Under the terms of the decree-law nr. 415/98 (article 10º, nr. 2), dated 31st of December, it is the Instituto das Comunicações de Portugal (ICP) competence to determine and publish the set of items that must be included in the reference interconnection offer.
Following the consultation of all the network operators and telecommunications service providers, and bearing in mind the need to immediately clarify some regulatory issues regarding the total liberalisation of the sector, ICP determines, under the terms of nr. 2 of article 10º, of the decree-law nr.º 415/98, of 31st of December, the set of items that must be included in the reference interconnection offer for the year 2000, without interfering with the competencies it holds regarding alterations to reference.
I. Geographical points of interconnection
A. Generic Description
The following information must be provided:
- Identification of the points of interconnection (POI) (geographical location, address, actual state) along with the indication of the type of switch with regards to the network hierarchy (including international switches).
- Any occurrences which may restrict the service.
B. Specific Details
The list of POI and other related information should:
- Include information regarding the numbering groups associated to each POI.
- Include information about the network for the purpose of interconnection namely the type of equipment, equipment location, switching capacity, architecture, etc.
- Explicitly mention any restrictions to the provision.
- The SMP operator must be able to guarantee that the interconnection service provided will not be interrupted. Any foreseen alteration that might cause a localised and temporary interruption of the service, must be notified. This notification must be justified with fundament and with enough warning so that it does not affect the service provided by other operators and service providers.
4.1 The operator, responsible for the temporary interruption of the interconnection service, must give guarantee of viable alternatives, namely through alternative routing through another POI.
II. Technical options of interconnection options
With regards to the rental of infrastructures and spaces (e.g. use of ducts to place interconnection circuits, collocation of equipment) should be specified, with regards to prices.
III. INTERCONNECTION CIRCUITS
A. Generic description
- Detailed descriptions of the supply of circuits rented entirely by the operator with SMP for interconnection purposes, such as prices, service quality parameters, and ordering procedures, which must not be below the prices currently practised by this operator.
- Given that the circuits used for interconnection contain several different components, added technological capacities and elements, these distinctive characteristics must be detailed and shown adequately in the supplying of these circuits.
- If the interconnection have been partially or totally supplied by another licensed operator, the following conditions must be detailed by the SMP operator:
3.1. The terms of interconnection so that inter-operability of the telecommunications services can be guaranteed (e.g. deadlines for the installation to the POI from the SMP operator and availability for end-to-end testing, etc.).
3.2. The technical conditions for the interconnection circuits in locations outside the SMP operators premises.
3.3. The technical conditions for the interconnection circuits in locations inside the SMP operators premises.
3.4. The responsibility of each operator with regards to the operation, maintenance and repairing of the circuits.
B. Specific Details
The following must be identified:
- The technical specifications of the interconnection circuit:
1.1. Physical transmission media and technical transmission interface.
1.2. Available bandwidth and minimum number of circuits.
1.3. Types of circuit available (e.g., bi-directional or uni-directional).
1.4. Technology available. - The delivery period for the implementation of the installation of a circuit, and for on-going alterations.
- The components of the prices asked for, for the supplying of circuits including:
3.1. Fixed and variable prices in the connection of the circuits.
3.2. Prices applied in accordance with the different levels of quality of the service.
3.3. Types of discount applied.
3.4. Terms of service, for the jointly provisioning of the interconnection circuits.
IV. Interconnection Traffic
A. Generic description
The following services must be provided on the fixed network (analogue or ISDN) by the SMP operator:
- Call Termination.
The SMP operator (SMPO) conveys the call, originating from other licensed entity (OLE), from a chosen POI to one of their clients.
- Call origination
The SMP operator transports the call, originating from one of their clients to a chosen POI, from which another entity will terminate the call in one of their clients.
- National Transit
A three party agreement involving operators on national territory, in which the SMP operator transports a call originating from a client of a licensed entity A and destined to a client of another licensed entity B between two POI.
- Conveyance of international traffic
Two or three party agreement in which the SMP operator transports to a chosen POI a call originating in Portugal by a client from another licensed operator who's final destination is abroad.
B. Specific details
The following points must be considered:
- The definition of the entity to whom the traffic belongs, and who is responsible for defining the prices paid by the end user and for the respective.
- The most economic and efficient form of traffic conveyance must be privileged between the operators.
- Detailed descriptions of services provided in each POI.
- Indication of interconnection traffic prices with regards to each level of interconnection (e.g. "Local", Single Transit", "Double Transit" and those proceeding from International operators, in which for the latter, must be indicated the origin and destination of traffic).
4.1. The interconnection traffic prices set in the year 2000 must be significantly reduced, in comparison with prices in 1999, taking into account the cost orientation principal and current practices used in the European Union. - Indication of the price of other types of traffic, namely those established as a consequence of structural alterations of the network or tariff structure, depending on the relevant costs identified in the network structure.
- The charge method used including the components of the calls (call; time unit; etc.)
- Hourly and daily variations in the prices (e.g. peak and off peak rate)
- The geographical reference point for access when charges for call conveyance are distance based.
TECHNICAL INTERFACE SPECIFICATIONS
A. Generic description
Description of the interfaces offered at the POI including reference to the relevant technical standards (e.g. ETSI standards and/or ITU recommendations) defining the interface:
- Electrical and physical.
- Transmission.
- Signalling.
- Reference to the network synchronisation system.
- Reference to the functions that are being offered via the interface (calling line identification, call forwarding, etc.).
B. Specific details
- The technical specifications relevant to the access interfaces must be made public, without any confidentiality mechanism.
VI. QUALITY OF SERVICE
A. Generic description
The quality of service offered to entities with which the operator with SMP interconnects should not be inferior than those offered by the SMP operator in it's own network.
B. Specific details
The minimum parameters and quality levels guaranteed for:
- Interconnection circuits and POI (e.g. availability, redundancy, fixing times, switching blocking, etc.)
- Origin network or call termination (e.g. congestion, transmission quality, availability, etc.).
- Billing.
VII. ASSISTANCE SERVICES
A. Generic description
In particular access to the following services must be guaranteed:
- Operator assistance service.
- Emergency services.
- National directory and information services and international information service.
B. Specific details
The following aspects must be specified:
- Access conditions to the information services to be established between operators.
- Pricing conditions to access assistance services including emergency services.
- A detailed list must be made available of all services available, which must be regularly updated.
VIII. ADDITIONAL SERVICES
A. Generic description
The following services must be guaranteed as a minimum:
- The calling line identification and the restriction of the identification, whenever technically feasible. The information regarding the calling line identification (including the information necessary for its restriction) should be made available to the interconnected parties, under the terms of the applicable legislation regarding the protection of personal details and privacy. Regarding the exceptional cases in which this service is not available in certain areas, the date from when it is possible must be indicated.
- Call Forwarding.
- User to user signalling.
- Access to special telephone services necessary so that the remaining operators and service providers may offer competitive services same as the SMP operator (e.g. local rate services, freephone numbers and added value numbers).
B. Specific details
The terms of the remaining operators and service providers accessing the SMP operators' special telephone services must be detailed, as well as the terms of the SMP's subscribers accessing the special telephone services of the remaining operators and service providers.
IX. CARRIER SELECTION AND PRE-SELECTION
A. Generic description
- Taking into consideration that when the pre-selection or selection functions are used, the traffic originates from the entity that provides the selected service (indirect service provider), unless otherwise agreed:
1.1 The ownership of the traffic belongs to the provider selected.
1.2 The provider selected determines the price paid by the final user.
1.3 The provider selected directly bills the end user. - The terms of supplying the billing service must be detailed (e.g., price, format, pay dates, payments) from the providers selected by the end user.
2.1 Until the introduction of, pre-selection the SMP operator is obliged to bill the end user or request by the service provider selected, in accordance with the established terms of the service. - The terms of the interconnection service provided must be detailed (origination and termination of the call), with regards to the use of the SMP operators network, for the access of the national and international switched services of the pre-selected or selected operator.
- The fixed telephone service providers who have direct access, do not have to implement the access codes for long distance calls, when the aforementioned operator conveys them.
B. Specific details
- The selection of the fixed line operator must be guaranteed in the 1st of January 2000.
- Taking into consideration the need to promote effective competition, it has been decided that the pre-selection of the fixed telephony service operator must be introduced up to the 30th of June 2000.
2.1. In case the operators or service providers intend to make pre-selection available before the 30th of June 2000, they must notify ICP with at least 60 days notice. - So that changes in pre-selected service providers can occur, the SMP operator should consider that the clients' statement presented by the selected service provider as requested.
- The interurban and international switched services will be eligible for pre-selection, while establishing that interurban calls between local networks that have more than 50km between them.
- Provision in the public phones exploited by the SMP operator, of selection, must be identified.
- The clients of the network access operators who wish to use the pre-selection service for long distance calls, will not benefit cumulatively from tariff schemes, those brought about with the intention of a universal service if applicable.
- The selected calls should be excluded from the lists of tariffs mentioned above.
X. PORTABILITY OF NON-GEOGRAPHIC NUMBERS
The technical options and price formation criteria in relation to which the operators' portability are applicable to services must be specified non-geographic issue goes.
XI. General Conditions
The following points must be specified:
- Procedures applied when there is a proposal for the alteration regarding the normal terms and conditions of interconnection.
- The altering of the terms and conditions of interconnection must be minimised. Not withstanding that when these alterations are justified, the SMP operator should, with a reasonable amount of time, formally present the alterations of the said terms and conditions.
- Procedures relevant to in-operability tests.
Description of the different procedural steps of the standard tests, carried out. These include their duration, which must be reasonable. The tests should include the verifying of the integrity of the network, and the in-operability of the functional characteristics and the services agreed in the interconnection agreement. - Procedures for proposed alterations of networks or services provided by one of the parts, which should include procedures for accessing the new or altered service.
- Procedures for the reconfiguration of the POI. Details of all the financial conditions, in cases where there is a need to work on the commutation of the SMP operator. Thus permitting the forwarding of calls from the interconnected entity. A previewed analysis of costs and deadlines necessary for this must be provided.
- Billing conditions between operators and accounting requirements e.g. file formats and control of the account register.
- Conditions of the client billing service, when the SMP operator bills through another, this should be detailed.
- Resolution processes of litigious occurrences.
- General conditions for the revision, suspension or resolution of contracts, also including liability and unforeseen situations.
- Specific details with regards to confidentiality.
