ARCEP launches a public consultation on its analysis of the wholesale call termination market of the operators Outremer Télécom and Tel Cell, and requests the opinion of the Conseil de la Concurrence

Paris, 13 April 2006

Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques et des postes (ARCEP) is submitting for public consultation today, and until 15^th May, its draft decisions on its market analysis for mobile voice call termination of the operators Outremer Télécom and Tel Cell.

These two operators were not yet active commercially in the Antilles-Guyana region when ARCEP conducted its first analysis of the mobile voice call termination markets in overseas départements in 2005.

In its draft decisions submitted for public consultation, ARCEP’s analysis is similar to its previous one, i.e. decision no. 05-0111 on determining relevant voice call termination markets on overseas mobile networks.

So, ARCEP proposes:

• designating the operators Outremer Télécom and Tel Cell as having significant power on the wholesale mobile voice call termination markets on their respective networks

   

• imposing on them obligations identical to those imposed on mobile operators of comparable size in the Antilles-Guyana region (i.e. significantly smaller than Orange Caraïbe). In particular, it proposes that Outremer Télécom and Tel Cell not practice excessive pricing.

   

Along with launching the public consultation, ARCEP has also requested the opinion of France’s competition authority, Conseil de la concurrence.

Responses to the consultations must be sent to M16(@)arcep.fr before 15 May 2006.