A PYMNTS Company

Germany: Competition regulator fears re-monopolisation of DT

By  |  December 8, 2015
Germany: Competition regulator fears re-monopolisation of DT

The German Monopoly Commission published its special report “Telecommunications 2015: Markets in flux”, evaluating the situation and development of competition on the telecommunications market. The Monopoly Commission said it appreciated the work of the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) as mainly positive. It said some fixed-line regulations could be abandoned, but regulation of access to Deutsche Telekom’s infrastructure was still essential to sustain alternative providers of advanced broadband services.

    Get the Full Story

    Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required.

    yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today.

    By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

    The competition regulator approved the use of a regional market approach for bitstream access, helping to end regulation in certain areas. However it is concerned about the BNetzA’s recent decision to allow DT to go ahead with the roll-out of vectoring technology. The Commission supports the use of the technology, but said the networks regulator had set high barriers for alternative operators to participate in the new technology. The Commission warned that the BNetzA’s approach may not be able to prevent the re-establishment of a monopoly by DT on the last mile.

    The commission also reiterated its stance that the federal government should sell its 32-percent stake in Deutsche Telekom soon, in order to resolve the conflict of interest resulting from the dual role of legislator and shareholder. The sale would also generate substantial funds, which could potentially be used to subsidise the broadband expansion in Germany.

    Full content: Telecom Paper

    Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.