Communications Regulatory Authority
Communications Regulatory Authority
Communications Regulatory Authority
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electronic communications networks and services, developing the internal market and<br />
protecting European citizens’ interests.<br />
Access markets<br />
Access to the fixed public telephone line for residential (market no. 1) and non-<br />
residential customers (market no. 2).<br />
On 19 January 2006 AGCOM adopted Resolution no. 33/06/CONS which<br />
regulates retail markets for access to the fixed public telephone line, namely the market<br />
intended for residential customer and the market for non-residential customers (markets<br />
no. 1 and 2 among those identified by the European Commission Recommendation of<br />
11 February 2003). Each market is composed of access services provided by analog<br />
(PSTN) and digital (ISDN) lines.<br />
Telecom Italia was identified as the dominant operator in the markets being<br />
analyzed.<br />
AGCOM confirmed in its resolution what had been laid down in the draft regulation<br />
notified to the European Commission and to the Antitrust <strong>Authority</strong> in October 2005<br />
and on which both institutions had advised for.<br />
For end-user protection purposes, in its resolution AGCOM confirmed the<br />
implementation methods of the long-term price control system (the so-called “price<br />
cap”), and limited itself, at the most, to setting out unchanging prices for access services<br />
intended for residential users and the recovery of inflation for access services offered to<br />
non-residential users. AGCOM also imposed on Telecom Italia the obligations not to<br />
unfairly privilege some given end users and not to unduly unify the services offered.<br />
Thanks to the introduction of the WLR (Wholesale Line Rental) service on the<br />
market, this regulation will allow telecommunications operators to debit users, by a<br />
single bill, with all services they provide (including the subscription fee). Notably,<br />
AGCOM imposed on Telecom Italia the obligation to provide WLR at the stadi di linea<br />
(line stages) currently not opened to full unbundling and shared access services. This<br />
service shall be offered to competitors on transparent and non-discriminatory terms and<br />
the price shall be set by applying the retail minus methodology, the minus being set at<br />
12%.<br />
In laying down the obligation to provide the WLR service, AGCOM pursued<br />
both the aim to guarantee end users the existence of a wide range of operators to choose<br />
their access service provider from, and the long-term aim to make competition grow<br />
among infrastructured operators.<br />
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