Minister on approaching telecoms market liberalization

Above all the Ministry intends to boost the market competitiveness of fixed-line connections. "There is no increment in the number of telephone lines, while connection costs are high in relation to the purchasing power of the public," said Deputy Telecommunication Minister Anna Streżyńska. TP controls over 90% of subscription lines in Poland. "We hope to see the decrease in prices similar to that witnessed after opening of the market of long distance calls. End users will save as much as zł.1.5 billion over three years," explained Streżyńska. The Transport Ministry is planning to introduce so-called wholesale line rental, thanks to which alternative operators will be able to purchase a package of subscriptions at discounts as high as 50%. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B5) M.M.