Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BTC RAIO Charges to be Based on International Benchmarks
The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) has decided that Bahamas
Telecommunication Company (BTC) Reference Access and Interconnection Offer (RAIO) charges
for 2012‐2013, for fixed and mobile call termination services, shall be set using a benchmarking
approach. The decision is outlined in URCA’s final decision on its public consultation regarding
the setting of Regulated Interconnection Charges of The Bahamas Telecommunications
Company Limited (BTC) Going Forward issued on December 21, 2012.
The publication, which also included a Statement of Results, detailing public responses to the
consultative document, concludes the consultation launched this past July 27, 2012. This
decision follows the February 2012 public release of URCA’s study of BTC’s cost efficiency and
the ensuing final July 2012 decision.
While URCA advises that the benchmarking approach for setting interconnection charges is a
standard adopted by several countries in the region, the regulator also underscores that this
decision however is an interim measure. Given the current state of a general absence of robust
costing data, “URCA considers it important that BTC does not benefit from a delay in the
transition to RAIO charges based on an efficient cost level”.
URCA further expects the measure to “incentivise BTC to improve its Accounting Separation
(A/S) system in a timely manner to allow transition to an alternative approach for setting RAIO
charges”. While URCA indicates that resulting RAIO charges using a benchmarking approach
might not be fully reflective of the operating environment and thus the cost structure of BTC,
the method however is expected to remove uncertainty arising from fluctuations in the A/S unit
costs for RAIO charges.
Using a benchmarking sample including 12 regional countries1 and 6 other comparable small
countries2, URCA considers it reasonable to align BTC’s 2012‐2013 per‐minute RAIO charges
with the overall respective averages of this benchmarking sample as follows:
On‐island fixed call termination services at 0.93 BSD cents
1
Barbados, the Cayman Islands, Dominica, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Martinique, St. Kitts, St.
Lucia, St. Vincent and Trinidad & Tobago
2
Bahrain, Cyprus, Guernsey, Jersey, Lithuania and Luxembourg
1
Off‐island fixed call termination at 1.40 BSD cents
Mobile incoming call termination services at 6.05 BSD cents [Notably, there is no
termination rate for domestic mobile calls due to BTC’s Receiving Party Pays regime. The rate
therefore is only applicable to overseas calls terminating on BTC’s mobile network.]
Once URCA is satisfied that BTC’s A/S results are sufficiently robust to serve as a base for the
setting of RAIO charges, the approach for setting call termination rates will be revisited. The
ensuing steps then in this exercise include:
Requirement of BTC to reflect these revised charges in its RAIO tariff Schedule no later
than 14 January 2013.
Review of the current approach as soon as BTC’s A/S results (based on 2012 data)
becomes available.
Complete documentation of the Statement of Results and Final Decision [URCA document
Reference ECS 25/2012] is available on URCA’s website www.urcabahamas.bs. In addition to
BTC, respondents to the consultative document included Cable Bahamas Limited (CBL) including
its subsidiaries Caribbean Crossings Ltd and Systems Resource Group Limited and also IP
Solutions International (iPSi).
##
December 21, 2012
Media contact:
A. Gabriella Fraser
Corporate and Consumer Relations Manager
Utilities Regulation & Competition Authority
P. O. Box N 4860
Nassau, The Bahamas
Email: agfraser@urcabahamas.bs
Telephone: (242) 396 5201
Facsimile: (242) 393 0153
www.urcabahamas.bs
2