ANACOM approved a batch of measures that facilitate the access of other operators to MEO’s ducts and poles, either by simplifying procedures or by reducing some prices. These measures will improve competition in the market, in particular by allowing greater speed and flexibility in the service installation process and thereby facilitating the provision of services to users.
These are, in particular, amendments to MEO's reference duct access offer (RDAO) and reference poles access offer (RPAO), which have been key instruments for promoting sustained competition in the electronic communications networks and services markets, and particularly in promoting investment in high-speed networks by alternative operators.
In the draft decision which is now subject to public consultation, a reduction in wholesale prices of certain services is also established.
Among the changes in processes and procedures now decided that facilitate the use of MEO infrastructure by alternative operators (from an access equivalence perspective), for them to install their networks, it should be pointed out, that in the case of poles the final section of the network up to the client's home will be installed through prior notification: the beneficiary operator notifies and installs, whereas up to now a prior appointment had to be made with MEO. The reduction of the installation period foreseen in the RDAO should also be mentioned (to 3 working days in beforehand, as opposed to the current situation where the installation is scheduled by MEO by the 15th working day after receipt of the beneficiary's request). The implementation of these measures in the RDAO and in the RPAO is intended to expedite the installation of networks by the beneficiary operators and, as a result, the provision of services to end users can be facilitated.
The draft ANACOM decision also addresses other relevant matters such as providing information on poles via the Extranet, and cutting the number and value of penalties that MEO has proposed to apply to other operators in the event of non-compliance with the conditions set out in the RDAO and the RPAO.
It should be recalled that MEO introduced a set of penalties in these offers to encourage greater accountability of the operators who use them, a principle that was accepted by ANACOM on the assumption that operators would be given greater flexibility in accessing MEO infrastructure. However, this Authority, after examining all the penalties requested, concluded that many were unreasonable and therefore proposes to eliminate 20 penalties and reduce the amount of 11 of the penalties proposed by this operator.
The draft decision is subject to a prior hearing of the interested parties and to public consultation, lasting until 30.7.2018.
Contributions should be sent to: spdorac-orap@anacom.pt1, and ANACOM is calling for a broad intervention by the various agents and market participants.
1 Each email may contain one or more files as long as the total size does not exceed 10 megabytes. Comments can be split into two or more emails, if necessary.
Consult:
- Changes to the reference duct access offer (RDAO) and reference poles access offer (RPAO) https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=1454447
- Consultation on amendments to the reference duct access offer (RDAO) and reference poles access offer (RPAO) https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=1454450
