RD197 - ETNO Reflection Document on the Commission's Consultation Document on VoIP
For ETNO it is essential that the regulatory treatment of the various VoIP services reflects in a harmonised way across the EU the characteristics of each specific service, so that innovation and service development are pro-moted but also so that no regulatory arbitrage vis-Ã -vis regulated PATS (publicly available telephone services) is possible e.g. regarding intercon-nection, number allocation and service obligations.
For ETNO it is essential that the regulatory treatment of the various VoIP services reflects in a harmonised way across the EU the characteristics of each specific service, so that innovation and service development are pro-moted but also so that no regulatory arbitrage vis-Ã -vis regulated PATS (publicly available telephone services) is possible e.g. regarding intercon-nection, number allocation and service obligations.
ETNO is in principle favourable to the idea of a declaration for PATS VoIP services so that the users of these services know they benefit from access to emergency ser-vices, number portability etc. It is recommended that the Commission's conclusions also consider the impact of VoIP on the market definitions and on the future of the obligations under the Universal Service Directive (see 2.1).