Public views are being sought on the proposed regulation of telecoms services resellers under a class licensing regime, the Office of the Telecommunications Authority says.

The resellers can resell a wide range of telecoms services including local or international telephone, fixed or mobile, and voice or data services, offered in prepaid or post-paid format.

To enhance consumer protection and maintain a level playing field in the industry, it essential to put resellers under the regulatory regime.

At present, anyone who offers these services without establishing or maintaining a means of telecoms is not subject to any regulation. These people are generally resellers of the telecoms services operated by licensed operators.

Class licence proposed

Regulation under the proposed class licence will be a light-handed one, with licence conditions aimed at protecting consumer interests.

Resellers under the class-licensing regime will be required to provide essential information such as company name, company registration number, service hotline number and tariff information when offering services to their customers.

The move will help consumers identify resellers offering services to them. Resellers will also be prohibited from engaging in misleading and deceptive activities under the Telecommunications Ordinance.

No application required

The class-licensing regime proposed will not require individual licence application or registration. Resellers will automatically become class licensees. They will be subject to licence conditions as well as statutory provisions under the Telecommunications Ordinance.

Agents or contractors of licensed operators who sell or promote telecoms services for or on behalf of the operators will not fall within the regulation.