BnetzA / Telecommunications Act

BnetzA legal requirements integrated into the system

The Bundesnetzagentur (BnetzA for short) is the regulatory authority for the telecommunications market. It assigns frequencies and phone numbers. In addition, with the Telecommunications Act (TKG for short), it lays the legal basis for providers of telecommunications products and operators of public telecommunications networks.

First and foremost, it is about protecting consumer rights. The BnetzA helps, for example, with problems when changing telephone providers. It also mediates in disputes between end customers and the telecommunications provider. The Federal Network Agency also combats phone number misuse, illegal billing for waiting queues and unauthorized telephone advertising.

Billing system varioBill according to TKG

When billing telecommunications services, the billing process must comply with regulatory requirements. According to the BnetzA Telecommunications Act, the end customer has the right to a correct invoice. Accordingly, the aim is to ensure accurate and correct final cash settlements. A distinction is made between time-dependent, volume-dependent and distance-dependent connection services. For example, this concerns the duration of the call or connection at home and abroad. The prices for this must remain within an appropriate range and are the responsibility of the carrier. In order to comply with the BNetzA's specified regulatory framework regarding billing, varioBill has successfully completed the certification process together with our customers several times. In addition, all common pricing models for Internet, telephony and cable TV are shown in varioCRM.

The other requirements according to the TKG are covered in a comprehensive varioBill implementation. This ensures the safe implementation of the regulatory guidelines.

25 years of the Federal Network Agency

In 2022, the Federal Network Agency, or BNetzA for short, will celebrate its 25th anniversary. Emerging from the Deutsche Bundespost, it promoted the liberalization of the market.

The first liberalization had already taken place with the postal reform in 1989. The reform affected end devices and mobile communications, satellite communications and corporate networks. The second postal reform in 1995 enabled the privatization of the German Federal Post Office and the opening of the terminal equipment market. The following year the Telecommunications Act came into force. The aim was therefore to abolish the network and voice service monopoly. This took place in the first step with the introduction of call by call and number portability.

Post Minister Wolfgang Pötsch pushed forward the establishment of the “Steering Committee for Technical Issues of Numbering” (“Steering Group”). The aim was to evaluate the topics surrounding free carriers, number portability and signaling between networks and to provide recommendations for action. In 1997, the steering committee became the AKNN (Working Group for Numbering and Network Interconnection). To this day, the working group defines specific questions and recommendations on topics relating to telecommunications.

In 1998, the BMPT (Federal Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications) and the BAPT (Federal Office of Posts and Telecommunications) founded the Regulatory Authority for Telecommunications and Posts. The major amendment to the TKG in 2004 is intended to make the regulatory approach more flexible and enable the introduction of “market analysis procedures”. The areas of responsibility will be expanded to include electricity and gas as well as railways in the following two years.

On April 22, 2021, the acting President of the Federal Network Agency Jochen Homan advanced the draft law for the Telecommunications Modernization Act with the aim of legal and regulatory gigabit networks. The new TKG has been in force since December 1st, 2021.