February 16, 2011

Results from Appeal for Opinions on Reform Proposal for Telecommunications Business Law Bulletins, etc.

Servicing technical standards affecting IP telephone terminals, etc.

In order to service technical standards affecting Internet Protocol telephone terminals that use 0AB～J numbers (hereinafter, “IP telephone terminals”), the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) conducted an appeal for opinions on its reform proposal for bulletins relating to the Telecommunications Business Law from December 18, 2010 to January 17, 2011, in response to which two opinions were submitted. These opinions, along with the views of the MIC, are published herein.
Accordingly, based on the results from the appeal for opinions, the related bulletins will promptly be reformed.

1. Background, etc.

Reforms of computer terminal equipment regulations (1985 Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications Bulletin No. 31) and regulations for technical standards compliance authorization (2004 Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) Bulletin No. 15) will be enforced as of April 1, 2011 in order to service technical standards concerning features that should be possessed by IP telephone terminals and emergency call features to all kinds of terminals, based on the Information and Communications Council's “Partial Reply concerning Telecommunications Incidents and Technical Requirements for IP Telephone Terminals Affecting Telecommunications Equipment Supporting Shift to IP Networks” dated July 28, 2009.
To accompany this, the MIC will reform the related bulletins to regulate electrical requirements for IP telephone terminals, etc.

2. Reform proposal outline

(1) There will be servicing of regulations concerning electrical and optical requirements for IP telephone terminals that should be given bulletins separate from computer terminal equipment regulations, etc.
(2) All kinds of terminals have been obligated to possess emergency call features due to the reform of computer terminal equipment regulations, but special terminals (all terminals not possessing transmission features, and some satellite phones) will be exempted from the obligation to possess emergency call features.
(3) Servicing of related regulations will be carried out to make technical standards for the technical (electrical) requirements of DOCSIS3.0 and 1000BASE-T that telecommunications carriers have already established and received approval for from the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications, based on the status of technology adoption by telecommunications carriers and international standardization trends.
(4) There will be servicing of test procedures necessary whenever authorization is conducted for the technical standards compliance concerning features to be possessed by IP telephone terminals, emergency call features in all kinds of computer terminals and the technical standards described above (3), which are requested by the reform of computer terminal equipment regulations.

3. Results from appeal for opinions

An appeal for opinions on the related bulletin reform proposal was held from December 18 to January 17, 2011, in response to which two opinions were submitted. These opinions can be found in the enclosed document along with the views of the MIC.

4. Schedule

Based on the results from the appeal for opinions, the related bulletins will promptly be reformed.