Basically it states that it is important to lay down common rules for all the networks involved. These rules would govern issues that are vital for the development of competition, such as network interconnection and infrastructure access. Those who control access to telecommunications networks tomorrow will control access to information and will be able to stifle other players' innovative efforts. To stimulate competition, we need to set out and apply rules that guarantee, on the one hand, that service providers have access to telecommunications network resources, and on the other hand, that the users themselves have universal access to the services. To conclude I would like to underline that the French Authorities, and particularly the regulator, have all been instrumental in leading and following through telecommunications liberalisation, at a particularly rapid pace.
Competition is a fact.
But we still need to carry on accompanying it - to ensure that the market opens up further and to other competitors. Our goal as regulator is to be close to the realities of the market, at the service of customers' expectations. This is a national role, but we assume it, necessarily, from a European perspective.