Telefonica S.A. has been once more elected for a period ending on 31st of December 2010 as the mandatory lender of the Universal Telephonic Service, defined as the set of services with a determined quality at a reasonable price, whose benefit is guaranteed as a right for all the end users of residential homes no matter their geographic location. These services include a connection to the public network from a fixed location. Telefónica’s obligatory services referred to above, must therefore grant anyone the following:
a) The ability to receive and make telephone calls of national and international scope to geographic and non geographic numbers.
b) To establish fax communications, at least of fax group III in accordance with the pertinent recommendations of series T of the UIT-T.
c) To establish data communications at a speed sufficient enough to access the internet in a functional form.
According to the law, Telefónica will have to satisfy each reasonable request for an initial connection to the fixed public network in a maximum term of 60 days from the date of request. In the case of not being able to make the mentioned provision in this term, except for force majeure or other causes attributable to the applicant, Telefónica will have to compensate the applicant automatically and it will exempt payment from a number of monthly payments equivalent to the amount of months or fraction of which this term has been surpassed.
( From Ministry Order ITC/3808/2008, de 23 de December).
