Commission proposals for choosing telephone service providers
The European Commission has adopted a proposal for a Directive to achieve EU-wide availability of carrier pre-selection and number portability by 1 January 2000. The proposals would mean that users should be able to choose different service providers, for example for long distance calls, than their local service provider. Following 1 January 2000, the option to make this pre-selection automatic, without the need to dial extra digits or use different equipment, should also be available. Also, from 1 January 2000, users would be able to retain their telephone number when changing to a different service provider. The proposed Directive follows widespread consultations earlier in the year, and should provide an additional guarantee that the liberalized telecoms market will foster competition and user choice, with a non-discriminatory and user-friendly numbering system.