Following the decision by the European Community Commission that member states must separate regulatory organisations from the carriers they control, the Belgian government has announced its plans to fall in line. The governmental act setting up a private telecommunications carrier and a separate regulatory agency in Belgium has been signed into law, but the regulatory agency has not yet been established, says a spokesman for the newly named carrier, Belgacom. Until the government puts the Belgian Institute for Postal and Telecom into operation, Belgacom will continue to conduct the laboratory tests on competitors’ equipment that has been submitted for approval, and submit the specifications to the Ministry of Posts & Telecommunications where the minister will decide whether or not the product is to be approved for use in Belgium. There was a lot of legal work required to create Belgacom, and now they will start with the Belgian Institute, the spokesman said. We don’t know how long it will take; that’s a political question. Once the Institute becomes operational, it will be run entirely independently of Belgacom, he added. Market liberalisation in Belgium is scheduled to begin at the end of this year when Belgacom’s competitors will be allowed to provide data transmission services. Any other services to be liberalised have not been decided, said the spokesman.
