Revised Telecommunications Act enters into force tomorrow
The comprehensive revision of the Telecommunications Act that was adopted at the beginning of the year by the two houses of the German parliament, the Bundestag and the Bundesrat, was published in the Federal Law Gazette today and will enter into force tomorrow.
The revised Telecommunications Act - a key element of the federal government's broadband strategy - creates additional incentives for investments in new high-speed networks and facilitates the expansion of the grid.
At the same time, the Act updates and improves the provisions on data and consumer protection. The numerous improvements for consumers include a smooth switch of providers, better cost control, mobile phone number portability independent of individual contracts and the possibility to deactivate the payment function for mobile phones.
Keeping callers on hold will in future be free of charge in the case of special rate numbers. These new rules will enter into force after a transitional period of three months and one year respectively.
Owing to the necessary technical changes, the obligation newly introduced by the amended Act for alternative system operators (call by call) to announce the price before a call will not enter into force before 1 August 2012 in accordance with the recent decision of the Federal Constitutional Court.
