The Hungarian Communications Market Developments and ...

The Hungarian Communications Market Developments and Regulation between 2004 and 2008
Furthermore, the Authority contributes to the preparation of legislation,
provides data supply, performs cost calculation tasks and
controls accounting separation.
The number of postal service providers with reporting obligation
and listed in the Authority’s register more than doubled since 2004.
Within the framework of the postal market surveillance activity, the
Authority initiates five to seven nation-wide investigations each year,
including about 150 to 200 site surveys. During the period between
2004 and 2008, the Authority annually investigated a hundred customer
complaints on average.
Figure 2.11: Changes in the number of postal service providers
pcs
150
100
50
Number of registered service providers
Number of cancelled service providers
173
70
96
111
24
137
49
54
Figure 2.12: Changes in the number of postal service-related
customer complaints
pcs
100
50
0
83
98
84
117
0
0
8
2004
2005
2006
2007
2004
2005
2006
2007
10.09.2008
Source: NHH
Source: NHH
Currently, universal services may only be provided by a single
service provider, with the rest of the sub-markets being multi-player
markets. The introduction of competition has opened a new era also
in the activity of the Authority. Due to the present, special market
situation, while performing authority duties, NHH must concurrently
take into account the needs of players acting within liberalised
market segments and the expectations expressed by the universal
service area protected from competition.
Contrary to the field of electronic communications, the postal
duties of the National Communications Authority are less regulatory
in nature in the present legal environment. What is much more
focalised is the market surveillance duty associated only to a limited
extent with the power of decision to influence the postal market. The
most important duties are as follows:
• temporary relief of the designated universal postal service provider
from fulfilling its door-to-door delivery obligation,
• approval of service providers’ accounting statements, service
quality reports and measurement methodology of waiting time
calculation,
• authority decisions as regards modifications to by-laws,
• authority approvals,
• decisions on prohibiting organisations from unlawfully providing
postal services, and
• substantive decisions as a result of procedures prompted by
individual complaints.
In addition to postal market surveillance duties, the Authority
continuously monitors the operation of the market, evaluates the
situation of postal markets on an annual basis, and reports thereon
to the Government. Furthermore, the Authority contributes to the
preparation of postal legislation, takes part in impact assessments
as well as in various international forums to represent the position of
Hungary on a regular basis.
International activity
Authority duties include tasks related to the work of the European
Commission, thus the supply of country information and professional
contribution to the studies made by the Commission. Over the past
five years, the Commission basically ordered a series of different
European-level studies with the aim of monitoring the compliance
of the Member States with the European postal directive 24 and in
preparation of full liberalisation. The Authority has also contributed to
the preparation of the third postal directive.
Another international and annually recurring task is the collection
of EU postal statistical data. EUROSTAT, the statistical office working
under the General Directorate of the European Commission has
been involving CERP and NRA members including NHH in postal
data collection since 2005.
The Authority is involved in the working and project groups of the
European Committee for Postal Regulation, with active participation
in the work of several working groups.
The Authority is actively involved in the work of the Universal
Postal Union (UPU) as well. During the 9 years of the past two election
periods, Hungarian administration, including NHH, was also