The Austrian regulatory authority RTR has issued a market review consultation document, containing the proposed conclusion that there is effective competition on the wholesale market for transit services in the fixed public telephone network.

This refers to Market 9 on the Austrian list, corresponding to Market 10 of the European Commission's Recommendation on Relevant Markets Susceptible to Ex-Ante Regulation.

Wholesale transit services are defined by the Austrian RTR as being provided when two networks are not directly interconnected at the same switch and transportation of voice traffic is required in-between switches.

The RTR invites comments from interested parties on its proposals, which include the withdrawal of Telekom Austria’s existing regulatory obligations on the wholesale transit market by 31 Dec 2004.

A draft of the document abolishing Telekom Austria’s obligations can be accessed by clicking here.

The draft market analysis, including its conclusions and the background information used by the regulatory authority in order to find that there is effective competition in the wholesale transit market, can be accessed by clicking here.

Responses to this public consultation should be sent to the RTR by 20 Aug 2004.