FNA proposes new fixed line interconnection rates

Germany’s telecoms regulator the Federal Network Agency (FNA) has published a draft decision on new fixed termination rates for Telekom Deutschland (TD) that will apply from 1 December 2014. The watchdog has proposed that on that date TD would be able to charge interconnecting competitors EUR0.0024 (USD0.0033) per minute for routing calls through the network in tariff zone I. These rates apply both for terminating calls on TD’s fixed line network and for routing calls, in particular those made using carrier call-by-call or carrier pre-selection (CPS), from its network to competitors’ networks. In zone II, a new per-minute rate of EUR0.0035 has been proposed, and for calls at the highest network level (zone III), the FNA has suggested that TD may charge EUR0.0041 per minute. The draft decision will be published on the FNA’s website on 23 July 2014 for national consultation; interested parties will have until 20 August 2014 to submit written comments, following which the European Commission (EC) and other EU national regulatory authorities will be able to submit their opinions on the proposal. If the EC expresses no serious concerns, then the fees will come into force on 1 December.