“We have concluded the national consultation on the draft decisions regarding the interconnection with the mobile telephony operators. We maintain our decision to regulate the interconnection tariffs of all the five mobile telephony operators. In addition to the initial proposal, we decided to apply a new glidepath as of 1 July 2010 for Cosmote, Telemobil and RCS&RDS, the three operators that have not been imposed the price control obligation so far”, Liviu Nistoran, the President of ANC, declared at the end of the Consultative Council’s meeting, which took place at the ANC headquarters, with the participation of the communications industry and interested authorities.
Thus, the maximum tariffs for the call termination on the networks of Cosmote and Telemobil will drop in three stages, according to the 15 month-glidepath, until reaching symmetry with the tariffs of Orange and Vodafone, as of 1 July 2010. Since it is a new-entrant on the mobile telephone market, RCS&RDS will be granted a longer glidepath.
The regulated interconnection tariffs of the mobile telephony operators will drop as follows:
|
| 2007
(eurocent) | 2008
(eurocent) | 1 January 2009 (eurocent) | 1 April 2009 (eurocent) | 1 January 2010 (eurocent) | 1 July 2010 (eurocent) |
| Orange, Vodafone | 7.21 | 6.4 | 5.03 | 5.03 | 5.03 | 5.03 |
| Cosmote | not-regulated | not-regulated | not-regulated | 6.4 | 5.67 | 5.03 |
| Telemobil | not-regulated | not-regulated | not-regulated | 6.4 | 5.67 | 5.03 |
| RCS&RDS | not-regulated | not-regulated | not-regulated | 7.21 | 6.4 | 5.67 |
Following the extension of the timeframe for the public consultation on these measures, ANC decided to apply the first glidepath starting 1 April 2009.
“The gradual reduction of tariffs ensures predictability, gives the not-regulated operators the possibility to adjust their business plans, offering in the same time a harmonization of the termination rates during the transition period towards symmetric tariffs”, Liviu Nistoran, the President of ANC, added.
The final form of the decision on the mobile interconnection tariffs will be sent to the European Commission and to the national regulatory authorities of the other Member States, which may make comments within a month from the notification date.
The meeting of the Consultative Council represented the final stage of the national consultation process regarding the decisions that identify all the five mobile telephony operators as having significant power on the market of mobile call termination on their own networks. The ANC draft decisions introduce cost-orientation obligations on all the five operators, respectively the reduction of the interconnection tariffs of Cosmote, Telemobil and RCS&RDS, allowing them to apply a gradual glidepath. The Authority keeps the levels of the interconnection tariffs previously imposed on Orange and Vodafone, based on the calculation model elaborated during 2004-2006.