(Associated Press via NewsEdge) Regulators gave Deutsche Telekom three months to open its new high-speed communications network to rivals.
The company must offer a standard contract at a price agreed on with regulators so that competitors can easily access its VDSL network, the Federal Network Agency said.
Deutsche Telekom, the former government-owned telephone monopoly, is banking on the high-speed network to offset falling earnings from its traditional fixed-line business. The company argues that competition should be limited, at least initially, so that it can recoup the costs of its investment.
The new network, already available in ten German cities, is capable of carrying telephone, Internet and television signals simultaneously.
The regulators said there was not enough competition among companies using Deutsche Telekom's other networks to justify protecting the new VDSL infrastructure.
German and European Union regulators have long been critical of Deutsche Telekom, saying it has been slow to implement steps designed to promote competition.
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