OPTA: Competition must be possible in relation to telephone number 118

KPN is not offering the 118 telephone number as a self-financing telephone inquiries service. This is impeding competition in relation to this service and is making it difficult to take the initiative to provide it in some other form. OPTA has therefore made it mandatory for KPN to ensure that 118 charges make the service self-funding by no later than 1 July 2003.

Other telephone service providers have a duty to offer a telephone inquiries service but are impeded from doing so because of KPN’s lower charges. There are also providers that wish to offer a telephone inquiries service together with other services, such as connecting callers through to the nearest garage. A special series of numbers has been reserved for this purpose and they will be commissioned in the near future.

KPN has a duty to charge tariffs which properly reflects the underlying costs involved. If current circumstances remain unchanged, OPTA cannot exclude the possibility that 118 charges (which are now €0.40 per call) will need to be more than doubled. Although this tariff will ultimately rise, this will partially depend on the extent to which the service is used and the extent to which KPN manages to cut costs. KPN will need to ensure that the tariff is at the level required to cover costs by no later than 1 July 2003.

The inquiries service is a so-called universal service, which has to be provided to everyone at an affordable tariff. The Minister of Economic Affairs may set a maximum for this purpose if required with a view to ensuring that it is affordable.