ComCom to extend the universal service licence for telecommunications

Bern, 10.12.2021 - The Federal Council today began the consultation process on changes to the content of the universal telecommunications service. In order to maintain a guaranteed universal service until the new provisions come into force, ComCom will extend Swisscom's current universal service licence unchanged. This procedure takes account of the fact that a stable legal basis is required for the upcoming award of the next universal service licence. This will be in place when the Federal Council has redefined the components of the universal service.

The Federal Council opened the consultation procedure on the universal service today (see Link Press release of Federal Council). In its capacity as the office responsible for the universal service licence, ComCom is providing the following additional information:

In order to ensure that the universal telecoms service is guaranteed at all times, ComCom will extend Swisscom's current universal service licence unchanged in spring 2022. The extension is expected to last for one year.

According to the applicable regulations (Art. 12 OTS), the next universal service licence should in fact be awarded by June 2022, as the current licence expires at the end of 2022.

However, the latest procedure to award the licence has been delayed due to the Federal Council revising the content of the future universal service and the related consultation procedure that is now under way. ComCom will conduct the new procedure to award the universal service licence once the Federal Council's decision on the components of the universal service restores a stable legal basis. ComCom expects that the next universal service licence will come into force at the beginning of 2024.


Address for enquiries

ComCom Secretariat, Tel. +41 58 463 52 90



Publisher

Federal Communications Commission ComCom
http://www.comcom.admin.ch/

https://www.admin.ch/content/gov/en/start/documentation/media-releases.msg-id-86407.html