OPTA is pleased with international agreements on electronic communication

During a meeting of European electronic communication market regulators in Budapest, important steps were taken to determine the nature of practical regulation as part of the new legal framework for electronic communication. They took the form of a consultation document on the duties of dominant market parties and arrangements for the regulation of call terminating tariffs in mobile phone networks.

The electronic communication regulatory authorities of the Member States of the European Union are united in the ERG, de European Regulators Group. Together with the European Commission, the ERG has drawn up a consultation document which specifies how national regulators can impose obligations on dominant market parties within the new legislative framework. These proposals are now being discussed with the business sector, following which the relevant regulations will be finalised by the ERG and the European Commission in March 2004. In addition, the ERG members are consulting market parties about regulatory priorities within the EU in 2004.

IRG, the Independent Regulators Group, met before the ERG meeting. It is an informal association of what are now 29 regulatory authorities, including the members of the ERG. The IRG supports the goal of reducing call terminating tariffs in mobile networks (many of which are high) to a competitive level. An annual recurrent European benchmark study is supposed to provide the regulatory authorities with a direction when finalising these tariffs. In addition, the regulators have expressed their position in relation to the need for access to electronic networks (bitstream access) in order to safeguard competition in the broadband Internet market.

The retiring ERG and IRG Chairman, Jens Arnbak, who is also Chairman of the OPTA Commission, had this to say: I am very satisfied with the outcome of the meetings held in Budapest. Joint agreements made by the regulatory authorities are good for the business sector and consumers, because they provide transparency and give direction to developments in the national electronic communication markets.

During a meeting of European electronic communication market regulators in Budapest, important steps were taken for the purposes of determining the nature of practical regulation as part of the new legal framework for electronic communication. They took the form of a consultation document concerning the duties of dominant market parties and arrangements for the regulation of call terminating tariffs in mobile phone networks.