QuickLinks - Telecommunications

recent items

Issue no. 194 - 23 April 2001

• EU - Ministers deal telecoms blow to Commission (Reuters)
  European Union ministers thwarted plans by the European Commission to become the ultimate supervisor of telecommunications regulations in the 15-nation bloc in a move that may upset the industry. The ministers reached an agreement on an ambitious telecoms package to harmonise regulations across the bloc for this key European industrial sector. However, the deal was reached only after they had killed a controversial Commission proposal to have the last say in telecoms regulation. The decision leaves regulatory power in the hands of national telecoms authorities. After a marathon ten hours of talks in Luxembourg, ministers also agreed on how to define significant market power in the sector, a prerequisite for imposing obligations on operators.

Issue no. 193 - 3 April 2001

• USA - FCC chief unveils market-friendly blueprint (Total Telecom)
  Michael Powell, chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), laid out his plan for overhauling the agency, promising to give the market more room to maneuver through a "creative" regulatory approach, but warned that the agency would seek stronger powers to enforce the current laws.

Issue no. 191 - 19 March 2001

• Luxembourg fails to comply with rules on rights of way in telecoms (RAPID)
  The Commission has brought an action against the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg before the Court of Justice for an infringement relating to rights of way in the telecommunications sector. The 1996 'full competition' Directive provides for the granting of such rights on a non-discriminatory basis. This was transposed into Luxembourg law but has not been practically enforced in this Member State. New market entrant telecommunications operators have come up against a number of difficulties when deploying their networks.

• South Africa - State-owned Telecommunications Monopoly Set To End (Panafrican News Agency)
  Telkom - the government owned telecommunications monopoly - will soon face new competition.

Issue no. 190 - 12 March 2001

• EC to investigate broadband rollouts (ZDNet UK)
  The European Commission has launched an investigation into the way incumbent telcos are opening up their exchanges to other operators in the light of complaints about the process.

• Germany - Wissenschaftler fordern weniger Regulierung am Telekom-Markt (Reuters)
  Namhafte Wirtschafts- und Rechtswissenschaftler haben einen massiven Abbau der Regulierung des deutschen Telekommunikationsmarkts und eine Änderung des Telekommunikationsgesetzes gefordert.

Issue no. 189 - 5 March 2001

• U.S. calls on Japan to increase telecom deregulation (Reuters)
  The United States called on Japan to further deregulate its telecommunications market, stressing the need for an independent regulator and fairer competition in broadband, or high-speed Internet services.

Issue no. 187 - 17 February 2001

• Germany - DT in pricing investigation (FT)
  RegTP, the German telecoms regulator, is investigating the pricing of Deutsche Telekom's high-speed internet services, in a move that may expose Deutsche Telekom to another adverse ruling from RegTP.

• Germany - RegTP muss Millionen an Telekom-Firmen zurückzahlen (Heise)
  Die Regulierungsbehörde für Telekommunikation und Post (RegTP) soll an die Deutsche Telekom und an Mobilfunkbetreiber bereits erhobene Gebühren in dreistelliger Millionenhöhe zurückzahlen. Keine Rechtsmittel wird gegen ein entsprechendes Urteil des Verwaltungsgerichts Köln eingelegt.

Issue no. 186 - 3 February 2001

• USA - How the Telecom Act created a new breed of speed ((CNET News.com))
  As the historic Telecommunications Act reaches its five-year anniversary this month, its most tangible accomplishment may be something not even known to many legislators who drafted the landmark law: broadband technology

Issue no. 184 - 20 January 2001

• Singapore Mobile Operator Fined Over Call Inserts (Newsbytes)
  Siingapore mobile network operator M1 has been called into line over 10-second messages it forced on users making international calls that had to be routed through competing carriers.

• Germany - Telekom stoppt neue Durchleitungstarife (Heise News-Ticker)
  Die Telekom hat vor dem Verwaltungsgericht Köln in einem Eilverfahren den Stopp der im September 2000 von der Regulierungsbehörde für Telekommunikation und Post (RegTP) festgelegten neuen Durchleitungstarife erreicht. Dies ist ein harter Schlag gegen die Konkurrenten des Ex-Monopolisten, die nun erst einmal nicht auf sinkende Kosten bei der Nutzung des Netzes der Deutschen Telekom ab dem 1. Juni hoffen dürfen.

• UK - Oftel speeds up urban broadband (BBC)
  The UK telecoms regulator Oftel has paved the way for an early introduction of high-speed internet in urban areas. Oftel's objective is to ensure that construction of co-location facilities begins in the highest priority exchanges before Easter. Agreement to open up urban exchanges early for competing broadband companies was reached between the UK telecoms incumbent British Telecoms and other firms. see also BT and Oftel baffled as unbundling fails to attract (ZDNet UK).

Issue no. 183 - 14 January 2001

• Stockholm may cut Telia stake (FT)
  The Swedish government may cut its stake to less than 50 per cent in Telia, the telecommunications operator unsuccessful in its bid for one of Sweden's third-generation mobile phone licences, so that it can take part in the European industry consolidation.

• Verkehrsminister uneinig über europäisches GPS-System (Heise)
  Bei der EU-Ratstagung der europäischen Verkehrsminister in Brüssel am 20. und 21. Dezember ist noch kein Beschluss über den Aufbau eines unabhängigen europäischen Satellitennavigationssystems gefasst worden.

Issue no. 182 - 20 December 2000

• Dégroupage - l’ART met en demeure France Télécom (ART)
  L’ART met en demeure France Télécom de fournir les informations nécessaires à la mise en œuvre de l’accès à la boucle locale

Issue no. 181 - 10 December 2000

• BT forced to open up wholesale DSL network (uk.internet.com)
  UK telecoms watchdog Oftel has made moves to bridge the gap between now and the unbundling of the local loop by forcing BT to open up its wholesale digital subscriber line (DSL) service and network to rival operators Thus and Energis, allowing for greater initial broadband competition.

• EU regulators group faces harmonization challenge (Total Telecom)
  A serious bid to harmonize the implementation of EU (European Union) legislation across its national telecommunication sectors has been launched by the IRG, the international regulators group linking the EU's 15 national telecoms authorities with those of the four EFTA (European Free Trade Area) countries - Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.

• Europeans Free Phone Market for Local and Internet Service (New York Times)
  European industry ministers approved a regulation intended to create competition among local telephone networks, paving the way for cheaper, quicker Internet access for businesses and, to a lesser extent, homes in European Union countries.

Issue no. 180 - 3 December 2000

• EU Court Condemns Italy, Belgium (AFX News)
  The European Court of Justice said Italy and Belgium failed to correctly implement parts of the EU's telecom legislation to introduce fair competition in the sector. In two separate judgements, the court said Italy has not implemented a directive on a competitive telecom environment, while Belgium has not correctly introduced the interconnection directive.

• Greek Parliament passes telecoms deregulation bill (Reuters)
  Greece's Parliament approved a bill deregulating the country's telecommunications market as of January 1, 2001 and ending OTE Telecoms fixed line monopoly on December 31.

• Spanish telecoms regulator to have powers curbed (RDSL)
  The Spanish government is to reduce the powers of the regulator, the Telecoms Market Commission (CMT). Under the new law, the CMT will lose its role as an arbiter in disputes such as those in universal services. The CMT will not be able to take decisions on key matters such as the quality of phone services and service pricing.

• EU - Deregulation, flexibility and harmonisation in electronic communications (RAPID)
  Erkki LIIKANEN Member of the European Commission responsible for Enterprise and the Information Society, 2nd European Parliamentary Conference on Information Society Brussels, 22 November 2000.

Issue no. 179 - 26 November 2000

• Debitel ups local loop pressure on Deutsche Telekom (Reuters)
  German telecoms operator Debitel said the German telecoms regulator had begun proceedings, at its request, to open up Deutsche Telekom's local phone network. siehe auch Debitel verklagt Telekom wegen Ortsgesprächen (Heise).

• Regulators seek greater global cooperation (Communications International)
  The Bureau for Telecommunications Development has been proposed as the coordinator of an electronic regulatory hotline, through which a worldwide volunteer pool of regulators would provide rapid responses to questions and best practice.

Issue no. 177 - 12 November 2000

• BT rivals slam plans for broadband Internet (Reuters)
  At a meeting chaired by telecoms regulator Oftel to tackle disputes over the process known as unbundling of the local loop, BT said it expected to make at least 600 of its 6,000 exchanges available for connections to high-speed ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) Internet equipment between January and June, but it said for all but 190 of those exchanges operators would have to install equipment in adjacent buildings, saddling them with the cost of buying nearby houses or renting office space.

Issue no. 176 - 5 November 2000

• Storm over Spanish 3G fees (FT)
  Spanish telecommunications groups are threatening to take the Madrid government to court over its decision to raise 30-fold the fee charged to holders of third generation mobile phone licences.

• Zimbabwe court nullifies state telephone monopoly (Reuters)
  Zimbabwe's Supreme Court has nullified the state-owned Post and Telecommunications Corporation's (PTC) monopoly on fixed telephone line services following a challenge by a private company.

• EU - Unbundled access to the local loop (ISPO)
  Informal consolidated text (PDF format) of the proposed Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on unbundled access to the local loop, including the amendments voted by the European Parliament during the plenary session of 26 October 2000.

• Switzerland - Swisscom appeals to leased line price ruling (Reuters)
  Swiss dominant telecoms operator Swisscom will appeal to the Federal Court over a ruling by the ComCom regulator which ordered price cuts of up to 63 percent on leased lines.

Issue no. 175 - 29 October 2000

• Cuba threatens phone war with Washington (Reuters)
  Retaliating against legislation that would let the United States use frozen Cuban funds, Havana slapped a tax on the cost of telephone calls between the two countries and warned all phone links could be cut if Washington resists.

• EU agrees to local-loop liberalization (IDG News Service)
  The European Parliament supported legislation to liberalize local telephone networks, paving the way to rapidly open the local loop, perhaps by year's end. see also Europäische Union: Telefon-Ortsnetze müssen geöffnet werden (Der Spiegel) and Europaparlament stimmt entbündeltem Teilnehmeranschluss zu (Golem).

• U.K. mobile operators go to court over 3G payments (Reuters)
  British Telecommunications and One 2 One went to court accusing the UK government of acting unlawfully when it demanded they pay for third-generation mobile phones Licences four months sooner than Vodafone and Orange.

• U.K. regulator outlines competition boost (Total Telecom)
  British phone users will be able to choose one company for their voice calls and another for their fast data services under official proposals.

• USA - FCC's Kennard slams AT&T over cable lobbying (Reuters)
  Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman William Kennard slammed AT&T Corp.'s lobbying attempts to ease rules limiting the ownership of cable interests so the company could avoid shedding certain valuable cable assets.

Issue no. 174 - 21 October 2000

• Télécoms: l'actualité en France (ART)
  Préselection vers les mobiles : L’Autorité informe les consommateurs. Portabilité des numéros : l'Autorité lance une consultation publique (le communiqué / le texte de la consultation publique). Observatoire des mobiles : 26,2 millions d'abonnés à fin septembre 2000, 43,6% de taux d'équipement.

• Germany - Regulierer folgt Telekom-Vorschlag zu Preselection nicht (Reuters)
  Die Deutsche Telekom ist mit einem Vorschlag zur künftigen Kostenregelung bei einem Wechsel des Netzbetreibers durch Telefonkunden bei der Bonner Regulierungsbehörde auf Ablehnung gestoßen.

Issue no. 173 - 15 October 2000

• Dutch court orders government to review UMTS auction after Versatel complaints (AFX News)
  A Rotterdam court ordered the Dutch government transport ministry to review the auction of Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) frequencies last summer following complaints on the auction's procedure from Versatel Telecom International NV.

• European Parliament backs LLU (Total Telecom)
  New telecom market entrants should be entitled to compensation if local loop unbundling does not take place by 31 December, the Industry Committee of the European Parliament has agreed.

• Global Net Charging Decision Welcomed Outside The US (Newsbytes)
  The Australian Communications Authority (ACA), an Australian government agency, has welcomed a decision by members of an international telecommunications body to share the costs of Internet data traffic transmitted around the globe. The agreement was reached - in spite of American objections - at a recent meeting in Montreal of the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA).

• Telmex forced to cut rates by 63% (FT)
  Telmex, Mexico's dominant telecommunications company, has been forced to slash its interconnection rates by nearly two-thirds as the country seeks to avoid a telecoms trade dispute with the US.

• Operators' body threatens to sever ITU links (Total Telecom)
  European operators' body the European Public Telecommunications Network Operators' Association (ETNO), representing 46 member companies across the continent, has called upon the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to get its act together before operators begin to jump ship. Some of its members had, for the first time ever, stayed away from the ITU's recent World Telecommunications Standardization assembly in Montreal "out of frustration with the slow pace of the ITU reform process."

Issue no. 172 - 8 October 2000

• France Télécom anticipe le dégroupage (vneunet.ftr)
  Suite à la décision de France Télécom de lancer deux forfaits téléphoniques pour le 6 novembre, l'ART vient de rendre un avis plutôt défavorable. Le gouvernement, quant à lui, doit encore se prononcer. Mais à la veille du dégroupage, ces deux forfaits suscitent déjà une levée de boucliers du côté des concurrents de l'opérateur historique. France Télécom invente les offres tout compris sur le téléphone de la maison : accès, trafic et services (communiqué de presse) et Homologation tarifaire : l’Autorité rend son avis sur les propositions tarifaires de France Télécom "Ligne locale" et "Ligne France (ART).

• ITU proposal could raise web costs (Newsbytes)
  A proposal drafted at World Telecommunications Standardization Assembly calls for U.S. Internet backbone providers to compensate foreign carriers for carrying Internet traffic under reciprocal agreements, a proposal that could result in increased Internet access costs in North America.

• EU - Dégroupage de l'accès à la boucle locale (Communiqué de presse)
  2293ème session du Conseil - Télécommunications - Luxembourg, le 3 octobre 2000. Le Conseil a marqué son accord de principe unanime sur la proposition de la Commission pour un règlement relative au dégroupage de l'accès à la boucle locale visant à introduire une concurrence loyale au niveau de l'accès local au réseau. Autres points discutés: communications electroniques - cadre reglementaire commun pour les reseaux et les services de communications electroniques; organisation et gestion de l'Internet - résolution et creation d'un nom de domaine de premier niveau ".eu"; programme eContenu. (Local loop)

• Mexico - Telmex seeks injunction (FT)
  Telmex, the Mexican telephone company, will go before Mexican courts to seek the suspension of recently issued government regulations that would curb its role as a dominant carrier.

Issue no. 171 - 1 October 2000

     Local loop

• Bitter and Twisted (NewCarrier)
  Unbundling of Europe's copper is on the way. To read the media you might think a regulatory tweak here and a kick or two from the EU there will be enough to keep the process on track. In fact, the indications from new carriers are that unbundling wars, particularly in the U.K., are just beginning.

• BT may face legal threat over local loop access (FT)
  Telecommunications companies angered by British Telecommunication's delay in opening up its local monopoly are considering legal action against the former monopoly if the situation does not improve. see also Microsoft accuses BT of spoiling tactics in high speed Web roll-out (Total Telecom).

• Swisscom gets reprieve in last-mile monopoly vote (Reuters)
  Swisscom has won a last-minute reprieve from attempts to abolish its "last-mile" monopoly, which lets the state-controlled telecoms group keep control over direct access to homes and other retail customers. The lower house of parliament voted 76-69 to postpone a decision on letting Swisscom's rivals compete for last-mile linkups from their networks to residential clients.

Issue no. 170 - 24 September 2000

• Canadian open access even more open (Globe and Mail)
  Canada's CRTC has ordered the Canadian phone companies to provide DSL open access to competitors. The decision comes following a complaint from Covad Communications that the current policies unfairly discriminate against foreign competition. see also Open access north of the border.

more items

QuickLinks consists of

• a free newsletter appearing approximately once a week. The newsletter is distributed by electronic mail through an "announcement only" mailing list. To be included on the mailing list, send a blank email to quicklinkshtml-subscribe@yahoogroups.com (HTML) or quicklinks-subscribe@yahoogroups.com (Text)
• a Web site with frequent updates, an events page, news items organised by category as well as chronologically by issue and full text search.