Newsletter
DRAFT AMENDMENTS ON NET-WORK INTERCONNECTIONS
In order to facilitate the opening to Type II telecoms carriers business areas such as voice mail service resale, and to promote fair compe-tition in the market, the Ministry of Transporta-tion and Communications announced its draft amendments to Articles 16 and 62-1 of the Telecommunications Law regarding network interconnections on 19 December 2001. The proposed amendments include: a provision that a Type I carrier may not refuse a network inter-connection request from a Type II carrier without legitimate grounds; a provision empowering the Directorate-General of Telecommunications to make separate regulations governing network interconnections between Type I and Type II carriers; provisions empowering the DGT to in-tervene if the carriers fail to complete their net-work interconnection agreement negotiations or annual renewal negotiations within three months, and to set time limits for its adjudication to avoid delays in practice; and provisions empowering the DGT to publish network connection agree-ments concluded by a dominant Type I carrier with other telecommunication businesses, in order to comply with WTO requirements for transparency in the regulatory framework for basic telecommunication services and in network interconnection arrangements.