ACM will continue to regulate high-quality business telecom services

The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) will continue to regulate high-quality business telecom services that are provided over the copper network of Dutch telecom company KPN. By purchasing these wholesale services from KPN, other telecom providers are able to provide business end-users with services that are reliable and of high quality. With this regulatory regime, ACM promotes competition on the business telecom market, and ensures that business end-users enjoy freedom of choice. This has been one of the conclusions of the ‘Draft market analysis decision on high-quality wholesale access,’ on which market participants have the opportunity to comment through September 23.

ACM no longer finds it necessary to regulate the so-called “Lite” copper services over Ethernet. Business end-users are increasingly replacing retail products based on that type of service with products from their consumer range. ACM additionally believes that it is no longer necessary to regulate high-quality telecom services that are delivered over the fiber-optic network.

KPN may ask ACM to lift the obligations

KPN may request ACM to lift the obligations that have been laid down in the decision. KPN will be able to file such a request as soon as other telecom providers are able to offer high-quality telecom services themselves by purchasing VULA (virtual unbundled local access to the copper network). In another market analysis decision, ACM imposed an obligation on KPN to offer VULA to other telecom providers.

Comments from market participants

Once the comments of market participants have been processed, ACM will submit the draft decision to the European Commission, after which ACM will take a final decision.