Regulator sets new rates for distribution frames

Germany’s telecoms regulator, the Federal Network Agency (FNA, also known as BNetzA), has approved new rates that Telekom Deutschland (TD) may charge for access to a subscriber line at a distribution frame. From 1 July 2013 the monthly basic charge for the last mile from the distribution frame to the customer will decrease from EUR8.01 (USD10.5) to EUR7.71. According to the FNA, the decision is in line with the proposal published at the end of March 2013 to lower the monthly rates for access to the feeder distribution interface (FDI) subscriber line. In a press release on the regulator’s website, the FNA’s president Jochen Homann said that access to the last mile at distribution frames remains attractive for competitors investing in their own infrastructure, adding that the current decision on rates offers a solid basis for a further increase in the number of distribution frames, which will particularly benefit broadband coverage in rural areas.