Key Benefits:
The Electronic Communications and Postal Control Authority,
Due to the postal code and the Electronic communications, and in particular Articles L. 35-2, L. 36-7 and R. 20-30-11;
In view of Decree No. 2005-75 of 31 January 2005 on the control of the tariffs of the universal service of electronic communications;
In view of the Order of 3 March 2005 designating the operator responsible for providing the component of the universal service provided for in the 3 ° (publication) of Article L. 35-1 of the postal code and electronic communications;
Given the request by France Télécom, received on 1 April 2005;
Due to additional information received April 4, April 14 And 13 May 2005;
After having deliberated on 2 June 2005;
Since the publication of Decree No. 2005-75 of 31 January 2005, it is the responsibility of the Authority to monitor the tariffs of the universal service and to ensure that they comply with the principles imposed By Article R. 20-30-11 of the Code, in particular transparency, non-discrimination and cost orientation.
The Minister responsible for electronic communications, by an order of 3 March 2005, appointed France Télécom as an operator Responsible for providing the component of the universal service provided for in the 3 ° (publish) Article L. 35-1 of the Postal Code and electronic communications.
In accordance with Article R. 20-30-11 of the Code, the complete file of the tariffs of universal service benefits not subject to a tariff framework is transmitted The Electronic Communications and Postal Regulatory Authority at least one month before the date set for their implementation. This folder includes information for evaluating rate developments and the corresponding offer elements.
I. -Purpose of the tariff decision
The purpose of this tariff decision is to change the pricing of communications from the French version of the phones to the landlines and mobiles International.
France Telecom proposes to restructure the tariff schedule for these communications through:
-a redistribution of the tariff fields;
-the removal of hourly modulation;
-the creation for each new rate zone of a single rate, which is described by an integer pulse rate time.
I-1. Redistribution of tariff areas
Pricing currently in effect is based on the following tariff zones:
Border zone
Zone A: near Europe
Zone B: Maghreb
Zone C: rest of Europe + North America
Zone D: remote Europe
Zone E: East Africa + Madagascar
Zone F: rest of the world.
The new division proposed by France Telecom provides for the following tariff areas:
Border zone
Zone A: Europe of 15
Zone B: Maghreb + Turkey
Zone C: Other countries of Europe + North America
Zone D: Francophone Africa
Zone E: English-speaking Africa + Middle East
Zone F: rest of the world
Zone G: French territories abroad I-2. The new pricing
Calls from the metro in metropolitan France have so far been priced in hours full from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Friday, and in off-peak hours of 19 hours at 8 o'clock, Monday to Friday, weekend and holidays.
France Telecom proposes to remove this modulation, and to apply momentum-sending cadences.
The old price grid was the Next (1):
You can view the table in OJ
No 149 of 28/06/2005 text number 46
The proposed new fee schedule is as follows:
You can consult the Table in OJ
No 149 of 28/06/2005 text number 46
You can view the table in OJ
No 149 of 28/06/2005 text number 46
Zone G pricing for overseas territories is not changed. France Telecom said it would be the subject of a later decision.
II. -Analysis of the
II-1 Authority. Comparing
publish prices with those of other
II-1.1 call types. For calls to fixed lines
The following table gives the average price of one minute of communication for different types of calls from France to a fixed line in local, national, to the United Kingdom, Algeria and the United States. It appears that the new rates for the phoneBook decrease the price per minute for communications to the United Kingdom and Algeria, but increase it for calls to the United States.
Price Means of the minute of communication to a fixed telephone
(in euro cents, excluding taxes) (2)
You can view the table in OJ
No 149 of 28/06/2005 text number 46
II-1.2. For calls to mobile destinations
The following table gives the average price of one minute of communication for different types of calls from France to a mobile in France (Orange France), to the United Kingdom, Algeria and the United States. For calls to mobile phones, the new rates of the public call will lower the price per minute for communications to the United Kingdom, Algeria and the United States.
Average price per minute of Communication to a
mobile phone (in euro cents, excluding taxes) (2)
You can view the table in OJ
No 149 of 28/06/2005 text number 46
II-2. Redistribution of tariff zones
The new division provided by France Telecom generally allows for a decrease in prices since each destination is either retained in its current tariff area or included in a zone Cheaper tariff. This new division thus induces a decrease in the prices of calls to destinations in particular from certain countries in Europe and Turkey.
In addition, concerning the new zone A, the Authority states that it has not identified any technical constraints or Special economic measures that would prevent the expansion of this tariff to all the countries of the Europe of the Twenty-Five, which would allow for better readability of tariffs.
II-3. International Mobile Call Terminations
In its Tariff Decision No. 2002172, France Télécom proposed to establish the retail tariffs of international communications to mobile phones from the Incorporating, in relation to the prices prevailing at the time for communications to fixed posts, an overload of EUR 0.192 per minute, taking into account the agreements concluded with a number of international destinations for the Termination of calls.
In its opinion No. 2002-1138, as of 12 December 2002, concerning this decision, the Authority expressed its favourable opinion on the establishment of such a tariff, but noted that the termination of international calls would likely be reduced in the coming years And that such decreases should be reflected in the retail tariffs of France Telecom.
France Telecom implemented this new pricing in January 2003.
Or, the Authority notes that the new rates proposed by France Telecom in this Decision do not reflect all of the Decreases that some call terminations have experienced since then. In particular, with regard to the average price of the minute of communication to a mobile in the United Kingdom from a public phone in France, France Telecom is planning to reduce it on average by about four euro cents, while the termination of calls Mobile phones in the UK have fallen by more than 10 euro cents since July 2003 (3).
II-4. Increase to certain
destinations and operating accounts
It should be noted that if the application of the new rates has the overall effect of a decrease in the price level of the international publication, some
The rate of communications to North American fixed lines, for example, is going to pass from a pulse every 13.9 seconds in peak hours and every 17.2 seconds in hours Hollow to a pulsation every 15 seconds without time modulation, which, Due to the distribution of peak hours and off-peak hours, the average price per minute of communication is increased.
Similarly, communications to the fixed lines of countries included in both Fields F of the old and new boundaries: South America, Asia, Oceania, etc., experience an increase in the average price per minute of communication as the rate to these countries passes from one pulse every 4.8 seconds in off-peak hours and 6.2 seconds in peak hours at a pulse Every 5 seconds without modulation.
The Authority also notes that if the forecast operating account provided by France Télécom highlights a negative result, this operating account does not include repayments that France Telecom sees the universal service for publishing. However, taking account of these payments would have the effect of making this operating account positive.
However, this change in the tariff schedule has the overall effect of a decrease in the order of 10 % of France Télécom's tariffs on the International publication. While this may seem insufficient in some respects, and if it is regrettable that some destinations are experiencing an increase in tariffs, the new grid proposed by France Telecom makes the tariffs generally more affordable and is by Therefore beneficial to consumers. In addition, the changes made by France Télécom, both in terms of the tariff zones and the pulse rates, make the rates more readable for users.
III. -Conclusion
In view of the elements presented by France Telecom and taking into account the analysis presented, the Authority considers that the introduction of the new tariffs proposed by France Télécom is generally beneficial to the Consumers, even if France Telecom has not fully reflected on its tariffs the drop in European mobile phone calls and whether the new grid induces increases for some destinations.
As a result, the Authority does not Does not oppose the implementation of the tariffs proposed by France Télécom and issues
This notice will be sent for information to France Telecom and published in the Official Journal of the French Republic.
Done at Paris, June 2, 2005.
The President,
P. Champsaur
