BoR (11) 06b BEREC report NGA Country Cases - IRG

BoR (11) 06b
� Elaborate on the rationale for allowing or not allowing a decommissioning of MDFs, and
any conditions involved. E.g., approval for a phase-out may be made contingent upon the
availability of an equivalent alternative wholesale product. 2
As long as the incumbent notices alternative operators at least 3 years before
decommissioning MDFs, such decommissioning is not contingent on any approval.
� In its report “NGA – Implementation Issues and Best Practice” 3 BEREC suggested that “in
addition to the reference offer – wholesale customers should be able to obtain relevant
information on roll-out of new infrastructures or technologies per geographical area. A
reasonable window of announcement is necessary to create a level playing field on the
retail market”.
- Explain if such provisions are applied and what they look like.
The incumbent is mandated to give notice when moving/establishing DSLAMs from the
local exchange and closer to the end customers. The notice shall be given six month in
advance as a minimum.
- Elaborate on your practical experiences with such provisions (e.g. have there been any
practical problems with enforcing such provisions?).
No.
� Are there any provisions dealing with stranded assets? Investments by alternative
operators get sunk if the closure of MDFs implies that pay-back periods are shorter than
initially expected. Are there any measures in place to solve the problem of stranded assets
and what do they look like (e.g. compensation schemes 4 )?
No such provisions/measures.
� Are there any provisions relating to the costs of migration? E.g., how are the costs of
migration split between the SMP operator and the competitors?
Alternative operators pay their own part, and prices should be cost oriented.
2 See ERG (07) 16rev2, Ch. 4.5.2 and in particular the flow-chart diagram illustrating procedural
issues in the substitution phase.
3 BoR (10) 08; Chapter E.2, p. 9.
4 See BoR (10) 08, Ch. E.2.
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