Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones

The public consultation is extended for the document on Review of the guidelines to develop cost models

• With the extension approved by the Plenary, there is opportunity to receive input from all the interested in participating in this exercise until November 26^th

• The IFT considered appropriate this expansion, considering that this regulatory body should have enough time to meet various processes that seek to address the legal mandate to publish, in the fourth quarter, the interconnection rates that will be effective in 2015

• The Plenary approved to submit the public consultation of the "Agreement Draft whereby the minimum technical conditions for interconnection between concessionaires operating public telecommunications networks are established"

In the application filed by members of the industry to the regulator to extend the period of public consultation of the document entitled Review of guidelines for developing cost models, which serve to determine interconnection rates, and taking into account the relevance of this issue for public telecommunications networks concessionaires, the Federal Institute of Telecommunications (Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones, IFT) Plenary decided yesterday, in an extraordinary session to extend the period of the exercise of civic participation, so that every interested opinions are received until November 26^th.

While the concessionaires and Mexican Chamber of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technologies (CANIETI) members requested an extension of 10 working days to extend the original period of public consultation, the Institute found that since it must meet the legal mandate under Article 137 of the Federal Telecommunications and Broadcasting Law to publish in the last quarter the interconnection rates that have resulted in cost methodologies issued by this regulatory body, which will apply in 2015, they should have time enough to enable and carry out the tasks assigned, including analysis of received opinions and the development of the methodology as well as the construction of models.

Thus, in order that industry, academia and the general public have each with the times required for the implementation of activities that correspond to them, the Plenary considered that it is not only appropriate but also desirable to extend the term of the public consultation (which expired today) until 26^th November 2014.

On the other hand, in the same session, the Plenary resolved to submit to public consultation the "Agreement Draft whereby the minimum technical conditions for interconnection between concessionaires operating public telecommunications networks are established", in order to receive feedback from industry, academia and society in general to nourish the document presented. Interconnection services are those that are provided between concessionaires of telecommunications services for interconnection between their networks. The establishment of minimum technical conditions to perform the interconnection allow existing concessionaires and potential new participants to obtain basic interconnection conditions without the need to engage in lengthy negotiations, thus avoiding undue discrimination by any concessionaire. As there are technical conditions of predetermined interconnection, certainty is generated and the competitive environment is favored in providing interconnection services, since all market participants equitably access to necessary inputs to provide telecommunications services to end users.

The document, which will be available to interested parties on the website of the Institute www.ift.org.mx, for a period of ten (10) working days from the day of its publication, includes the minimum technical conditions about traffic driving, its origination and termination, transmission links, signage, transit, access ports, colocation, infrastructure sharing for interconnection, billing and collection, and other ancillary services and access to the same services.

With the determination of the minimum technical conditions it is expected for concessionaires that operate public telecommunications networks to sign within the shortest time possible interconnection agreements, which will give certainty to interconnect their networks and to develop their business plans.