THE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) wants to abolish access charges between phone firms that offer wireless landline in a local calling area.

The present areas forming part of the numbering plan area “2” shall be considered a local calling area of all public-telephone entities presently authorized to provide telecommunications service in any portion of the said area, the commission said.

“There shall be no interconnection access charges between interconnected LECs [local exchange carriers] for calls originating from or terminating in wireless local loop [WLL] subscribers within a local calling area,” the NTC said in the additional draft rules on the interconnection of LECs in local calling areas. The draft rules were circulated last week.

The WLL subscriber can make and receive calls anywhere within a local calling area because the technology allows this. Among the popular wireless landline service offered in the market today are those of Bayan Telecommunications Inc. and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co..

Other players such as Globe Telecom and Digital Telecommunications Philippines Inc. have introduced and are now operating WLL within their respective authorized local calling areas.

“All wireless landline calls made within a local calling area shall be considered local calls,” the NTC said.

The phone firms offering wireless landline service, however, shall ensure that no WLL subscriber units registered in one calling area are used in another local calling area.

“WLL calls made from one calling area to another local calling area shall be considered national long distance calls and shall be imposed the appropriate interconnection access charges,” the draft circular stated.

The NTC will conduct a public hearing this week to solicit comments from the phone firms.

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THE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) wants to abolish access charges between phone firms that offer wireless landline in a local calling area.

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