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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 1 Jul 1993

Vol. 433 No. 3

Written Answers. - Development of Telecommunications Sector.

John Bruton

Question:

28 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications the implications for Ireland at the likely liberalisation of voice telephony in the EC after 1998.

At a meeting of the Council of Ministers (Telecommunications) held on 16 June 1993, Ministers agree on a Resolution dealing with the situation in the telecommunications sector and the need for further development in that market. The Resolution recorded the support of Ministers for the intention of the Commission to prepare before the 1 July, 1996 the necessary amendments to the Community regulatory framework in order to achieve liberalisation of all public voice telephony services by 1 January 1998.

In order to allow member states with less developed networks to achieve the necessary structural adjustments in particular of tariffs, certain member states (including Ireland) were granted an additional transition period of up to five years.

The implications of this Resolution for Ireland are that liberalisation will offer Irish service providers the opportunity to compete in an Europe wide market and, as a corollary, that the public voice telephony market in Ireland at present reserved to Telecom Éireann will be open to competition from service providers from Ireland and from other member states. The conditions governing the liberalisation of public voice telephony in the Community have yet to be worked out and will be the subject of political agreement among Ministers. The Resolution envisages the working out of arrangements for suitable measures in relation to specific difficulties encountered by peripheral regions with less developed networks so as to assist network development and universal service in peripheral regions.

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