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Communications Regulatory Authority

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Data mentioned so far outline a national fixed TLC market with its traditional<br />

component (voce traffic) showing a structural decline. In order to cope with this process<br />

as well as to meet consumers’ needs - as described in detail in the previous paragraph -<br />

integrated fixed-to-mobile offers have been introduced.<br />

Figure1.21. National market of fixed line services, installed lines (million)<br />

Source: IDC, 2006 | * Forecasts<br />

Telecom Italia has currently adopted some convergent initiatives by launching<br />

combined call charge plans (for fixed to mobile and from mobile to fixed calls<br />

respectively) both for residential and business users.<br />

Based on what is happening abroad, in the future, these pricing promotions could be<br />

followed by real integrated offers by fixed operators envisaging the use of a mobile<br />

phone with UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) technology. Such standard was<br />

developed within the group having the same name, composed of a number of TLC<br />

operators and companies selling mobile phones (among which British Telecom, Alcatel,<br />

Motorola and Siemens) in order to develop convergent services using radio frequency<br />

bands for which licenses were not allocated (such as Bluetooth and wi-fi).<br />

Still with regard to fixed-to-mobile integration, strategies of operators working in the<br />

mobile sector are to be mentioned. For instance, Vodafone Italia launched an offer with<br />

cheap prices for calls from mobile phones to fixed network numbers (up to an agreed<br />

amount of airtime) in a specific place chosen by the user (such as home or office). The<br />

application of different pricing plans (preferential prices for calls to fixed network made<br />

in the place chosen by the user and regular pricing plan for calls made outside such<br />

place) is made possible by the fact that the mobile network can identify the user<br />

position.<br />

Taking into consideration data transmission services (comprising Managed Data<br />

Network Services – MDNS – which include ATM, Frame Relay, X.25 and IPVPN) and<br />

dedicated circuits for business users, it is estimated that in 2005 the market (figure<br />

1.19.) exceeded on the whole 1.3 billion euros, with a 1.4% increase compared to 2004.<br />

58

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