Termination rates are the rates telecommunications operators charge each other to deliver voice calls between their networks. The wholesale cost of delivering voice calls is part of the overall cost of providing phone call services to consumers.
The European Electronic Communications Code requires the Commission to adopt a delegated act setting a single maximum Union-wide mobile voice termination rate and a single maximum Union-wide fixed voice termination rate by 31 December 2020.
Objectives
The open consultation on the scope of the Delegated Act ran for 12 weeks, from 26 July to 8 November 2019, via a questionnaire available on the European Commission’s public consultation portal. The goal of the consultation was to collect feedback and views on the implementation aspects of maximum Union-wide voice termination rates, in order to ensure a consistent, predictable, efficient and transparent implementation. It also included further implementation questions, such as the need for a transitional period in the different Member States or how to best achieve cost-efficient maximum Union-wide voice termination rates over time.
The consultation was mainly addressed to stakeholders with significant experience in the market, such as national regulatory authorities (NRAs), the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC), industry and consumer associations as well as operators. The Commission has taken this feedback into account and will submit the draft Delegated Act to BEREC for opinion and will publish it on the Commission’s ‘Have Your Say’ website for feedback.