Press Release: Telecoms: Commission calls on Slovenian telecoms regulator to review its broadband market analysis

In a letter sent on 26 October 2009 to APEK, the Slovenian telecoms regulator, the Commission reminded APEK that regulatory remedies should be imposed on appropriately defined markets. Earlier this year APEK identified a market for access to unbundled local loops, the so-called last mile, and imposed a full set of remedies including price control on the dominant operator, Telekom Slovenije. Today's complementary measure significantly deviates from APEK's previous approach of August 2009. APEK now distinguishes between residential and business customers and differentiates price regulation for unbundled optical fibre lines accordingly. The Commission said that APEK's proposal does not have convincing evidence to maintain this distinction and calls upon the Slovenian regulator to prove the distinguishing features of wholesale fibre access to different customers. APEK may need to modify its relevant market definition informing the Commission and other national telecoms regulators.