March 7, 2024 Revision of the Guidelines for Smoothing Negotiations between Carriers

 The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) has revised the "Guidelines for Facilitating Consultations between Business Operators" (formulated in July 2012) after soliciting opinions in response to the partial revision of the Regulations for Enforcement of the Telecommunications Business Act and other regulations.

1. Background

 MIC organized “Study Group on Calculation of Interconnection Charges, etc. ” * in March 2017, which has been deliberating on the current interconnection system, which is the basis for ensuring fair competition, and other matters for providing various services smoothly in a fair competition environment.
 The study group examined bill-and-keep of interconnection charges for voice services, such as telephony (a method of inter-carrier settlement in which interconnection charges are not mutually paid between telecommunications carriers). As a measure to introduce this method partially, the seventh report of the study group (published on Wednesday, September 6, 2023) recommended that it would be appropriate to make the bill-and-keep optional based on an agreement between interconnecting parties.
 Regarding the partial amendments, etc. to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Telecommunications Business Act (MPT No. 25 of 1985) and other regulations for the purpose of establishing necessary provisions based on the report, MIC conducted a solicitation of opinions from Thursday, November 23, 2023, to Friday, December 22, 2023, and a re-solicitation of opinions from Wednesday, December 27, 2023, to Friday, January 12, 2024. Based on these solicited opinions and a report, dated January 23, 2024, from the Information and Communications Administration and Postal Administration Council (chaired by AIDA Hitoshi, professor emeritus of the University of Tokyo), MIC has promulgated and implemented relevant ministerial ordinances today.
 In response, MIC has revised the "Guidelines for Smoothing Negotiations between Carriers" (formulated in July 2012), as necessary, following the above-mentioned solicitation of opinions. The guideline clarifies the concept of the negotiation process concerning connections among telecommunications carriers.

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  The name was changed from "Study Meeting on Calculation of Connection Charges" in December 2019.

2. Future plans

 The revised guidelines will be in effect from today (March 7, 2024).

• *
  The published materials are in Japanese only.