Aside from its core focus on wholesale markets, roaming and net neutrality are on the regulator’s radar
Time to define this year’s plan: The PTS has begun a public consultation on its ‘supervision plan’ for 2021. The plan will set the priorities for the regulator and identifies areas in which intervention may be required. Ongoing dialogue with industry will be key, since very often operators voluntarily adjust their behaviour as a result of the regulator’s supervisory activity.
A particular focus on wholesale markets: As was the case in previous years, the PTS expects wholesale price supervision to be important in 2021. In the market for local access to network infrastructure, the PTS will continue to review regarding compliance with the obligation of economic replicability imposed on Telia, and conduct supervision regarding new prices for copper access. All this without forgetting the need to supervise fixed and mobile interconnection markets, to which the PTS is still attaching importance, and the broadcasting markets (free-to-air TV and analogue radio via terrestrial network). The PTS will also check that Telia complies with its obligation to provide an 18-month notice to co-located operators when it wants to retire its copper exchanges.
An eye on roaming and net neutrality to protect consumers: The PTS is convinced that some areas of regulation will require ‘special control’ to ensure better levels of compliance – either because of evidence suggesting that there is a need for stronger oversight, or because of trends that have emerged around the world which require more careful examination. Two such areas are net neutrality and roaming. The PTS foresees the need to monitor the equal treatment of internet traffic, and watch traffic management measures that limit certain types of traffic as well as business practices. With regard to roaming, the PTS will police the new wholesale price cap on data (€2.50/GB) and ensure it is reflected in operators’ fair use policies and retail offers.
Source: https://pts.se/sv/nyheter/telefoni/2021/pts-valkomnar-dialog-om-tillsynsplan/
