Communiqué de presse

ARCEP notes decline in universal postal service quality in 2010.

Paris, 6 May 2011

La Poste has published the results of its testing of universal postal service quality in 2010, in application of Article R.1-1-8 of the Post and Electronic Communications Code (1).

Universal postal service quality dropped off sharply in 2010, a development that La Poste largely attributes to climate disruption.

ARCEP's remit is to ensure compliance with the universal service objectives decreed by the Minister for Posts . Within this framework, it and La Poste will investigate the extent to which climate disruption explains the deterioration identified in quality of service and what other reasons underlie this negative trend.

This investigation will focus mainly on priority letters, the product which matches the mandatory universal postal service category for delivery in D+1.

As ARCEP stated in its Opinion 2011-0416 on the creation by La Poste of a new D+2 service, this new product must not result in poorer priority-letter service quality.

______________________
(1) Article L.5-2, paragraph 4, of the Post and Electronic Communications Code (in French only)
L'Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques et des postes veille au respect des objectifs de qualité du service universel fixés par arrêté du ministre chargé des postes selon des modalités établies par le décret prévu à l'article L. 2, ainsi qu'à la publication et à la fiabilité des mesures de qualité des prestations correspondantes ; elle fait réaliser annuellement par un organisme indépendant une étude de qualité du service qu'elle publie.