New regulations may force mobile phone operators to open their networks

It seems that it is only a matter of time before the Telecommunication and Postal Regulations Office (URTiP) declares that all mobile telecom operators are significant, which would mean that they would have to open up their existing networks to new market players. Any company with permission to provide mobile telecom services would be able to access the networks according to market rates. This would greatly please the National Telecommunication Group (KGT), which does not have its own mobile phone network, and Telekomunikacja Polska (TPSA), as this would lower fixed-line to mobile connection charges. "All the signs are that the industry regulator will take this decision," said URTiP spokesman Jacek Strzalkowski. "At present TPSA pays very high fees for connections charges between its network and mobile telecom networks, due to a considerably low number of connections. At present it is too expensive to call from a fixed-line telephone to a mobile phone," said SG Securities analyst Magdalena Lapsa. Mobile operators seemed to have resigned to the fact that the decision will not be favorable for them. They are also unsure what the consequences of this will be. (Puls Biznesu, pp. 1, 4) M.M.