Government wants to increase competition in Estonia's telecommunications market

TALLINN - The Estonian government has approved and submitted to the Riigikogu amendments to the Building Code, which are aimed at improving the accessibility of communication services and increasing competition in the field of telecommunications.

The amendments address a situation where a telecom operator installs a cable duct in a housing development that only accommodates their own internet cable. According to the bill, the cable duct must now be large enough to allow other service providers to install their cables as well.

Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta said in a press release the bill helps resolve existing inequality.

"People must have the right to choose from whom they purchase services. A person's place of residence must not limit their ability to choose a service provider. Competition leads to better prices for consumers and motivates service providers to offer higher quality services," the minister added.

The legislative amendments will also improve mobile coverage, as the state and local governments will be required to allow the installation of mobile network equipment on their buildings. Network planning will also become easier -- businesses will be able to access necessary information about physical infrastructure from the Land and Spatial Planning Board's map of restrictions and about planned construction works from the Register of Construction Works. This will help coordinate the construction of communication networks with other construction works, saving both time and money for the public.

The draft legislation aligns with the EU's Gigabit Infrastructure Regulation, which aims to simplify the deployment of communications networks across Europe. It encourages the sharing of existing infrastructure and the more efficient construction of new infrastructure, in order to reduce the cost of building very high-capacity networks. The EU regulation entered into force on May 11, 2024, and will apply from Nov. 12, 2025.