Brussels, 05/11/2009 (Agence Europe) - In a letter sent on Thursday 5 November 2009, the European Commission asked the Dutch telecoms regulator, Onafhankelijke Post en Telecommunicatie Autoriteit (OPTA), to align its cost accounting method for calculating fixed termination rates with the approach recommended by EU guidelines, adopted on 7 May 2009 (see EUROPE 9897). Call termination charges, which the operator of the calling network pays to the operator of the receiving network, should be based on the current costs of an efficient operator employing efficient technology. The Commission asks the regulator to reconsider its top-down cost allocation system (EDC, Embedded Direct Cost) which takes into consideration the incumbents' termination rates in order to set the glide-paths for fixed termination rates for all operators. OPTA's methodology allocates non-traffic related costs to the provision of termination services, thus leading to higher costs to the consumer, explains the Commission. (I.L/transl.fl)