Germany - regulator abandons local loop unbundling cas

FNA abandons abuse case against DT

Germany's Federal Network Agency (FNA) has abandoned its case against incumbent telco Deutsche Telekom (DT) regarding abuse of its dominant position in the market.

The FNA charges that DT was unfair to competitors looking for access to local loops, also known as subscriber lines or the last mile.

According to the FNA, DT took too long to provide its competitors with access to local loops. By the end of last year, the FNA initiated an abuse case against DT and launched an investigation into the matter. The investigation revealed that DT was backlogged due to an increased demand for local loops.

'We have only been able to abandon the case because DT eliminated the backload under the pressure of possible decisions on our part. At the same time, DT contractually agreed improved local loop ordering and provisioning mechanisms with the competitors who had lodged the case against it,' said Matthias Kurth, FNA President.