a. Network Equal Access
This Policy supports the notion that all customers shall be afforded equal access to all competing
service providers in a market. This means that customers should have the opportunity to choose
among the services of all competing providers, without cost penalties or unduly burdensome
technical barriers. The cost of providing equal access will be shared on a non-discriminatory basis
by all competitors.
b. Anti-Competitive Behaviors
The policy supports the authority of the LTA in determining the human and financial resources
required in the effective application of competition policies. The objective of competition policy
is the establishment of a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory telecommunications market
environment. The policy supports the general framework for the functions and responsibilities of
the LTA, and of licensed operators, in achieving effective competition. Based on the
Telecommunications ACT of 2007 and this Policy, the LTA has the authority to define specific
procedures, rules, regulations and administrative structure to ensure that competition policy is
effective.
c. Dominant Service Providers
The LTA shall define regulations to establish dominant service providers and what constitutes
Significant Market Power (SMP) based on market shares, control of infrastructure, technological
advantages, absence of competition, privileged access to financial resources, bundling of
services/products, economies of scale, scope of vertical and/or horizontal integration, distribution
network(s) links with other markets and collusion issues, among other factors.
d. Tariffs
The policy recognizes the basic economic theory that prices for services are best set by the market
where there is fair competition. Where there is weak competition or the presence of SMP, the
LTA shall adopt methods and tariff regulations that are consistent with the Telecommunications
Act of 2007 and international best practice, including, but not limited to, price cap regulation,
rate-rebalancing and other forms of cost-based regulation. Tariffs for public telephone services
shall be based on the duration of the call and the actual connection time.
The LTA shall implement procedures that establish official call duration and billing requirements.
This Policy supports the requirement that a completed call must be billed to the actual second.
The tariffs and tariff related information filed and approved by the LTA shall be published and
made available to the general public. The policy supports a consultative process between the LTA
and the Operators before adopting any new methods of tariff regulations.
3.5
Quality of Service (QoS)
The LTA shall ensure that the telecommunications services of licensed operators are of adequate quality
to meet the needs of users, and shall establish standards and regulations to monitor service quality.
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