Telenor will have to provide details of the replacement wholesale products it will offer ahead of switching off the copper network.
Background: In Norway, Telenor is the operator with significant market power in the wholesale broadband access markets. In December 2018, the regulator Nkom completed its latest review of those markets, equivalent to Markets 3a and 3b in the European Commission’s Recommendation on relevant markets. One of the remedies imposed requires Telenor to notify its wholesale customers of any changes to its existing broadband services infrastructure, including the copper access network. Nkom notes that, while the number of customers receiving broadband over copper has been declining in recent years, this is still an important infrastructure for broadband services.
Nkom fleshes out the requirement: This week, Nkom has published a draft with more detail of the notification requirements it imposes on Telenor. These include: a timeframe for when wholesale access to copper will cease (there is a three-year notice requirement, which can be shorter where Telenor offers a relevant replacement product); and information on the replacement wholesale product Telenor will provide, such as the timetable for its availability, price terms, and other technical parameters.
Next steps: Nkom is accepting comments on the proposed requirements by 25 November 2019. The regulator will also carry out a separate process regarding the notifications Telenor has already sent to its wholesale customers, to assess whether they meet the formal requirements it is now imposing.
