With its decision No192 of 10^-th March 2009 the Communications Regulation Commission opened a public consultation procedure on draft Rules for the order for issuance of authorizations for use of individually assigned scarce resource – radio frequency spectrum for operation of electronic communications through electronic communications markets for terrestrial analogue broadcasting of television signals.

The Communications Regulation Commission opens a public consultation procedure on issues relevant to the switchover from analogue to digital terrestrial television broadcasting.

With decision No138 dated 12 February 2009 (available only in Bulgarian) the CRC poses for discussions issues regarding the choice of the standard for coding of the digital television signal, the method of signal reception in the construction of the network, the choice of the minimum speed of the signal transport flow, etc.

The posed for discussion issues and the CRC position on them are published in “Public consultation” section (available only in Bulgarian).

The Communications Regulation Commission (CRC) adopted a Draft for amendment of the Functional specifications for implementation of portability of national significant numbers in the event of change of the provider of public mobile telephony service (adopted with CRC Decision No 1477 dated 20.12.2007, promulgated in the State Gazette, issue 8 dated 25.01.2008).

The purpose of the amendments is the specifications to be equalized terminologically and stylistically with the Functional specifications for implementing portability in fixed networks.

The Draft stipulates that the CRC will define the way of informing a customer when a call to a ported number is being made, in accordance with the undertakings. The remedies for preventing of misuses on the part of the providers when filing the certificates for the portability are strengthened as the donor operator has no right to contact the customer with the purpose to offer better conditions.

Obligations are introduced for the subscribers to pay penalties when periodic agreements and a leasing are terminated before the issuance of a number portability certificate. The grounds for refusal and the time limit for introduction of a common data base of the mobile and fixed undertakings are standardized.

The CRC considers the offered amendments will create better conditions for implementation of the portability in the mobile networks and will guarantee to full extent the customers’ choice of mobile telecommunication services.

The Draft for amendments was submitted to the interested parties for a public consultation until 28 of February 2009. The Opinions and suggestions are expected to the following address: 6 Gurko Str. Sofia 1000, Communications Regulation Commission.

EC approved the first 3 market analyses, notified by the Communications Regulation Commission at the end of the last month.

The Commission coordinated the respective drafts of market analyses: call origination on the public telephone network provided at a fixed location; call termination on individual public telephone networks provided at a fixed location and (voice) call termination on individual mobile networks.

The market analysis for call origination on the public telephone network is approved without any note and comment.

In regard with the other two markets the EC addresses the following recommendations: more rapid approach of traffic termination rates in mobile and fixed networks to the average ones in the EU; application of symmetrical traffic termination rates from fixed to mobile network and from mobile to mobile network, as well as from fixed to fixed and from mobile to fixed network immediately after enforcement of the market analyses instead of the proposed date of July 1, 2009.

The CRC is going to discuss and reflect the recommendations that have been made and then it will adopt final decisions on the market analyses and impose the relevant remedies.

These are the first notified analyses with which in practice the Bulgarian Regulator will apply the new instruments for intervention on the market and for providing effective competition, that are valid within the EU.

For less than a year, the CRC analyzed 6 retail markets and 5 wholesale markets. The remaining markets are in a public consultation procedure and finalization of the drafts for notification before the EC.