 The research department of OSIPTEL, Peru's telecom regulator, has
published its Sixth and Seventh Technical Bulletins. These new reports
address some of the technologies – digital
television, internet interconnection, UMTS roll-out – on which
so-called convergence services are based, but do not address the
controversial issues of triple play and IP-based networks.
The reports, available in Spanish only, highlight, through omission, the urgent need for regulation
adapted to the new technological landscape: regulation that gives users
the freedom to change operators, guarantees technological neutrality,
prevents the consolidation of new monopolies by those who control the
physical infrastructure, and allows for genuine competition with the
entry of new types of operators. The Sixth Technical Bulletin includes an article on digital television by Julio Salvatierra, who summarises the basics of analog television to explain its digitalisation, and provides a comparative analysis of the different digital technologies available around the world and the benefits that each offers. Nevertheless, his analysis fails to highlight the potential for interactivity offered by this technology, and the possibility of carrying multiple services simultaneously.
The second article in the bulletin, by Raúl Espinoza, addresses the issue of the interconnection of internet networks, describing it as “a fundamental tool to allow users of different ISPs to exchange information.”
“The best solution is to maintain a competitive market, open to the entry of new operators, who will exercise self-regulation,” writes Espinoza, who advocates the development of policies for open competition and protection of end users. Nevertheless, he paradoxically maintains that “the packet switching used for the internet is different from the circuit switching used for telecommunications services” – an argument that is traditionally used by dominant operators to impose the use of Signalling System #7 (SS7), which unnecessarily raises costs and serves as a market entry barrier to new providers of multiple IP services.
Much like the article on digital television, the author provides a largely superficial overview of the new technological landscape, yet fails to focus in depth on the potential of the IP-based networks (the internet) as a public network for a full range of communications services – television, IP telephony, 4G (WiMax) – and other increasingly smart interactive applications (email, SMS, instant messaging, etc.).
The Seventh Technical Bulletin comprises a single article, written by Raúl Espinoza, which describes the roll-out of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), a third-generation (3G) wireless technology, over the 900 MHz band, used until now for GSM technology. Espinoza notes that its wider coverage and lower cost make UMTS technology ideal for rural areas – yet he avoids mentioning its use in urban areas to promote greater competition and make new ‘smart’ services accessible to all sectors of society.
These bulletins highlight the urgent need for OSIPTEL to develop a regulatory regime adapted to the new technological landscape. This implies the adoption of measures that will answer users’ demands for the freedom to change operators, guarantee technological neutrality, prevent the consolidation of monopolies by those who control the physical infrastructure, and promote a truly competitive market with the entry of new types of operators in Peru.
Alejandro Gustavo Jiménez Morales, OSIPTEL's new general manager, was previously the executive director of Juntos, a national programme for direct aid to the poorest sectors in Peru. Prior to that, he headed up the country's Ombudsman's Office. His designation has raised hopes of a change in OSIPTEL priorities, shaped by the new technological realities of ‘convergence’, which by definition will require a different regulatory regime than the one implemented when the market was first opened to privatisation. Download the bulletins in Spanish from the OSIPTEL website  Sixth Technical Bulletin
Seventh Technical Bulletin References [1] 3GPP Technical Specification TS25.104 (Release 7), Base Station (BS) radio transmission and reception (FDD), 2005-12
[2] 3GPP Technical Specification TS25.101 (Release 7), User Equipment (UE) radio transmission and reception (FDD), 2005-12
[3] Análisis de prestaciones de servicios de datos UMTS en modo circuito (CS64) en interiores.
[4] Draft UMTS 30.01
[5] Estudio de compatibilidad para UMTS y GSM en las bandas de 900 y 1800 MHz
[6] Petición de estudio de UMTS.
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