TOKYO-An arbitration panel at the Japanese telecom ministry on Wednesday concluded that a fixed-line operator should have the authority to decide charges for calls from a fixed line to a cellular phone. The panel on the same day submitted the report illustrating its decision to Toranosuke Katayama, the minister of telecom affairs.
The telecom minister is expected to grant his final decision taking into consideration the panel’s recommendation over the conflict lodged by Heisei Denden. Heisei Denden, a new common carrier based in Tokyo, had lodged a complaint to the ministry arguing that a fixed-line operator, rather than a mobile operator, should be given the authority to decide the telephone charges from a fixed line to a mobile phone.
In Japan, mobile carriers have been given authority to decide the charges based on historical reasons. NTT DoCoMo on the same day held a press conference and argued that the panel’s decision is based on differences in interpretations of the telecom law, and it is unacceptable.
