ICP-ANACOM determined that the availability of selection and pre-selection functions from all providers of Fixed Telephone Service (FTS) with direct access should be guaranteed to users, for national (long distance, formerly intercity) and international calls, from those dates onwards.
The scope of national calls was later extended to include fixed-mobile calls on 1 October 2000 and local and regional calls on 1 January 2001.
ICP-ANACOM also determined that from 1 April 2000 the providers of Mobile Service should, if requested, make available the function of operator selection, call-by-call, for international calls.
It is known that new providers have mainly been able to provide FTS to their customers by means of those functions, with a total of 9.59% of originated traffic registered via indirect access at the end of the 3rd quarter of 2003.
Given that the selection and pre-selection call functions have been available for more than three years, ICP-ANACOM considers that it is now time for them to be re-evaluated, especially with regard to any extension to other kinds of telephone traffic, with the interests of the market in general and particularly end users in mind.
This consultation will specifically address the following questions:
- The inclusion of certain call types that are currently excluded;
- The time and mode of implementing the eventual extension;
- Eventual improvements to introduce in the Specification.
Other questions and proposals related to call selection and pre-selection will be welcomed by ICP-ANACOM, in so far as they may lead to improvement in the offer to end users.
It is hoped that the replies to the questions will identify and justify aspects that are of a technical nature or market-related, or others, which recommend or condition application of the presented proposals.
Lastly, note that some attention was given to related matters occurring in other Community countries.
