The regulation of Voice over IP in Europe: Introduction and Overview

Transcription

1 The regulation of Voice over IP in Europe: Introduction and Overview Dieter Elixmann J. Scott Marcus Dr. Christian Wernick Workshop Brussels, March 11,

2 Background of the study Substantial differences in the regulatory environment regarding VoIP services stated already in previous studies - European Commission (2004): The Treatment of VoIP under the Regulatory Framework - ERG (2005): ERG Common Statement for VoIP Regulatory Approaches - ERG (2007): Common Position on VoIP EU Commission s recommended changes to the regulatory framework (2007) A few years ago: Virtually no actual market relevance of VoIP in Europe However, today, VoIP has become mainstream - Conversion of networks to NGNs; IP has become the heart of the telecommunications network - Very different business models; third party service providers who may not even have a network have developed a firm foothold 1

3 Main issues to be addressed National regulatory obligations applied to VoIP services, degree of harmonization Access to emergency services from VoIP services: Technology, best practice, and practical deployment considerations Numbering arrangements and number portability regarding VoIP Differences in national regulatory treatment of VoIP - Degree to which they impair competitive entry of service providers in the consumer and business segments - Impact on the broader economy Recommendations as to how any problems could be alleviated 2

4 Methodology Desk research of relevant documents published so far Investigation of the current regulatory conditions regarding VoIP in 10 Member States Interviews with market participants 3

5 The Project Team Structure Representative of the European Commission WIK-Consult (Lead Contractor) Dieter Elixmann (Project Leader) J. Scott Marcus (Deputy) Dr. Christian Wernick Cullen International James Thomson Philippe Defraigne Country analysts Agent responsible Analysis of legal, economic and policy implications of VoIP regulation Survey of VoIP regulation in the Member States 4

6 Structure of the Report Executive Summary 1 Introduction 2 Previous analyses of VoIP regulation in Europe 2.1 Empirical evidence 2.2 History of policy recommendations at the European level 3 Status of regulatory requirements regarding VoIP in the European Union 3.1 Authorisation and notification requirement for VoIP services 3.2 Classification of VoIP services 3.3 Calls to emergency services 3.4 Numbering and number portability 3.5 Interconnection 4 Impacts of regulation on VoIP service providers and markets 4.1 General conditions relevant to market entry 4.2 Access to Emergency Calls 4.3 Numbering and Number Portability 4.4 Interconnection 4.5 Lawful Intercept, data retention 5 Impacts of regulatory barriers to the Internal Market 5.1 Policy Objectives and the Commission s Role 5.2 Costs caused by the differences in regulating VoIP 5.3 The role of third-party intermediaries in the provision of VoIP 6 Conclusions and recommendations 6.1 Conclusions 6.2 Recommendations 5

7 Agenda 10:00 h European Commission's introduction 10:10 h Introduction and Overview Dieter Elixmann 10:20 h Status of regulatory requirements regarding VoIP in the European Union James Thomson (Cullen International) 10:40 h Impacts of regulation on VoIP service providers and markets Dieter Elixmann 11:00 h Impacts of regulatory barriers to the Internal Market Dieter Elixmann 11:20 h Conclusions and policy recommendations J. Scott Marcus 11:40 h Wrap-Up and discussion 6

8 WIK-Consult GmbH Rhöndorfer Str Bad Honnef Germany Tel +49 (0) Fax +49 (0) Cullen International s. a. Rue Saint-Jean, Namur Belgium Tel Fax