RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE S/NGBT/W/12/Add.31/Rev.1
29April 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-1646)
Original: French Negotiating Group onBasic Telecommunications
COMMUNICATION FROM CÔTED'IVOIRE
Final Offer onBasic Telecommunications
Revision
Theattached communication iscirculated attherequest ofCôte d'Ivoire tomembers ofthe
Negotiating Group onBasic Telecommunications.
_______________
Theaccompanying revised offer isCôte d'Ivoire 'sfinal offer. Itdiffers from theinitial offer
inhaving annexed toitareference paper onregulations which Côte d'Ivoire agrees toinclude inits
commitments.
Côte d'Ivoire reserves theright tomodify, extend orreduce thisoffer atanytime before the
conclusion ofthenegotiations onbasic telecommunications depending, inparticular, on:thenumber
ofoffers submitted byother parties, theextent towhich those offers areequivalent andmutually
acceptable, andthescope andscale oftheexemptions toMFN treatment obligations requested byother
parties.COTE D'IVOIRE -FINAL OFFERS/NGBT/W/12/Add.31/Rev.1
Page 2
Modes ofsupply: (1) Cross-border supply (2) Consumption abroad (3) Commercial presence (4) Presence ofnatural persons
Sector orsubsector Limitations onmarket access Limitations onnational treatment Additional commitments
2.COMMUNICATION
SERVICES
C. Telecommunications services
Local/long-distance/
international basic services
supplied inpublic
telecommunications transport
networks using anynetwork
technology (forexample, wire-
based, radio-based, television
cables), facilities andresale, in
each ofthefollowing market
segments:
(a) Telephone services
(b) Packet-switched data
transmission services,
including frame repetition
services
(c) Circuit-switched data
transmission services
(d) Telex services
(e) Telegraph services(1) None
(2) None
(3) 10-year monopoly fortelephone
services (a)between fixed points and
telex (d).
Subject tofrequency availability.
Free competition forother services.
(4) None(1) None
(2) None
(3) None
(4) NoneRegulatory disciplines to
promote competition (see
Annex I).Modes ofsupply: (1) Cross-border supply (2) Consumption abroad (3) Commercial presence (4) Presence ofnatural persons
Sector orsubsector Limitations onmarket access Limitations onnational treatment Additional commitments
(f) Facsimile services
(g) Private leased circuit services
(o) Other
- Domestic/international satellite
services andsatellite
links/capacity
- Satellite ground stations
- International switching and
other international gateway
facilities
- Mobile services
- Analogue/digital cellular
services
- PCS services (personal
communication services)
- Paging services
- Mobile data services
- Video transmission servicesS/NGBT/W/12/Add.31/Rev.1
Page 3S/NGBT/W/12/Add.31/Rev.1
Page 4
Negotiating Group onBasic Telecommunications 24April 1996
REFERENCE PAPER
Scope
The following aredefinitions andprinciples ontheregulatory framework forthebasic
telecommunications services.
Definitions
Users mean service consumers andservice suppliers.
Essential facilities mean facilities ofapublic telecommunications transport network orservice
that:
(a) areexclusively orpredominantly provided byasingle orlimited number ofsuppliers;
and
(b) cannot feasibly beeconomically ortechnically substituted inorder toprovide aservice.
Amajor supplier isasupplier which hastheability tomaterially affect theterms ofparticipation
(having regard toprice andsupply) intherelevant market forbasic telecommunications services as
aresult of:
(a) control over essential facilities; or
(b) useofitsposition inthemarket.
1. Competitive safeguards
1.1 Prevention ofanti-competitive practices intelecommunications
Appropriate measures shall bemaintained forthepurpose ofpreventing suppliers who, alone
ortogether, areamajor supplier from engaging inorcontinuing anti-competitive practices.
1.2 Safeguards
Theanti-competitive practices referred toabove shall include inparticular:
(a) engaging inanti-competitive cross-subsidization;
(b) using information obtained from competitors with anti-competitive results; and
(c) notmaking available toother services suppliers onatimely basis technical information
about essential facilities andcommercially relevant information which arenecessary
forthem toprovide services.S/NGBT/W/12/Add.31/Rev.1
Page 5
2. Interconnection
2.1 This section applies tolinking with suppliers providing public telecommunications transport
networks orservices inorder toallow theusers ofonesupplier tocommunicate with users ofanother
supplierandtoaccessservicesprovidedbyanothersupplier,wherespecificcommitmentsareundertaken.
2.2 Interconnection tobeensured
Interconnection with amajor supplier willbeensured atanytechnically feasible point inthe
network. Such interconnection isprovided.
(a) under non-discriminatory terms, conditions (including technical standards and
specifications) andrates andofaquality nolessfavourable than thatprovided forits
own likeservices orforlikeservices ofnon-affiliated service suppliers orforits
subsidiaries orother affiliates;
(b) inatimely fashion, onterms, conditions (including technical standards and
specifications) andcost-oriented rates thataretransparent, reasonable, having regard
toeconomic feasibility, andsufficiently unbundled sothatthesupplier need notpay
fornetwork components orfacilities thatitdoes notrequire fortheservice tobe
provided; and
(c) upon request, atpoints inaddition tothenetwork termination points offered tothe
majority ofusers, subject tocharges thatreflect thecostofconstruction ofnecessary
additional facilities.
2.3 Public availability oftheprocedures forinterconnection negotiations
Theproceduresapplicableforinterconnectiontoamajorsupplierwillbemadepubliclyavailable.
2.4 Transparency ofinterconnection arrangements
Itisensured thatamajor supplier will make publicly available either itsinterconnection
agreements orareference interconnection offer.
2.5 Interconnection: dispute settlement
Aservice supplier requesting interconnection with amajor supplier willhave recourse, either:
(a) atanytime or
(b) after areasonable period oftime which hasbeen made publicly known
toanindependent domestic body, which maybearegulatory body asreferred toinparagraph 5below,
toresolve disputes regarding appropriate terms, conditions andrates forinterconnection within a
reasonable period oftime, totheextent thatthese have notbeen established previously.
3. Universal service
AnyMemberhastherighttodefinethekindofuniversalserviceobligationitwishestomaintain.
Such obligations willnotberegarded asanti-competitive perse,provided they areadministered inS/NGBT/W/12/Add.31/Rev.1
Page 6
atransparent, non-discriminatory andcompetitively neutral manner andarenotmore burdensome than
necessary forthekind ofuniversal service defined bytheMember.
4. Public availability oflicensing criteria
Where alicence isrequired, thefollowing willbemade publicly available:
(a) allthelicensing criteria andtheperiod oftime normally required toreach adecision
concerning anapplication foralicence; and
(b) theterms andconditions ofindividual licences.
Thereasons forthedenial ofalicence willbemade known totheapplicant upon request.
5. Independent regulators
The regulatory body isseparate from, and notaccountable to,any supplier ofbasic
telecommunications services. Thedecisions ofandtheprocedures used byregulators shall beimpartial
with respect toallmarket participants.
6. Allocation anduseofscarce resources
Anyprocedures fortheallocation anduseofscarce resources, including frequencies, numbers
andrightsofway,willbecarriedoutinanobjective,timely,transparentandnon-discriminatorymanner.
Thecurrent state ofallocated frequency bands willbemade publicly available, butdetailed identification
offrequencies allocated forspecific government uses isnotrequired.