The 19th ANATEL/ANACOM bilateral meeting ended today in Lisbon. During the two days of talks, the two regulators exchanged knowledge and experience in order to identify possible ways forward and solutions to problems that face the regulators in both countries.
At the meeting, the main regulatory measures adopted in 2018 by both regulators were set out and experiences were exchanged regarding consumer protection issues, including complaints handling by both the regulator and the operators, data protection, telemarketing and unwanted solicitation of business, as well as transparency in the offer and cancellation of contracts.
Also, in the context of the consumer, topics such as 5G and its emerging business models were also addressed, as well as the resulting challenges for the regulator, which will have to anticipate them in order to ensure the protection of consumers’ rights.
Net neutrality and the importance of ensuring that there is no differentiation in the treatment of existing content on the network was another of the topics dealt with on 11 September, as well as security and cyber-security, namely in terms of the regulatory framework, regulations, etc.
On the 12th, the second and final day of the bilateral meeting, work began on infrastructure issues, such as the importance of sharing it them for faster network expansion, given that sharing is usually associated with a reduction in investment. The remuneration of infrastructure use and the rules regarding telecommunications infrastructure in buildings (ITED) and in housing developments, urban settlements and concentrations of buildings (ITUR) were other topics discussed. These included, in particular, the necessary measures to supervise the provision of telecommunications services and to prevent and correct practices that do not comply with the regulatory framework.
Finally, the actions to be pursued following this bilateral meeting were established, with the identification of themes and the creation of joint work teams. The ARCTEL and the next bilateral meeting to be held between the two regulators were other topics discussed at the end of the meeting.
Representatives of ANACOM and the Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (ANATEL) at the meeting.
ANACOM-ANATEL bilateral meeting.
