February
2001
Poland
Master Report
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Poland Master Report |
1. Regulation and actors
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Liberalisation status |
Comments |
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Infrastructures |
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Public telecommunications network |
Partially liberalised market |
Authorisations will be issued starting from 2002 |
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Local networks for voice telephony |
Limited to a duopoly regime between TPSA and one company in each local area |
Registration in OTR |
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Leased lines |
Liberalised market |
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Alternative infrastructure (Highway, railways, electricity utilities etc) |
Partially liberalised market |
Tel-Energo - electricity utilities, KOLPAK – railways |
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Broadcasting and cable TV |
Partially liberalised market |
Polska Telewizja Kablowa, Aster City |
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Voice telephony |
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Local communication |
Liberalised market |
over 100 licences Full liberalisation in 2001 |
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Domestic Long-distance |
Partially liberalised market |
3 licences delivered in 1999 |
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International communication |
TPSA monopoly till 2003 |
Article 16.1 of the Law on Posts and Telecommunications and TPSA licence |
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Provision of voice services to closed user groups |
Liberalised market |
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Mobile communication |
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Analogue |
Partially liberalised market |
Centertel, licence from the Min. of Telecom |
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GSM digital |
Partially liberalised market |
Polkomtel PTC, Idea Centertel – licences from Min. of Telecom. |
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DCS 1800 digital |
Partially liberalised market |
Polkomtel PTC, Idea Centertel – licences from Min. of Telecom |
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Paging |
Open with local competition |
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Satellite communications |
Open except for international satellite-based telephony, long-distance voice telephony and telegraphy reserved to TPSA |
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Data transmissions |
Fully liberalised market |
Registration in OTR |
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Value Added Services |
Fully liberalised market |
Registration in OTR |
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Internet services provision |
Fully liberalised market |
Registration in OTR |
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Equipment provision |
Lucent Technologies, ZWUT-Siemens, Alcatel |
Since the political changes in 1989, the general telecom policy has focused on the liberalisation of the telecommunications market and the extension and integration of existing regulations. The governmental change in 1997 has led to further liberalisation of the telecommunications market, which resulted in the privatisation of Telekomunikacja Polska S.A. (TPSA) and the restructuring of the Polish Post.
The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications issued licences for telecommunications networks and services except for services provided by TPSA.
The mobile sector is competitive, with 1 NMT 450 licence, 3 GSM licences and 3 DCS-1800 licence granted.
Licences for 3 long-distance operators were signed by Mr Tomasz Szyszko, the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications on 17 of May 2000. 3 long-distance operators, Netia 1, NG Koleje Telekomunikacja (KT) and Niezalezny Operator Miedzystrefowy NOM, will start offering services in 2001. There were disputes of interconnection financial agreements and technical issues of connection points with the incumbent operator TPSA in 2000.
On 1 September Minister Tomasz Szyszko presented a draft call for tender for the Universal Mobile Telecommunication System UMTS, the third generation mobile telecom services. The aim of this call is to stimulate the country’s telecommunications infrastructure development and to ensure that Polish UMTS networks will become an integral part of the quickly consolidating mobile market. Only tenders of three Polish cellular operators have been submitted, so Min. Szyszko decided to cancel the tender and extended existing licences for mobile cellular telecommunication services.
From 2001, under the new Telecommunications Law, licences are replaced by authorisations. The Office of Telecommunications Regulation (OTR) is established. The President of the OTR is the competent regulatory authority for telecommunications activities including authorisations, frequency management and monitoring of compliance with the requirements of electromagnetic compatibility. According to privatisation agreement with France Telecom, a strategic partner of TP S.A., the dominant operator, the new authorisations for public voice telecommunication services will be issued starting from year 2002.
The operation of public telephone networks and public networks intended for the broadcasting of radio or television programming, shall require a telecommunications authorisation. Local voice telephony (in area of the smallest administration unit called "gmina") services can be provided without authorisation
The performance of telecommunications activities not covered by an authorisation in public networks shall require the filing of a written registration with the President of the Office of Telecommunications Regulation.
2. Inventory of the major "public" utilities with potential use in IS applications:
2.1 Energy supply network
The government declares that it will fully liberalise the energy supply sector by 5 December 2005. From this date onwards, foreign investors can compete in the Polish market without any limitations. As a result of this policy, fast privatisation is needed and is scheduled to start in 2002 according to the Economic Committee of Council of Ministers.
On 29 April 1999 TPSA and Telekomunikacja Energetyczna TEL-ENERGO concluded an agreement setting the rules for mutual technical co-operation and the terms of settlement for mutually rendered services. This agreement contributes, among others, to a fuller capacity utilisation of the telecom infrastructure of both operators, thus improving the quality of services through collaborating in upgrading the two telephony networks. The agreement also permits TEL-ENERGO to provide comprehensive voice telephony services to companies in the power sector.
Fixed lines distant telephony services operator Niezalezny Operator Miedzystrefowy is the consortium consisting of Tel-Energo, Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne and Polski Koncern Naftowy. The greatest advantage of this consortium is its 8 000-km fibre-optic backbone network of Tel-Energo.
Alcatel Polska have signed an agreement with Tel-Energo for SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) network. Tel-Energo is going to provide advanced services as broadband Internet access, data and video transmission up to 2,5 Gbit/s from the beginning of 2001.
Tel-Energo continues co-operation with operators of research networks MAN – Metropolitan Area Networks from 14 research and university centres in Poland offering 16 optical fibre lines of 34 Mb/s or 155 Mb/s. Tel-Energo provides broadband connection for research institutions between Poznan and Frankfurt an Main as well.
2.2 Railway network
In 1999, the first reading of the governmental project on commercialisation, restructuring and privatisation of Polskie Koleje Państwowe (PKP), which was elaborated by the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Economy, took place in the Polish Parliament.
Under the Law dated 8 September 2000 on commercialisation, restructuring and privatisation of the "Polish State Railways" State Enterprise, PKP was transformed into a joint stock company owned solely by the State Treasury under the name ‘Polish State Railways Joint Stock Company: - "PKP S.A.". The Minister of Transportation will privatise PKP S.A. and will represent the State Treasury in PKP S.A.
On October 31, 2000 the management board of PKP submitted to the Minister of Transportation the enterprise questionnaire with additional documents. Mr Jerzy Widzyk signed the commercialisation act on December 1, 2000.
It is planned that PKP SA will be divided by few stock companies, and up to 15% of its shares will be offered to PKP employees. Dyrekcja Teleinformatyki Kolejowej – the PKP telecom division overlooking the KOLPAK network – will be transformed into "Teleinformatyka Kolejowa Sp z o.o." in April 2001.
PIONIER project of telecommunication infrastructure for research and academic centres will be based on KOLPAK.
The fixed line long-distance operator NG Koleje Telekomunikacja (KT) Co Ltd is the consortium of Polskie Koleje Panstwowe - PKP (The Polish Railways) - 42,5% shares, National Grid – 23,75% (the British power consortium), its Filia Energis – 23,75%, and Centrala sp. z o.o. – 10% (dependent of the Polish Telecom Operators - PTO).
NGKT is built upon 5500 km of the KOLPAK optical network which connects all major cities in Poland including SDH metropolitan rings. In average KOLPAK optical fibre cables consists of 12 or 24 fibres. 4 of them are dedicated to PKP internal services, the next 4 are hired to NGKT. To extend this technological infrastructure Dyrekcja Teleinformatyki Kolejowej decided to use the new technology of multi-channel DWDM, with capacity of 2,5 Gb/s. in co-operation with the Supercomputer and Network Centre in Poznan according to PIONIER project of Polish Optical Internet recommended by the State Committee for Scientific Research.
NGKT will to invest 300 million Euro in 2 years in telecommunication network development.
2.3 Gas network
The Jamal-Europe gas pipeline transition system (680 km in Poland) is one of the biggest investments in TENs framework. On 23 September 1999, the installation of the first pipeline was completed by EuRoPol GAZ s.a. EuRoPol Gas Sa is a joint company of the Polish state treasury owned company PGNiG, Gazprom (Russia) and Gaz Trading.
The telecommunication cable has been installed parallel to the gas pipe, for internal use of the pipeline investment. It covers 24 optical fibre lines.
PolGaz Telekom company has been established by EuRoPol Gaz (32%), Bartimpex (36%) and Gaztelekom (subsidiary of Gazprom) (32%) with an aim to deal with telecommunication issues.
Doubts concerning these future telecommunication services were the subject of governmental dispute and ministerial control from November 2000, following articles in "Gazeta Wyborcza" daily.
The path of the second pipe line from the Yamal to the West Europe is now under discussion and negotiation. This pipeline will unlikely be parallel to the first one. Three main options are under consideration.
2.4 Cable television network
Cable television infrastructure may be used to provide local voice telephony, data communications, and paging, subject to an individual licence. Cable TV companies are allowed to compete with telecommunications operators for the provision of telecommunications services. The cable TV and data communications markets are open. Value-added services companies have a foreign participation limitation of 40%.
PTK Polska Telewizja Kablowa Sp. z o.o. (The Polish Cable Television) has received the license for provision of telecommunications services and authorisation for the deployment and use of telecommunications networks. This license is for broadband data transmission services through nationwide cable TV networks. The service will start in December 2000 in Warsaw and Cracow. From 2001, the service will be extended to the other big Polish cities. Additionally Internet services will be provided by satellite Wizja TV. It is aimed to provide access to converged services: TV, Internet and telephone through one TV cable.
PTK is the biggest cable TV operator in Poland. It was founded in 1989 by @Entertaiment. @Entertaiment is owed by United Pan-Europe Communications (UPC) from 6 August 1999. PTK will change its name to UPC Telewizja Kablowa soon. The level of investment is estimated at 6 million Euro at start and up to 10 million during the next 5-6 years.
EL is the group of telecommunications companies of Elektrim S. A. Group EL provides integrated telecommunication services based on cable TV Aster City Net in Warsaw. From September 2000 integrated services of fixed telephony, cable TV and broadband internet started in Warsaw. The network of aster City Cable is 560 thousand homes. (El-Net has got already a fixed-line licence for Warsaw and former Warsaw district for a very high fee, which was lowering in more then one million Euro in August 2000).
EL will invest 100-130 million Euro to develop telecommunication optical backbone network infrastructure. In 2000 a full modernisation and expansion of has started. 600 000 home users in Warsaw will access integrated service up to the year 2003. These services will be extended to other Polish cities as well.
The fees for integrated services is lower than the fees for standard single services. Internet access is without time limit. Cable TV offer will be expanded to digital TV, video on demand, pay-per-view etc.
The local voice telephony is provided on duopoly basis, i.e., TPSA and only one other operator for local telephony in each local area. There is no foreign investment limitation for local voice telephony. About 70 licences for local voice telephony have been issued. On 7 June 1999, a local telephony licence for the Warsaw area was granted to El-Net, an operator that plans to connect 340,000 subscribers during the next five years. After that grant, the duopoly in the local voice licences in each region was reached.
The Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is now offered by several providers. The first operator, which started VoIP in Poland for international connections in December 1999, was Polska Telefonia Cyfrowa (Era GSM). After protests by the Ministry of Telecom and TPSA it has to stop. Finally ERA GSM was allowed to provide "experimental" services until May 2000.
Voip services are offered already by several providers. Internet Partners company exploits GTS Ebone. Scandinavian operatorTELE2 offers domestic and international VoIP services. It offers GAGATEK pre-paid service by fixed telephony network as well. MediaTel is quite popular among the various VoIP providers.
In December 2000 Polish Phonesat of Elektrim Group signed the agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Poland for VSAT services for the Polish embassies including satellite telephony services. Polish Phonesat cooperates with EuropeStar and Telenor UK to provide this interconnection.
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