Page 76 - SAMENA Trends - May 2020

WHOLESALE UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

WHOLESALE NEWS

Belgian Regulators Publish New Wholesale Cable Network Access Tariffs

Belgium’s Conference of Regulators for
the Electronic Communications Sector
(CRC) has published its final decisions
on wholesale rates for access to the
cable networks of Telenet, Brutele and
Voo, which will take effect from 1 July.
According to the CRC, which comprises
the Belgian Institute for Postal Services
and Telecommunications (BIPT) and
regional regulators, these decisions
‘enable wholesale cable access for
alternative operators at fair prices, creating
possibilities for competition on the retail
market to the benefit of end-users, whilst
remunerating the network operators
correctly for the access’. In a press release,
Orange Belgium said it regrets that the
EC had cleared the regulation with only
minor comments. The operator, which is
one of the main customers for wholesale
cable access, noted that wholesale
tariffs, particularly in the case of ultra-
high speed internet access services, will
remain significantly above ‘fair costs’, to
the detriment of consumers. Furthermore,
Orange warned the significant increase
in costs over time (up to 25%) will result
in regular and unjustified price increases
for Belgian consumers. The company is
calling on regulators to closely monitor
the consequences of the decision on retail
prices and initiate a review as soon as any
negative impact is identified.

Greece to Lower Fiber Wholesale Charges

The National Telecommunications user costs for fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) around EUR25 now to below EUR18 by
& Post Commission (Ethniki Epitropi and fiber-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) services. 2028. A recent report commissioned by
Tilepikoinonion kai Tachydromeion, It is aiming to see the cost of a 500Mbps Greece’s competition authority suggested
EETT) in Greece is looking to implement FTTH connection fall from over EUR70 that the country has some of the highest
a reduction of wholesale prices for (USD76.50) per month currently to below tariffs for communications services in
access to next generation networks. The EUR40 a month by 2028, while the price Europe.
regulator says the cuts will reduce end of a 100Mbps FTTC service will drop from

76 MAY 2020