At the end March 2005, European Commission criticized Slovakia and nine other EU member states for failing to implement European legislation regulating the telecommunications market. Slovakia has two months to comply before the case is forwarded to the European Court of Justice. Slovak current telecommunications law is outside the EU norms designed to protect against privacy infringements, such as electronic advertisements (spam). It also warns that Slovakia’s market environment is not accessible enough to alternative network operators.
Slovakia belongs among less EU developed countries in telecommunications. At present, here is no implementation of alternative fixed telephony services (interconnected with the Slovak Telecom network), VoIP services through public fixed network are blocked by legal obstacles (since May 2000), carrier selection and carrier pre-selection services are not provided and local loop unbundling regime is not implemented in real. In previous three years, there were two activities of few members of parliament to submit legislation ensuring improvement of regulatory regime, but after first adoption by parliament it was given back to the parliament by veto of president – finally amendments were twice not approved after president veto (2002 and 2003).
Current telecommunication market is characterised by rapid decrease of customers in fixed network (current 23% of penetration represents status in 1996), duopoly regime in mobile networks (80% penetration) and by latest positions in EU in internet use, ADSL implementation (penetration 1%) and in use of eGovernment services (23rd position in EU-25).
