A similar argument as in the previous section can be made for the non-discrimination position of the Commission regarding line sharing. Page 18, collocation OPTA welcomes the initiatives of the Commission to provide recommendations and practical guidelines for NRAs and operators for the implementation of collocation. OPTA has read the commissioned study with great interest. Besides the important operational collocation issues dealt with, OPTA wants to bring to the attention of the Commission the issues of gold plating and scarcity of collocation. As other countries might be confronted with a similar problem, a position of the Commission would be welcome.
Gold plating becomes an issue whenever cost orientation is in play.
The implementation of collocation will have a large impact on the costs. One is similar to the definition adopted by the Commission. The other describes virtual collocation as collocation in the area of the switch normally reserved for the incumbent's equipment. With the latter definition the incumbent would be the one installing and maintaining the equipment of the alternative operator. This form of collocation can be interesting if there is limited space for physical collocation in other areas of the switch.