythe
national regulatory authority (NRA);
- anyaccess charges orcompensation provisions should respect the
principles ofcost-orientation setoutintheONP framework directive,
andshould benon-discriminatory andfullyjustified;
- NRAs mayintervene ontheirowninitiative orattherequest ofeither
party inorder tosetconditions thatarenon-discriminatory, fairand
reasonable;
- NRAs should ensure thattelecom organisations abide bytheprinciple
ofnon-discrimination when theymake useoftheirnetwork forproviding
services which arealsoprovided bytheircompetitors ;
Specific additional elements forcertain Member States areincluded in
thefollowing table:
Country
Belgium ForGSM, thegeneral principles ofinterconnection agreements are
described ina"cahier descharges".
Germany Special interconnection regulations apply tolicensed mobile radio
networks inaccordance withtherespective licences. Inthisregard,
Deutsche Bundespost Telekom, hasundertaken toprovide the
interconnection ofmobile radio networks with thetelephone
network/ISDN andtheretransmission ofthetraffic originating inthe
mobile radio networks totheDeutsche Bundespost Telekom telephone
network/ISDN andviceversa. Thedetails ofinterconnection andthe
mutual useofservices andnetworks must beagreed between the
Deutsche Bundespost Telekom andtherespective licensee. Inthis
respect, thefixing oftariffs issubject toapproval bytheFederal
Ministry ofPosts andTelecommunications.
Denmark Relevant legislation :section 6,subsection (2)ofExecutive Order on
theConcession Granted toTeleDanmark A/S, no.167of10March
1994.
Spain Interconnection provisions existforspecific services.
France Interconnection between service providers ornetwork operators with
France Telecom isguaranteed bythe"cahier descharges" ofFrance
Telecom, which isalegal document imposing obligations onFrance
Telecom.S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page35
Ireland Theissue hasarisen todateonly inthecontext ofinterconnection
between theproposed second GSM operator, theexisting mobile
operator andthefixed network. Interim arrangements toapply inthis
casewillbeannounced induecourse.
Italy Interconnection tothepublic network ispermitted fortheprovision of
liberalised services andGSM mobile. Thedefinition ofspecific rules
forGSM network connection isforeseen intheshort-term.
The Nether-
landsAsfarasinterconnection ofinfrastructure isconcerned itisexpected
thatinfuture allproviders of(fixed) public infrastructure willboth
have theright andtheobligation tointerconnect -onrequest- their
networks toother networks.
Portugal ThePortuguese Lawcontains provisions forinterconnection between
service providers and/or network operators andimposes pertinent
obligations ontheTO.
United
KingdomInterconnection isregulated through thelicence ofindividual telecoms
suppliers, asenforced byOFTEL.
15. Doyourregulations require network-based suppliers toprovide interconnection forother
basic telecommunications network orservices suppliers? Ifso,please describe?
Itisassumed that"network-based suppliers" refers tooperators offixed networks.
CurrentCommunitylegislationonONPrequiresnationalregulatorsoftheMemberStates
toensure thatoperators ofpublic telecommunications networks which haveexclusive
orspecialrightsdonotrestrictaccesstothenetwork,exceptforreasonsbasedonessential
requirements, i.e.security ofnetwork operations, maintenance ofnetwork integrity,
interoperability ofservices where justified, anddataprotection. Legislation onleased
linesdetails theconditions andprocedures governing access tothefacilities usedbythe
providers ofliberalised services. Itrequires theelimination oftechnical restrictions
fortheinterconnection between leased linesandpublic telecommunications networks.
Specific additional elements forcertain Member States areincluded inthefollowing
table:S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page36
Country
Germany DBP isobliged toprovide access inrespect bothofmonopoly services
andthenetwork onnon-discriminatory terms.
Denmark Such requirements aremade onlyinrespect ofoperators ofreserved
services, i.e.inareas involving exclusive orspecial rights. Reference
isotherwise made tothereply toq.14.
Spain According toArticle 14oftheTelecommmunications Law, the
suppliers ofbearer services areobliged toprovide network
interconnection.
Interconnection provisions existforservices under specific regulations.
France Only France Telecom hasobligations (seereply toq.14).
The Nether-
landsSeereply toq.14
United
KingdomInthecase ofallPTOs, their licences require theoperator to
interconnect thesystem with thatofanyother telecoms supplier to
meet allreasonable demands fortheconveyance ofmessages.
Inthecase ofadominant supplier, thelicence requires this
interconnection tobeestablished without discrimination, atagreed
charges. Ifagreement isnotreached, theDirector General determines
thecharges andother conditions.
16. Isinterconnection between leased circuits andpublic datanetworks permitted?
Yes(seequestion 15).
17. What aretherules andregulations regarding thepricing ofinterconnection? Are
interconnection charges setinrelation toanyprinciples (e.g., cost-oriented)? Isthere
arequirement tosubmit interconnection charges toaregulatory bodyforapproval? Are
these changes inthepublic domain? Arethesame interconnection charges applied to
allsuppliers requesting interconnection oraretheynegotiated onacase-by-case basis?
What requirements orobligations existtopublish, make publicly available, ortosupply
details ofinterconnection agreements toregulatory authorities?
Asforother areas ofinterconnection, general principles attheCommunity level, and
specific rulesatthenational levelinanumber ofMember States, arestillintheprocess
ofbeing developed. According toexisting Community legislation, tariffs, ingeneral,
mustbebased onobjective criteria andespecially inthecaseofservices andareas subject
toexclusiveorspecialrightsmustinprinciplebecost-oriented.Theymustbetransparent,
properly published, andnon-discriminatory.49Evolving regulation onthepricing of
interconnection inallMember States isbeing developed inlinewiththese principles.
49According toAnnex IIofDirective 90/387/EECS/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page37
Thesituation inFrance isthatformostinterconnection services, interconnection charges
aresetincommercial agreements between telecommunications suppliers andFrance
Telecom.
When anagreement cannot bereached, theregulatory authority determines thecharges.
Thedetermined charges arecost-orientated. Allinterconnection agreements arerequired
tobecommunicated totheregulatory authority.
IntheUK,formostinterconnection services (especially forswitched voice telephony),
interconnection charges aresetincontracts ("agreements") between telecoms suppliers
andwhere anagreement cannot bereached, theDirector General ofOFTEL determines
thecharge. Thedetermined charges arecostorientated, inthecaseofthedominant
supplier thebasis issetoutintheLicence. Determined interconnect charges areinthe
public domain. Forthedominant supplier, allinterconnect charges (whether determined
ornot)should beapplied without undue discrimination. Allinterconnect agreements
arerequiredtobeavailabletotheregulatoryauthorities.Thedominantsupplierisrequired
tomake itsagreements publicly available (butnondominant arenot).
Competitive safeguards
18. What kinds ofsafeguards doesyourregime haveagainst anti-competitive practices of
monopolies ordominant suppliers insituations where theymaycompete withother firms
tosupply certain basic telecommunications inthedomestic market? Intheinternational
market?
Member States allhavenational competition rules which apply torestrictive practices
withaneffect intheirterritory. Where theeffects ofsuchpractices haveanappreciable
effect ontrade between Member States, Community competition ruleswould alsoapply
toprohibit, interalia,abuses ofdominant positions.
Inaddition, ONPlegislation50establishes theprinciples ofequality, access, transparency
andnon-discrimination forofferings provided byTOs. thenational regulatory authority
shall ensure thattelecommunications organisations adhere totheprinciple ofnon-
discrimination when theymake useofthepublic telecommunications network for
providing services which areormaybeprovided alsobyother service providers. When
telecommunicationsorganisationsuseleasedlinesfortheprovisionofservicesnotcovered
byspecial and/or exclusive rights, thesame typeofleased linesmust beprovided to
other users onrequest andunder equal conditions.
19. Doyourregulations distinguish between dominant andnon-dominant suppliers? Ifso,
what arethedetails andhoware"dominant" and"non-dominant" defined? Arethere
50SeeONP Framework Directive andArticle 8.2ofONP leased lines Directive (92/44/EEC
of5June 1992)S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page38
anysafeguards concerning suppliers whohavemonopoly ordominant control ofaccess
tocertain market ornetwork segments?
Current ONP legislation onlyapplies tooperators which havespecial orexclusive rights
fortheprovision ofapublic telecommunications network and/or public
telecommunications services. Theabolition ofexclusive andspecial rights for
telecommunications services willrequire thatcriterion tobemodified totakeproper
account ofthemarket position oftheactors.
Furthermore, there arefactors thatwillhavetobetaken intoaccount, i.e.carewillneed
tobetaken toensure thatobligations arereasonably equal andthatpublic service
responsibilities areshared toareasonable extent. Inaddition, theprinciple of
proportionality willneedtobesafeguarded toensure thatmarket entrants arenotloaded
disproportionately withregulation.
20. Isthereanindustry-wideantitrustpolicyand/oranytelecommunications-specificantitrust
policy? What aretherules andregulations regarding mergers andacquisitions?
Seethereply toquestion 18.Theconcrete application ofthatpolicy tothetelecoms
sector hasbeensetoutintheindividual cases, butalsoinGuidelines ontheapplication
ofthose rules tothetelecoms sector51.
21. Arethere anysafeguards concerning basic telecommunication suppliers alsoengaged
inthemanufacturingoftelecommunicationsequipments?Ifso,pleasedescribethecontent
andworking ofthese safeguards.
Inmost Member States basic telecommunications suppliers aregenerally notengaged
inmanufacturing. Insome Member States, thelicences ofcertain suppliers withinterests
inmanufacturing (including thatofthedominant supplier) contain certain safeguards
against anti-competitive behaviour intheprocurement oftelecoms equipment fromwithin
thelicencee 'sgroup.
Pricing-related measures
22. What istheroleofthegovernment oranyrelated agency withregard toestablishing
prices (e.g., tariffs, access charges, accounting rates) orpricing policy? E.g., doesthe
government setprices oraccounting rates, directly orindirectly (e.g.price capsorrate
ofreturncontrols),ordobasictelecommunicationssuppliersdeterminethesethemselves?
What requirements orobligations doesthegovernment setregarding prices charged by
monopoly/dominant suppliers? Orother suppliers?
Tariff principles forTOswithspecial andexclusive rights have been established at
European level intheframework ofONP. Theunderlying pricing principle isoneof
costorientation. Atthesame timetheprinciple offlexibility inpricing isestablished
51OJC352/2, 14.12.91 issued inSeptember 1991S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page39
toreflect therequirements ofparticular groups ofusers (whilst respecting thegeneral
principle ofnon-discrimination) andtheneedforcommercial pricing, particularly for
thetake-off ofnewservices. Itis,however, formember states tooversee andapprove
prices inpractice.52
Inaddition, costaccounting principles havebeenestablished atEuropean Community
level forleased circuits53.
23. Does thegovernment require tariff approval ornotification and,ifso,what arethe
procedures? What requirements regarding cost-accounting areputinplace toensure
transparency?
Tariff approval andnotification isdealt withbynational regulators, andthesituation
inmost Member States isthat,while service providers themselves settariffs, there is
arequirement fortheprovider of"reserved services" toinform theregulator oftariff
changes, andseekapproval. Insome cases theregulator maydemand existing tariffs
tobechanged.
Asregardscostaccounting,arrangementsforthisarerequiredtobeputinplaceaccording
toCommunity legislation forleased lines(seequestion 22).
24. Towhat extent istheprinciple ofnon-discrimination applied inpricing policy? E.g.,
isatariff package suchasavolume discount targeted foraspecific group allowed and,
ifso,whataretheterms andconditions applied? Areaccounting ratesapplied onanon-
discriminatorybasisbetweencountries?Ifaccountingratesappliedindifferentagreements
arenotthesame, whatarethecriteria usedtoarrive atdifferent accounting rates? Are
some ofthese criteria required ordefined bythegovernment?
Theprinciple ofnon-discrimination isestablished inONP legislation. Thispermits,
forexample, volume discounts. Theunderlying related principle istransparency in
pricing. Thebasic principle applied toaccounting rates iscostorientation.
25. Doanybasic telecommunications suppliers getinvolved insetting industry-wide tariffs?
No.
26. Onwhat basis areprices (e.g. tariffs, access charges, accounting rates) determined?
What concepts areapplied regarding costs? Isthereageneral principle applied regarding
52TheCommission hassetoutgeneral principles onpricing inthetelecommunications sector
inSEC(92)1050, 15thJuly1992, "Towards costorientation andtheadjustment ofpricing
structures" andin91/C 233/02, 6.9.1991, "Guidelines ontheapplication ofEEC competition rules
intheTelecommunications sector".
53Council Directive 92/44/EEC of5thJune 1992 on"The application ofopen network
provision toleased lines".S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page40
allocation ofcosts? Iscost-oriented pricing ofbasictelecommunications usedorrequired
bythegovernment? Ifnot,dobasic telecommunications suppliers usecost-oriented
pricing?
Seeanswer toquestion 22.
27. Arethere anyrules specific tothepricing ofanewservice?
Seeanswer toquestion 22.
Rights ofwayfortheconstruction ofinfrastructure
28. Arebasictelecommunicationsservicessupplierspermittedtobuildtheirowninfrastructure
orfacilities? Ifso,what aretheprocedures andcriteria forauthorisation tobuild
infrastructure offacilities? What aretheprocedures, criteria, limitations orqualifications
applied withrespect tothegranting ofortheavailability ofrights ofwayforthe
construction ofinfrastructure orfacilities?
and
29. Isnational treatment extended toforeign basic telecommunications suppliers under these
procedures andcriteria?
Theissueofinfrastructure competition istobeaddressed inthenearfuture atCommunity
level intheforthcoming Green Paper onInfrastructure. Currently, inmost Member
States, theTelecommunications Operators (TOs) areresponsible fortheconstruction
ofinfrastructure.
Specific additional elements forcertain Member States areincluded inthefollowing
table:S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page41
Country
The Nether-
landsAccording tothecurrent regulation aright ofwayhasbeengranted toKPN
only fortheir wireline infrastructure (public network) intheNetherlands.
Apart from thePTO, there arenumerous rights ofwayforthelocal cable
TVlicensees (about 1000), whose territory isconfined tothemunicipality.
Each municipality canregulate therights ofwayinitsown"public" territory
according toitsownregulations. Also theGSM licensees (KPN anda
second operator tobedetermined) andthose whohave apermit toinstall
infrastructure bycontract orwhohaveapermit from themunicipality, have
rights ofwaytoinstall their infrastructure. Under thefuture regulations,
alsoall"alternative" infrastructure suppliers thathave theobligation to
provide leased lineswillhaverights ofway.
TheNetherlands extend national treatment, provided alicence permit has
beengranted, asdescribed above.
Portugal ThePTOs may, withnoobligation foramunicipal licence, carry outthe
necessary works toinstall and maintain the telecommunications
infrastructures. Inaddition, they may require expropriations, constitute
administrative servitudes, establish protection zones andrequire access to
public andprivate landandbuildings whenever necessary.
Inaddition, theoperators mayoccupy andusethestreets, squares, roads,
paths andwaterways, aswellasland along therailways andanyother
communication ways inthepublic domain without anytaxes oradditional
charges, whenever deemed necessary.
Under general law,complementary telecommunications providers, fixed and
mobile, have theright tocarry outthenecessary works toinstall and
maintain their telecommunications infrastructure. They alsomayrequire
expropriations andconstitute administrative servitudes.
National treatment isextended toforeign operators which areestablished in
countries oftheEU.
Spain TOsgranted withlicences tooperate public telephony, telex, telegram, and
bearer services have theright tobuild their owninfrastructure. Works on
public ways need theauthorisation from theMinistry ofPublic Works,
granted aftertheapproval ofthetechnical project andthefavorable report of
theinvolved body oftheAdministration responsible fortheaffected domain.
Thedeployment ofpublic networks mustfulfill theguidelines oftheNational
Plan forTelecommunications whose aimistheharmonised growth of
networks andservices.S/NGBT/W/3/Add.15
Page42
United
KingdomAllPTOs planning toinstall extensive infrastructure (145todate) havebeen
granted special rights under theTelecommunications Code (setoutin
Schedule 2totheAct). These rights enable theoperators todigupthe
public highway without theneed foraseparate licence from thelocal
authority ineachcaseandtoaskacourt togrant them access toprivate land,
onreasonable terms, where thelandowner oroccupier refuses togrant sucha
right.
Procedures: Applications forrights under theTelecommunications Code are
considered bytheSecretary ofState against criteria setoutinsection 10of
theAct. Thegrant ofrights issubject topublic compulsation ineachcase.
PTOs alsohavetherighttoacquire compulsarily landandrights inland. No
PTOhasinfactexercised thisright.
UKdoes extend national treatment, provided alicence permit hasbeen
granted, asdescribed above.
Newtelecommunications services
30. Please describe anygeneral regulatory processes orprocedures thatapply todealing withthe
introduction of"new" telecommunications services. Prior toanyrelevant regulatory procedure
having beencompleted, itisnotpossible forsuchnewservices tobesupplied?
and
31. When anewservice becomes possible oravailable, whodetermines thestatus ofthenewservice
(whether itisbasic orvalue-added) andunder whatprocedure andtimeframe?
Thestatus ofanewservice isdetermined byreference tothedefinitions given intherelevant
legislation. Inprinciple, under thecurrent regulatory framework aslongasanewservice is
notpublic voice telephony there arenotlikely toberestrictions placed onit.