Article 12.3. Approaches to Regulation
1. The Parties recognise the value of competitive markets to deliver a wide range of choices in the supply of telecommunications services and to enhance consumer welfare, and that economic regulation may not be needed if there is effective competition or if a service is new to a market. Accordingly, the Parties recognise that regulatory needs and approaches differ market by market, and that each Party may determine how to implement its obligations under this Chapter.
2. In this respect, the Parties recognise that a Party may:
(a) engage in direct regulation either in anticipation of an issue that the Party expects may arise or to resolve an issue that has already arisen in the market;
(b) rely on the role of market forces, particularly with respect to market segments that are, or are likely to be, competitive or that have low barriers to entry, such as services provided by telecommunications suppliers that do not own network facilities; or
(c) use any other appropriate means that benefit the long-term interest of end-users.
Article 12.4. Access to and Use of Public Telecommunications Services (1)
1. Each Party shall ensure that any enterprise of the other Party has access to and use of any public telecommunications service, including leased circuits, offered in its territory or across its borders, on reasonable and non-discriminatory terms and conditions. This obligation shall be applied, inter alia, to paragraphs 2 through 6.
2. Each Party shall ensure that any enterprise of the other Party is permitted to:
(a) purchase or lease, and attach terminal or other equipment that interfaces with public telecommunications networks;
(b) provide services to individual or multiple end-users over leased or owned circuits;
(c) connect leased or owned circuits with public telecommunications networks and services or with circuits leased or owned by another enterprise;
(d) perform switching, signalling, processing and conversion functions, and (e) use operating protocols of their choice.
3. Each Party shall ensure that any enterprise of the other Party may use public telecommunications services for the movement of information in its territory or across its borders including for intra-corporate communications, and for access to information contained in databases or otherwise stored in machine-readable form in the territory of a Party.
4. Notwithstanding paragraph 3, a Party may take measures that are necessary to ensure the security and confidentiality of messages, and to protect the privacy of personal data of end-users of public telecommunications networks or services, provided that those measures are not applied in a manner that would constitute a means of arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination, or a disguised restriction on trade in services.
5. Each Party shall ensure that no condition is imposed on access to and use of public telecommunications networks and services, other than as necessary to:
(a) safeguard the public service responsibilities of suppliers of public telecommunications networks and services, in particular, their ability to make their networks or services generally available to the public, or
(b) protect the technical integrity of public telecommunications networks or services.
6. Provided that they satisfy the criteria set out in paragraph 5, conditions for access to and use of public telecommunications networks and services may include:
(a) a requirement to use a specified technical interface, including an interface protocol, for connection with those networks and services;
(b) a requirement, when necessary, for the interoperability of those networks and services;
(c) type approval of terminal or other equipment that interfaces with the network and technical requirements relating to the attachment of that equipment to those networks; or
(d) a licensing, or notification procedure which, if adopted or maintained, is transparent and provides for the processing of applications filed thereunder in accordance with a Party's laws or regulations.
Article 12.5. Interconnection
1. Each Party shall ensure that suppliers of public telecommunications services in its territory provide, directly or indirectly within the same territory, interconnection with the suppliers of public telecommunications services of the other Party.
2. Each Party shall provide its telecommunications regulatory body with the authority to require interconnection at cost-oriented rates.
3. In carrying out paragraph 1, each Party shall ensure that suppliers of public telecommunications services in its territory take reasonable steps to protect the confidentiality of commercially sensitive information of, or relating to, suppliers and end-users of public telecommunications services, obtained as a result of interconnection arrangements, and that those suppliers only use that information for the purposes of providing these services.
Article 12.6. Number Portability
Each Party shall ensure that suppliers of public telecommunications services in its territory provide number portability (2), without impairment to quality and reliability, in a timely manner, and on reasonable and non-discriminatory terms and conditions.
Article 12.7. Access to Telephone Numbers
Each Party shall ensure that suppliers of public telecommunications services of the other Party established in its territory are afforded access to telephone numbers on a non-discriminatory basis.
Article 12.8. Competitive Safeguards
1. Each Party shall maintain appropriate measures for the purpose of preventing suppliers of public telecommunications services that, alone or together, are major suppliers in its territory from engaging in or continuing anti-competitive practices.
2. The anti-competitive practices referred to in paragraph 1 include in particular:
(a) engaging in anti-competitive cross-subsidisation;
(b) using information obtained from competitors with anti-competitive results; and
(c) not making available, on a timely basis, to suppliers of public telecommunications services, technical information about essential facilities and commercially relevant information that are necessary for them to provide services.
Article 12.9. Interconnection with Major Suppliers
General Terms and Conditions
1. Each Party shall ensure that a major supplier in its territory provides interconnection for the facilities and equipment of suppliers of public telecommunications services of the other Party:
(a) at any technically feasible point in the major supplier's network;
(b) under non-discriminatory terms, conditions (including technical standards and specifications) and rates;
(c) of aquality no less favourable than that provided by the major supplier for its own like services, for like services of non-affiliated service suppliers, or for like services of its subsidiaries or other affiliates;
(d) in a timely manner, on terms, conditions (including technical standards and specifications) and at cost-oriented rates that are transparent, reasonable, having regard to economic feasibility, and sufficiently unbundled so that the suppliers do not need to pay for network components or facilities that they do not require for the service to be provided; and
(e) on request, at points in addition to the network termination points offered to the majority of users, subject to charges that reflect the cost of construction of necessary additional facilities.
Options for Interconnecting with Major Suppliers
2. Each Party shall ensure that a major supplier in its territory provides suppliers of public telecommunications services of the other Party with the opportunity to interconnect their facilities and equipment with those of the major supplier in its territory, through at least one of the following options:
(a) a reference interconnection offer or another standard interconnection offer containing the rates, terms and conditions that the major supplier offers generally to suppliers of public telecommunications services;
(b) the terms and conditions of an interconnection agreement that is in effect; or
(c) through the negotiation of a new interconnection agreement.
Public Availability of Interconnection Offers and Agreements
3. Each Party shall make publicly available the applicable procedures for interconnection negotiations with a major supplier in its territory.
4. Each Party shall provide means for suppliers of public telecommunications services of the other Party to obtain the rates, terms and conditions necessary for interconnection offered by a major supplier. Those means include, at a minimum, ensuring:
(a) the public availability of interconnection agreements that are in effect between a major supplier in its territory and other suppliers of public telecommunications services in its territory;
(b) the public availability of rates, terms and conditions for interconnection with a major supplier, set by the telecommunications regulatory body or other competent body; or
(c) the public availability of a reference interconnection offer.
Article 12.10. Treatment by Major Suppliers of Public Telecommunications Services
Each Party shall ensure that major suppliers in its territory accord suppliers of public telecommunications services of the other Party treatment no less favourable than that major suppliers accord, in like circumstances, to its subsidiaries, its affiliates or non-affiliated service suppliers regarding:
(a) the availability, provisioning, rates or quality of like public telecommunications services; and
(b) the availability of technical interfaces necessary for interconnection.
Article 12.11. Resale
1. No Party shall prohibit the resale of any public telecommunications service.
2. Each Party shall ensure that major suppliers in its territory:
(a) offer for resale, at reasonable rates, (3) to suppliers of public telecommunications services of the other Party, public telecommunications services that such major suppliers supply at retail to end-users; and
(b) do not impose unreasonable or discriminatory conditions or limitations on the resale of those services.
3. Each Party may determine, in accordance with its laws and regulations, which public telecommunications services must be offered for resale by major suppliers pursuant to patagraph 2, based on the need to promote competition or to benefit the long-term interests of end-users.
4. If a Party does not require that a major supplier offer a specific public telecommunications service for resale, it nonetheless shall allow service suppliers to request that the service be offered for resale consistent with paragraph 2, without prejudice to the Party's decision on the request.
Article 12.12. Unbundling of Network Elements
1. Each Party shall provide its telecommunications regulatory body with the authority to require that major suppliers in its territory offer to suppliers of public telecommunications services of the other Party access to network elements on an unbundled basis, on terms and conditions, and at cost- oriented rates, that are reasonable, non-discriminatory and transparent for the supply of public telecommunications services.
2. Each Party may determine the network elements required to be made available in its territory, and the suppliers that may obtain those elements, in accordance with its laws and regulations.
Article 12.13. Provisioning and Pricing of Leased Circuits
1. Each Party shall ensure that major suppliers in its territory provide to service suppliers of the other Party leased circuits services that are public telecommunications services within a reasonable period of time, and on terms and conditions and at rates, that are reasonable, and non-discriminatory, and based on a generally available offer.
2. Further to paragraph 1, each Party shall provide its telecommunications regulatory body with the authority to require major suppliers in its territory to offer leased circuits services that are public telecommunications services to service suppliers of the other Party at capacity-based and cost-oriented rates.
Article 12.14. Co-location
1. Each Party shall ensure, subject to paragraphs 2 and 3, that a major supplier in its territory provides to suppliers of public telecommunications services of the other Party in the Party's territory, physical co-location of equipment necessary for interconnection or access to unbundled network elements, based on a generally available offer on a timely basis and on terms and conditions and at cost-oriented rates that are reasonable and non-discriminatory.
2. Where physical co-location is not practical for technical reasons or because of space limitations, each Party shall ensure that major suppliers in its territory provide an alternative solution, such as facilitating virtual co-location, based on a generally available offer, on a timely basis and on terms and conditions and at cost-oriented rates that are reasonable and non-discriminatory.
3. Each Party may determine, in accordance with its laws and regulations, which premises owned or controlled by major suppliers in its territory are subject to paragraphs 1 and 2. When the Party makes this determination, it shall take into account factors such as the state of competition in the market where co-location is required, whether those premises can be substituted in an economically or technically feasible manner in order to provide a competing service, or other specific public interest factors.
4. If a Party does not require that a major supplier offer co-location at certain premises, it nonetheless shall allow suppliers of public telecommunications services to request that those premises be offered for co-location consistent with paragraph 1, without prejudice to the Party's decision on such a request.
Article 12.15. Access to Poles, Ducts, Conduits and Rights-of-Way (4)(5)
1. Each Party shall ensure that major suppliers in its territory provide access to poles, ducts, conduits and rights-of-way or any other structures as determined by the Party, owned or controlled by major suppliers to suppliers of public telecommunications services of the other Party in the Party's territory on a timely basis, on terms and conditions and at rates that are reasonable, non-discriminatory and transparent, subject to technical feasibility.
2. A Party may determine, in accordance with its laws and regulations, the poles, ducts, conduits, rights-of-way or any other structures to which it requires major suppliers in its territory to provide access in accordance with paragraph 1. When the Party makes this determination, it shall take into account factors such as the competitive effect of lack of such access, whether such structures can be substituted in an economically or technically feasible manner in order to provide a competing service, or other specified public interest factors.
Article 12.16. International Submarine Cable Systems (6)(7)
Each Party shall ensure that any major supplier who controls international submarine cable landing stations in the Party's territory provides access to those landing stations, consistent with the provisions of Article 12.9, Article 12.13 and Article 12.14, to public telecommunications suppliers of the other Party.
Article 12.17. Independent Regulatory Bodies
1. Each Party shall ensure that its telecommunications regulatory body is separate from, and not accountable to, any supplier of public telecommunications services. With a view to ensuring the independence and impartiality of telecommunications regulatory bodies, each Party shall ensure that its telecommunications regulatory body does not hold a financial interest (8) or maintain an operating or management role in any supplier of public telecommunications services.
2. Each Party shall ensure that the regulatory decisions and procedures of its telecommunications regulatory body related to the provisions in this Chapter are impartial with respect to all market participants.
3. No Party shall accord more favourable treatment to a supplier of public telecommunications services in its territory than that accorded to a like service supplier of the other Party on the basis that the supplier receiving more favourable treatment is owned by the national government of the Party.
Article 12.18. Cooperation
The Parties shall endeavour to:
(a) exchange experiences and information in matters of telecommunications policy and regulation, including approaches to promoting and measuring the quality of public telecommunications services;
(b) promote capacity-building among their telecommunications regulatory bodies; and
(c) exchange information on strategies that promote access to telecommunications services, including in rural areas.
Article 12.19. Licensing Process
1. If a Party requires a supplier of public telecommunications services to have a licence, the Party shall ensure the public availability of:
(a) all the licensing criteria and procedures that it applies;
(b) the time period that it normally requires to reach a decision concerning an application for a licence; and
(c) the terms and conditions of all licences in effect.
2. Each Party shall ensure that, upon request, an applicant is informed of the reasons for the:
(a) denial of a licence;
(b) imposition of supplier-specific conditions on a licence;
(c) revocation of a licence; or
(d) refusal to renew a licence.
Article 12.20. Allocation and Use of Scarce Resources
1. Each Party shall administer its procedures for the allocation and use of scarce telecommunications resources, including frequencies, numbers and rights-of-way, in an objective, timely, transparent and non-discriminatory manner.
2. Each Party shall make publicly available the current state of allocated frequency bands but retains the right not to provide detailed identification of frequencies that are allocated or assigned for specific government use.
3. For greater certainty, a Party's measures relating to allocation and assignment of spectrum and management of frequencies are not per se measures inconsistent with Article 9.6 (Market Access), either as it applies to cross-border trade in services or through the operation of Article 8.2 (Scope) to an investor or covered investment of the other Party. Accordingly, each Party retains the right to establish and apply spectrum and frequency management policies that may have the effect of limiting the number of suppliers of public telecommunications services, provided that the Party does so in a manner that is consistent with this Agreement. This includes the ability to allocate frequency bands taking into account current and future needs and spectrum availability.
4. When making a spectrum allocation for commercial telecommunications services, each Party shall endeavour to rely on an open and transparent process that considers the public interest, including the promotion of competition. Each Party shall endeavour to rely generally on market-based approaches in assigning spectrum for terrestrial commercial telecommunications services. To this end, each Party shall have the authority to use mechanisms such as auctions, if appropriate, to assign spectrum for commercial use.
Article 12.21. Universal Service
Each Party has the right to define the kind of universal service obligations it wishes to adopt or maintain and shall administer any such obligation in a transparent, non-discriminatory and competitively neutral manner, and shall ensure that its universal service obligation is not more burdensome than necessary for the kind of universal service that it has defined.
Article 12.22. Transparency
1. Further to Chapter 21 (Transparency and Anti-Corruption), each Party shall ensure that when its telecommunications regulatory body seeks input (9) for a proposal for a regulation, that body shall:
(a) make the proposal public or otherwise available to any interested persons;
(b) include an explanation of the purpose of and reasons for the proposal;
(c) provide interested persons with adequate public notice of the ability to comment and reasonable opportunity for such comment;
(d) to the extent practicable, make publicly available all relevant comments filed with it; and
(e) respond to all significant and relevant issues raised in comments filed, in the course of issuance of the final regulation. (10)
2. Further to Chapter 21 (Transparency and Anti-Corruption), each Party shall ensure that its measures relating to public telecommunications services are made publicly available, including:
(a) tariffs and other terms and conditions of service;
(b) specifications of technical interfaces;
(c) conditions for attaching terminal or other equipment to the public telecommunications network;
(d) licensing or notification requirements, if any;
(e) any measures of the telecommunications regulatory body delegating to other bodies the responsibility for preparing, amending and adopting standards-related measures affecting access and use; and
(f) general procedures relating to resolution of telecommunications disputes provided for in Article 12.25.
Article 12.23. International Mobile Roaming
1. The Parties shall endeavour to cooperate on promoting transparent and reasonable rates for international mobile roaming services that can help promote the growth of trade among the Parties and enhance consumer welfare.
2. Each Party shall encourage suppliers of public telecommunication services to allow end- users of international roaming of the other Party to make free calls to local emergency numbers of that Party in accordance with its laws and regulations.
3. A Party may choose to take steps to enhance transparency and competition with respect to international mobile roaming rates and technological alternatives to roaming services, such as:
(a) ensuring that information regarding retail rates for international mobile roaming services is easily accessible to the public;
(b) minimising impediments to the use of technological alternatives to roaming, whereby consumers when visiting the territory of a Party from the territory of the other Party can access telecommunications services using the device of their choice; or
(c) encouraging suppliers of public telecommunication services to enable their subscribers of international roaming to manage their use of data, voice and text messages (Short Message Service or SMS).
4. Each Party shall ensure that:
(a) suppliers of public telecommunications services in its territory; or
(b) its telecommunications regulatory body; make publicly available the retail rates for international mobile roaming services.
5. The Parties recognise that a Party may choose to adopt or maintain measures affecting rates or conditions for wholesale international roaming services, with a view to ensuring that these are reasonable. If a Party considers it appropriate it may also cooperate with the other Party to facilitate the implementation of those measures, including by entering into arrangements.
6. If a Party ("the first Party") chooses to regulate rates or conditions for wholesale or retail international mobile roaming services, it shall ensure that a supplier of public telecommunications services of the other Party ("the second Party") has access to the regulated rates or conditions for wholesale or retail international mobile roaming services for its customers roaming in the territory of the first Party if the second Party has entered into an arrangement with the first Party to reciprocally regulate rates or conditions for wholesale or retail international mobile roaming services for suppliers of the two Parties. (11) The first Party may require suppliers of the second Party to fully utilise commercial negotiations to reach agreement on the terms for accessing such rates or conditions.
7. A Party that ensures access to regulated rates or conditions for wholesale international mobile roaming services in accordance with paragraph 6 shall be deemed to be in compliance with its obligations under Article 9.4 (Most-Favoured-Nation Treatment), Article 12.4, and Article 12.10 with respect to international mobile roaming services.
8. Nothing in this Article shall require a Party to regulate rates or conditions for international mobile roaming services.
Article 12.24. Flexibility In Choice of Technology
No Party shall prevent suppliers of public telecommunications services from choosing the technologies they wish to use to supply their services, subject to requirements necessary to satisfy legitimate public policy interests, provided that any measure restricting that choice is not prepared, adopted or applied in a manner that creates unnecessary obstacles to trade. For greater certainty, a Party adopting those measures shall do so consistent with Article 12.22.