The European Commission has opened a public consultation on fixed and mobile termination rates and is inviting all interested stakeholders to send in their responses to a questionnaire by 7th June 2016. The consultation is particularly targeted at national regulators, telecommunications operators, consultancies, civil society organisations and public authorities.
The consultation concerns the Evaluation of the Termination Rates Recommendation (TRR) of 2009, which forms part of the European Commission’s Digital Single Market Strategy. Termination rates are the rates that telecoms operators charge each other to deliver calls between networks. The TRR aims to increase consistency across EU countries regarding the way in which national regulatory authorities set termination rates and to decrease discrepancies between fixed and mobile termination charges. As a result, the TRR contributes to promoting efficiency and sustainable competition and maximises benefits for consumers.
The questionnaire that forms the basis of the consultation is structured in two parts, each of which has a specific objective. The first part aims to evaluate the impact of the TRR on the termination markets and on the EU internal market, whereas the second part aims to gather views on whether the regulatory approach towards termination rates should be maintained or amended.
More information is available here.