RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE S/NGBT/W/12/Add.33
26April 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-1654)
Original: English Negotiating Group onBasic Telecommunications
COMMUNICATION FROM ICELAND
Draft Offer onBasic Telecommunications
Thefollowing communication iscirculated attherequest ofIceland toMembers ofthe
Negotiating Group onBasic Telecommunications.
_______________
Iceland reserves therighttomodify, reduce orextend thisconditional offeratanytimeprior
totheconclusion ofthenegotiations onbasic telecommunications, depending ontheprogress ofwork
intheNGBT, thelevelofcommitments ofnegotiating partners anddevelopments inIceland.
Forthetimebeing, theprovision ofservices forwhich competition isallowed mustbebased
onleased circuits from PostandTelecom Iceland, which willcontinue tohaveamonopoly onthe
telecommunications infrastructure inIceland untilsuchtimethatnewlegislation willhavebeenpassed
bytheIcelandic Parliament. Voice telephony willnotbesubject tocompetition until1January 1998,
when thebasic telecommunications sector istobederegulated inaccordance withtheliberalization
process underway intheEuropean Union.
Iceland isprepared tomake additional commitments onthebasis ofthefinalversion ofthe
reference paper onregulatory principles.S/NGBT/W/12/Add.33
Page2ICELAND -DRAFT OFFER
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.C TELECOMMUNICATION
SERVICES
Services opened forcompetition
in1998:
a. Voice telephony
d. Telex services
e. Telegraph services
o. Other
- Mobile andpersonal
communications
services andsystems(1) None asof1January 1998
(2) None
(3) None asof1January 1998, theprovision
ofallservices issubject totheavailability
ofscarce resources, e.g.frequency
(4) Unbound except asindicated inhorizontal
commitments (asof1January 1998)(1) None
(2) None
(3) None
(4) Unbound except asindicated in
horizontal commitments
Services opened forcompetition:
b. Packet-switched data
transmission services
c. Circuit-switched data
transmission services
f. Facsimile services
g. Leased circuit services(1) None
(2) None
(3) None except for:
- Theprovision ofallservices is
subject totheavailability ofscarce
resources, e.g.frequency(1) None
(2) None
(3) None
- Forswitched voice capacity, resale of
excess leased circuit capacity isnot
allowed when there isconnection at
bothends tothepublic network. No
restrictions after 1January 1998.S/NGBT/W/12/Add.33
Page3Modes 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
o.Other
- Data services
- Mobile digital cellular
telephony (GSM)
- Paging
- Satellite
communication and
network services
(including earth
stations)- ForMobile digital cellular telephony
(GSM), thenumber ofoperators/
providers ispresently limited toone.
Norestrictions after 1January 1998.
- Forsatellite communications,
provision ofpublic voice telephony is
notallowed until after 1January
1998.
(4) Unbound except asindicated inhorizontal
commitments(4) Unbound except asindicated in
horizontal commitments.