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Apologies if already mentioned, but this had passed me by. If you don't want to read the whole article, it simply says that anyone in the UK now has the right to chage telecom providers within just one day, keeping the same number. Quite a significant difference!
20 EU states fail to implement new telecoms legislation
By Lewis Dowling, Total Telecom
Tuesday 19 July 2011
Watchdog gives countries two months to explain why they missed May deadline to comply with rules covering MNP, service clarity.
20 European Union countries have yet to notify the European Commission whether they have implemented new EU-wide telecom laws covering MNP (mobile number portability), service plan clarity, and data protection.
The deadline to implement the new rules was 25 May 2011. The watchdog on Tuesday began formal infringement procedures by sending out letters requesting information to each country, warning that they must reply within two months or they may be referred to the EU's Court of Justice.
According to the European Commission, the law includes "the right for customers to switch telecoms operators in just one day without changing their phone number, the right to more clarity about the services customers are offered, and better protection of personal data online."
To comply with rules covering clarity, companies must detail minimum service quality levels, details on compensation and refund procedures, and any network limitations imposed - such as bandwidth caps or throttling access to specific services.
The legislation requires operators to afford their customers these rights, thereby providing consistent mobile contract agreements across the EU's 27 member states.
The 20 infringing countries are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.
Meanwhile Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Malta, Sweden, and the UK have already notified the European Commission that they have implemented the new rules.
20 EU states fail to implement new telecoms legislation
By Lewis Dowling, Total Telecom
Tuesday 19 July 2011
Watchdog gives countries two months to explain why they missed May deadline to comply with rules covering MNP, service clarity.
20 European Union countries have yet to notify the European Commission whether they have implemented new EU-wide telecom laws covering MNP (mobile number portability), service plan clarity, and data protection.
The deadline to implement the new rules was 25 May 2011. The watchdog on Tuesday began formal infringement procedures by sending out letters requesting information to each country, warning that they must reply within two months or they may be referred to the EU's Court of Justice.
According to the European Commission, the law includes "the right for customers to switch telecoms operators in just one day without changing their phone number, the right to more clarity about the services customers are offered, and better protection of personal data online."
To comply with rules covering clarity, companies must detail minimum service quality levels, details on compensation and refund procedures, and any network limitations imposed - such as bandwidth caps or throttling access to specific services.
The legislation requires operators to afford their customers these rights, thereby providing consistent mobile contract agreements across the EU's 27 member states.
The 20 infringing countries are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain.
Meanwhile Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Malta, Sweden, and the UK have already notified the European Commission that they have implemented the new rules.