RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE S/C/W/35
20January 1998
ORGANIZATION(98-0232)
Council forTrade inServices Original: English
BARBADOS
Certification
Schedule ofCommitments inBasic Telecommunications
Theattached draft Schedule ofCommitments inBasic Telecommunications hasbeen
communicated totheWTO bytheGovernment ofBarbados witharequest toinitiate theappropriate
procedures forittobeadded to,andconstitute anintegral partof,Barbados 'sSchedule ofSpecific
Commitments under theGeneral Agreement onTrade inServices (GATS/SC/9).
Accordingly, ifnoobjections arecommunicated totheSecretariat within thirty daysfromthe
dateofthiscommunication theattached Schedule ofCommitments inBasic Telecommunications will
bedeemed toconstitute anintegral partoftheSchedule ofSpecific Commitments ofBarbados under
theGATS.S/C/W/35
Page2/3
BARBADOS
Schedule ofSpecific Commitments
Supplement 1
(This isauthentic inEnglish only)
_______________S/C/W/35
Page4BARBADOS -SCHEDULE OFSPECIFIC COMMITMENTS INBASIC TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Modes ofsupply: 1) Cross-border supply 2) Consumption abroad 3) Commercial presence 4) Presence ofnatural persons
Sector orSub-sector
(GNS/W/120 Coding)Limitations onMarket Access Limitations onNational Treatment Additional
Commitments
2.C. Telecommunications
ServicesBarbados undertakes
theobligations
contained inthe
reference paper hereto
Forpublic use:
a. Voice telephone services
(7521)
b. Packet-switched data
transmission services
(7523**)
c. Circuit-switched data
transmission services
(7523**)
d. Telex services (7523**)
e. Telegraph services (7522)
f. Facsimile services
(7521**, 7529**)
g. Private leased circuit
services (7522**, 7523**)(1) Until 1January 2012, reserved to
exclusive suppliers.
(2) None
(3) Until 1January 2012, reserved to
exclusive suppliers.
(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.(1) None
(2) None
(3) None
(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.S/C/W/35
Page5Modes ofsupply: 1) Cross-border supply 2) Consumption abroad 3) Commercial presence 4) Presence ofnatural persons
Sector orSub-sector
(GNS/W/120 Coding)Limitations onMarket Access Limitations onNational Treatment Additional
Commitments
Fornon-public use(i.e.closed
usergroups, onanon-facilities
basis):
a. Voice telephone services
(7521)
b. Packet-switched data
transmission (7523**)
c. Circuit-switched data
transmission services
(7523**)
d. Telex services (7523**)
e. Telegraph services (7522)
f. Facsimile services (7521**,
7529**)(1) Until 1January 2012, onlypermitted over
networks oftheexclusive suppliers; two-
ended break-out notpermitted.
(2) None
(3) Until 1January 2012, onlypermitted over
networks oftheexclusive suppliers; two-
ended break-out notpermitted.
(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.(1) None
(2) None
(3) None
(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.
Value-added services:
h. Electronic mail(7523**)
i. Voice mail (7523**)
j. On-line information anddata
baseretrieval (7523**)
k. Electronic datainterchange
(7523**)
l. Enhanced/value-added
facsimile services, incl.
store andforward, store and
retrieve (7523**)
m. Code andprotocol
conversion
n. On-line information and/or
dataprocessing (incl.
transaction processing)
(843**)(1) None
(2) None
(3) None
(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.(1) None
(2) None
(3) None
(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.S/C/W/35
Page6Modes ofsupply: 1) Cross-border supply 2) Consumption abroad 3) Commercial presence 4) Presence ofnatural persons
Sector orSub-sector
(GNS/W/120 Coding)Limitations onMarket Access Limitations onNational Treatment Additional
Commitments
Other:
- Internet andinternet access
services(1) None
(2) None
(3) None
(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.(1) None
(2) None
(3) None
(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.
- Mobile services (terrestrial
andsatellite based)
-cellular/mobile
telephone services
-mobile dataservices
-personal communication
services
-paging(1) None asof1January 1999
(2) None
(3) None asof1January 1999
(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.(1) None
(2) None
(3) None
(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.
- Fixed Satellite Services
-VSAT services (for
non-public use)(1) None, except: two-ended break-out isnot
permitted.
(2) None, except: two-ended break-out isnot
permitted.
(3) None, except: two-ended break-out isnot
permitted.
(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.(1) None
(2) None
(3) None
(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.S/C/W/35
Page7Modes ofsupply: 1) Cross-border supply 2) Consumption abroad 3) Commercial presence 4) Presence ofnatural persons
Sector orSub-sector
(GNS/W/120 Coding)Limitations onMarket Access Limitations onNational Treatment Additional
Commitments
- Telecom equipment sales,
rental, maintenance,
connection, repair and
consulting services (7541,
7545)(1) None
(2) None
(3) None
(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.(1) None
(2) None
(3) None
(4) Unbound except asindicated inthe
horizontal section.S/C/W/35
Page 8
REFERENCE PAPER
Scope
Thefollowingaredefinitionsandprinciplesontheregulatoryframeworkforthebasictelecommunications
services.
Definitions
Users mean service consumers andservice suppliers.
Essential facilities mean facilities ofapublic telecommunications transport network orservice that
(a) areexclusively orpredominantly provided byasingle orlimited number ofsuppliers;
and
(b) cannot feasibly beeconomically ortechnically substituted inorder toprovide aservice.
Amajor supplier isasupplier which hastheability tomaterially affect theterms ofparticipation (having
regard toprice andsupply) intherelevant market forbasic telecommunications services asaresult
of:
(a) control overessential facilities; or
(b) useofitsposition inthemarket.
1. Competitive safeguards
1.1 Prevention ofanti-competitive practices intelecommunications
Appropriate measures shallbemaintained forthepurpose ofpreventing suppliers who, alone
ortogether, areamajor supplier from engaging inorcontinuing anti-competitive practices.
1.2 Safeguards
Theanti-competitive practices referred toabove shallinclude inparticular:
(a) engaging inanti-competitive cross-subsidization;
(b) using information obtained from competitors withanti-competitive results; and
(c) notmaking available toother services suppliers onatimely basistechnical information
about essential facilities andcommercially relevant information which arenecessary
forthem toprovide services.S/C/W/35
Page 9
2. Interconnection
2.1 Thissection applies tolinking withsuppliers providing public telecommunications transport
networks orservices inorder toallow theusers ofonesupplier tocommunicate withusers ofanother
supplier and toaccess services provided byanother supplier, where specific commitments are
undertaken.
2.2 Interconnection tobeensured
Interconnection withamajor supplier willbeensured atanytechnically feasible point inthe
network. Such interconnection isprovided.
(a) under non-discriminatory terms, conditions (including technical standards and
specifications) andratesandofaquality nolessfavourable thanthatprovided forits
ownlikeservices orforlikeservices ofnon-affiliated service suppliers orforits
subsidiaries orother affiliates;
(b) inatimely fashion, onterms, conditions (including technical standards and
specifications) andcost-oriented ratesthataretransparent, reasonable, having regard
toeconomic feasibility, andsufficiently unbundled sothatthesupplier neednotpay
fornetwork components orfacilities thatitdoesnotrequire fortheservice tobe
provided; and
(c) upon request, atpoints inaddition tothenetwork termination points offered tothe
majority ofusers, subject tocharges thatreflect thecostofconstruction ofnecessary
additional facilities.
2.3 Public availability oftheprocedures forinterconnection negotiations
Theproceduresapplicableforinterconnectiontoamajorsupplierwillbemadepubliclyavailable.
2.4 Transparency ofinterconnection arrangements
Itisensured thatamajor supplier willmake publicly available either itsinterconnection
agreements orareference interconnection offer.
2.5 Interconnection: dispute settlement
Aservice supplier requesting interconnection withamajor supplier willhaverecourse, either:
(a) atanytimeor
(b) afterareasonable period oftimewhich hasbeenmade publicly known
toanindependent domestic body, which maybearegulatory bodyasreferred toinparagraph 5below,
toresolve disputes regarding appropriate terms, conditions andrates forinterconnection within a
reasonable period oftime, totheextent thatthese havenotbeenestablished previously.S/C/W/35
Page 10
3. Universal service
AnyMember hastherighttodefine thekindofuniversal service obligation itwishes tomaintain.
Such obligations willnotberegarded asanti-competitive perse,provided theyareadministered in
atransparent, non-discriminatory andcompetitively neutral manner andarenotmore burdensome than
necessary forthekindofuniversal service defined bytheMember.
4. Public availability oflicensing criteria
Where alicence isrequired, thefollowing willbemade publicly available:
(a) allthelicensing criteria andtheperiod oftimenormally required toreach adecision
concerning anapplication foralicence and
(b) theterms andconditions ofindividual licences.
Thereasons forthedenial ofalicence willbemade known totheapplicant upon request.
5. Independent regulators
Theregulatory body isseparate from, andnotaccountable to,anysupplier ofbasic
telecommunications services. Thedecisions ofandtheprocedures usedbyregulators shallbeimpartial
withrespect toallmarket participants.
6. Allocation anduseofscarce resources
Anyprocedures fortheallocation anduseofscarce resources, including frequencies, numbers
andrights ofway,willbecarried outinanobjective, timely, transparent andnon-discriminatory manner.
Thecurrent stateofallocated frequency bands willbemade publicly available, butdetailed identification
offrequencies allocated forspecific government usesisnotrequired.
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