IP network. Collaboration of Governments and private sector, its impact on the success of Internet

Transcription

1 IP network Day one Collaboration of Governments and private sector, its impact on the success of Internet IP applications services definitions Differences between IP networks and PSTN The European policies and regulation of IP, PSTN services The regulation of IP, PSTN based services by the National Regulatory Authorities of the Member States Day two The importance of having IP to PSTN connections Analysis of competition rules affecting IP, PSTN and the connections Working session on a case study Day three Should IP and PSTN voice traffic be treated the same way or differently The bandwidth of the network/s and its impact on the IP, PSTN The privacy protection Working session and conclusions L E X J U S P A R T N E R S B A R I G E N O V A M I L A N O R O M A w w w. l e x j u s. c o m T R E V I S O M e m b e r s o f L a w F i r m W o r l d w i d e

2 Cooperation between fixed and mobile operators Day one The European legislation regarding the regulation of providing mobile and fixed services Which is the main legislation Why there is a need of regulating this field What are the challenges of introducing the new legislation in field What challenges do Member States face in this regard Why there is a need for harmonization The introduction of the New Regulatory Framework by European Commission Its impact on the services of operators of fixed and mobile telephony Advantages / Disadvantages brought by it Comparative analysis on the way of implementation Day two Analysis of competition rules affecting the fixed and mobile services Compare among the Member States on what rules suit more in order to have the markets competitive Best practices in the Member States Obligations imposed when the market is found not to be competitive Working session on a case study Day three Accelerating fix-mobile substitution Fixed-mobile substitution a threat to fixed operator revenues?? Should we simulate voice usage and encourage fixed-mobile substitution, pros/ cons?? - 2 -

3 How can we use other services to increase the value of mobile voice and increase usage What will be the most important features of encouraging consumers to purchase fixed-mobile convergence solutions What will be the most important reasons to deter consumers from replacing their phone systems by a FMC device Are the main concerns of vendors and operators also concern to consumers Working session Conclusions Seminar on Voip services and regulation The seminar will focus on the description of the main services provided by the operators and on the regulation of Voice over Broadband (Vob)/Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) that became one of the most hotly contested in telecommunications since we find an intersection of two very different markets: the traditionally regulated telephony market and the traditionally unregulated data services markets. The 3 days seminar will have the following structure: Day 1 Analysis of the business models in use in the sector The business models that undertakings will use in order to provide Vob/Voip services will depend on the regulatory and competition environment. Despite the wide variety of potential IP voice services, five macro business models will be analysed during the session in order to verify, for each of them, the main consequences arising from the implementation of EU Regulatory framework. The European policies and regulation of the Voip services. The structure change of relevant existing markets can change certain regulatory approaches The EU regulatory framework for electronic communications, - 3 -

4 adopted in April 2002 which came into effect in July 2003 and which implements a single regulatory framework that covers all transmission networks and services, provides some important issues affecting Vob and Voip services that need to be considered, such as competition, the USO (Universal Service Obligation), the security of networks and the allocation of numbers. The main objectives set out in the EU regulatory framework are: i) to promote competition by fostering innovation, liberalising markets and simplifying market entry; ii) To promote the single European market and; iii) To promote the interest of citizens. The regulation of Voip services by the National Regulatory Authorities of the Member States. Most of national regulators have agreed not to introduce specific EU-level regulation for internet telephony until the market further develops. In their opinion, the current priority is to promote the roll-out of VoIP by favouring new market entrants. The same Commission said it favoured the light touch approach adopted by the ERG (European Regulatory Group) as the best way to encourage competition between internet carriers of telephone traffic and traditional telephone networks. Its main policy approach here is to avoid over-regulation. During this session the role of Member States and national regulatory authorities, the rights and obligations for market players, the rights of users of electronic communications networks and services, the measures justified on the grounds of public health and public security will be analised. Comparative analysis: the USA approach In USA the regulatory environment on Voip services seems to be stable at the moment and rely on the case law that will be analysed during the session. Day 2: Analysis of competition rules affecting Voip The EC has recommended a list of relevant markets to the NRAs on both retail and wholesale levels in order to identify any dominant position in each market and provide, whether necessary, the proper remedies. The Vob/Voip services are potential substitute services within some of these markets and will need to be considered in reviews of these markets. During this session the approach used by the NRAs will be analysed Working session on a Case Study

5 Day 3: The Universal Service The Vob/Voip impact on the Universal Service Obligation will be analysed during this session bearing in mind the definitions of ECS (Electronic Communication Service) and PATS (Public Available Telecommunication Service) and the authorization regime in force at the EU level. During this section, the implementation by the Member States of the Universal Service obligation (defined as the obligation to provide a defined minimum set of services, including connection to the public telephone network and access to publicly available telephone services (PATS) at a fixed location) to all end-users at an affordable price will deal with. Undertakings with an Universal Service Obligation (USO) may use whatever technology is appropriate to meet their Universal Service obligations; provided that they comply with the quality requirements and national legislation. This could include use of VoIP technology. The privacy protection Another important issue that will be deal with are the costs related to the compliance with the privacy protection regime provided by the European Union in favour of end users. In particular, the Privacy Directive is designed to protect the fundamental interests of end-users and applies to publicly available electronic communications services in general (i.e. VoIP-based electronic communications services). Integrity and availability of the network and in-line powering of terminals The session will deal with the analysis of Member States regulation aimed at ensuring uninterrupted access to emergency services and in-line powering of terminals. Working session and conclusions - 5 -