Cyprus

[CY] Act Regulating Telecommunications and Postal Services of 2002

IRIS 2002-3:1/34

Christophoros Christophorou

Council of Europe expert in Media and Elections

The Act regulating telecommunications and postal services No. 19(I)/2002 aims at the harmonisation of the legislation of Cyprus with Regulation 2887/2000 of the European Parliament and EC directives adopted from 1988 to 1999. It makes it possible for private companies to offer telecommunications and postal services.

The law provides for the creation of an office and the appointment of a Commissioner entrusted with the powers to regulate issues related to Telecommunications and Postal Services. It further makes provision for a variety of aspects relating to these services, namely,

- Requirements and procedures for the granting of licences for the establishment or provision of telecommunication networks or services;

- Licensees’ rights and obligations, in particular the terms and conditions, as well as the criteria on which the Commissioner decides whether to allow or disallow agreements between providers who wish to offer common services or to give other providers access to their services;

- The universality of telecommunications services, coverage of the territory of the Republic and provision of services to all users at reasonable prices;

- Obligation of providers for concluding a contract of service with their clients setting the terms and conditions of the services offered;

- Technical standards and the specifications of terminal and network equipment in order to guarantee universality and quality of the services;

- Ensuring network and service security, personal data protection and respect for confidentiality.

The act sets the general rules and conditions governing networks, relations between them and the users as well as technical issues. Ιt makes no specific reference to the Internet or to radio and television services offered through telecommunications networks. Both sectors remain to date unregulated, while the public service Radio and Telecommunications Authority and commercial companies already offer non-analogue radio and television through various platforms.