Restriction for postal licenses lifted
Kurth: “The formal foundations for further competition have been laid”
On 31 December 2007 the monopoly of Deutsche Post AG for letters with a maximum weight of 50g comes to an end. In a general order published in its Official Gazette on 19 December 2007, the Federal Network Agency has therefore lifted all material restrictions of the licences, such as the obligation to provide higher quality for letters weighing less than 50g. From 1 January 2008 all licensees – including Deutsche Post AG – can then offer all mail services in their license areas and are free to decide about the configuration of their services at their own discretion.
“With this general order we are laying the formal foundations for further competition in the postal market, without much bureaucratic effort. This will prepare the way for creative business models and flexible solutions. A realistic analysis and assessment reveals that the liberalisation of this market definitely offers opportunities for a further development of competition – despite the controversial debates of recent weeks,” emphasised the president of the Federal Network Agency, Matthias Kurth.
