COMMENTS SOUGHT ON EXEMPTING SINGTEL FROM DOMINANT

UNCLAS SINGAPORE 001389 SIPDIS STATE PASS USTR FOR JMCHALE COMMERCE FOR JBAKER SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECPS ETRD EINV ECON SN SUBJECT: COMMENTS SOUGHT ON EXEMPTING SINGTEL FROM DOMINANT STATUS FOR RETAIL INTERNATIONAL TELEPHONE SERVICES ¶1. The Info-Communications Development Authority (IDA) is seeking public comments on SingTel's request for exemption from its current dominant licensee obligations for retail international telephone services (ITS). These obligations, as detailed in sections 4 and 8 of the Competition Code, include the provision of unbundled telecommunication services; the re-sale of end-user telecommunication services; and prohibitions on cross subsidies, predatory pricing, and other anti-competitive practices (SingTel has argued in its submission that such prohibitions are no longer necessary since the retail ITS market is "fully competitive.") ¶2. Government-linked SingTel currently offers 17 types of retail ITS. In its application for exemption, SingTel asserts that its retail ITS market share has fallen to less than 40 percent, i.e., below what it believes is the threshold benchmark for "significant market power." Singapore's retail ITS market currently consists of 103 International Simple Resale (ISR) licensees, 42 callback operators, 182 Internet licensees, 19 international calling card carriers, 15 IP telephony carriers, and three international gateways operators. SingTel has been exempted from dominant licensee status for wholesale ITS since ¶2003. ¶3. The closing date for submission of comments is May 19, 2006. The consultation paper and accompanying documents are available at: http://www.ida.gov.sg/idaweb/pnr/infopage.jsp ?infopagecategory=co nsultpapers:pnr&versionid=1&infopageid=I3812 Comments should be addressed to Mr. Andrew Haire, Assistant Director-General (Telecoms),and may be submitted via one of the following channels: Email: Karen_Wong@ida.gov.sg Fax: (65) 6211-2116 Mail: Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore 8 Temasek Boulevard #14-00 Suntec Tower Three Singapore 038988 HERBOLD