Telecom sector does not like the sound of changes to the Telecom Law

The amendment to the Telecommunication Law drafted by the Infrastructure Ministry is raising a lot of doubts among operators. Some changes are being severely criticized, not only by alternative and mobile operators, but also by representatives of TPSA. The amendment is aimed at bringing Polish law into line with current EU regulations. However the draft appears to ignore changes in EU regulations which come into force from July 2003, which means the government will soon have to introduce further changes. One controversial issue include a proposal to impose on mobile operators an obligation to keep a record of clients who use pre-paid services. There are around 6 million such subscribers and the new law would mean that those who refuse to provide their mobile operators with the necessary data within six months will be cut off from the network. "I cannot imagine how we are supposed to force our clients to come to our outlets and register," said the Polkomtel's (Plus GSM mobile operator) spokesman Ryszard Woronowicz. The initiative for the amendment came from the Interior Ministry who argue that pre-paid phones are being used by criminals to help guarantee their anonymity in their illegal activities. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B1) A.Z.