Telecoms: Italy » rates

Fastweb Joy, a converged data-only offers

Cazzani — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:59:23 +0000

Fastweb recently started promoting its first data-only converged fixed-mobile service, dubbed Joy.

Joy is a fully integrated solution that includes a 20/1 Mbps ADSL line (or 10/10 Mpbs for the lucky ones with a FTTH connection) at home and an USB modem with 10 hours/month of UMTS mobile traffic included at €30 per month.

With this service Fastweb targets young people and those who do not need a traditional PSTN fixed voice line.

Joy is a fully integrated solution that includes a 20/1 Mbps ADSL line (or 10/10 Mpbs for the few lucky ones with a FTTH connection) at home and a free USB modem with 10 hours/month of UMTS mobile traffic included at €30 per month.

With this service Fastweb targets young people and those who do not need a traditional PSTN fixed voice line.

Mobile termination rate’s glide-path

Cazzani — Thu, 22 May 2008 08:02:57 +0000

The National Regulatory Authority (AGCOM) published the planned “glide-path” for mobile termination rates.

Here are the new maximum termination rates to be applied in the next few years, expressed in €cent per minute.

	From July 2008 (Sep for H3G)	From July 2009	From July 2010	From July 2011
Telecom Italia	8.85	7.7	6.6	5.9
Vodafone	8.85	7.7	6.6	5.9
Wind	9.51	8.7	7.2	5.9
H3G	13.00	11.0	9.0	7.0

Asymmetric termination rate for three more years

Cazzani — Fri, 16 May 2008 13:00:31 +0000

The national regulatory authority (AGCOM) reiterated its previous decision concerning asymmetric termination rates for fixed lines operators, aimed to help infrastructure-based OLOs to recoup their investments.

Major OLOs will be allowed to charge an higher (although decreasing) interconnection rate than incumbent Telecom Italia.
From July 2010, all operators will be treated equal, with a maximum interconnection rate of 0.57 €cent per minute
Below is maximum interconnection rates for OLOs allowed in the next three years expressed in € cent per minute.

From	Fastweb	Wind	BT Italia	Tiscali	Tele2	Eutelia	Other OLOs
July 2007	2.01	1.90	1.78	1.76	1.45	1.25	1,25
July 2008	1.53	1.44	1.38	1.36	1.15	1.02	1.02
July 2009	1.05	1,01	0.97	0.97	0.86	0.80	0.80
July 2010	0.57	0.57	0.57	0.57	0.57	0.57	0.57

Wind cuts recharge fee for mobile

Cazzani — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 03:34:26 +0000

Wind decided to abolish any extra fee to its pre-paid customer paying for a recharge. If they pay €50, they will get a €50 value (rather than only €45 as before).

In response to a popular petition launched by Andrea D’Ambra, Italian mobile operators are under investigation by the European Commission for their consolidated habits of charging a flat fee of €5 for each ‘recharge’ operation.
Wind recently broke the ranks and cut the recharge fee for its popular €50 recharge (while keeping it for its smaller €25 recharge, that has a real value of only €20)
Surprisingly, most Italian consumers (over 90% of them are on pre-paid contracts) had so far silently tolerated this ‘recharge fee’ applied by all mobile operators since the pre-paid model became popular in the ‘90s.
The National Regulatory Authority opened an investigation on the recharge fee a few months ago (were they so busy regulating something else during the last ten years?) but so far no decision had been taken.
Wind is probably feeling that is better to offer some cuts to this fee rather than having it banned sooner or later by the NRA of the European Commission.

Asymmetrical interconnection rate

Cazzani — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 13:14:44 +0000

Italian OLOs has the right charge Telecom Italia a much higher interconnection rate than in the reverse direction. This is the controversial decision taken by the National Regulatory Authority (AGCOM) to foster infrastructure-based competition in the fixed line Italian market.

AGCOM is allowing OLOs to charge a termination rate of up to 1,54 € cent/min, while Telecom Italia is only charging from 0,32 € cent/min to 1,36 € cent/min (depending of time of day and interconnection level). The NRA said this asymmetrical rules will last for five years with a ‘gliding path’ in order to reach a symmetrical level by 2011 of 0,55 € cent/min.