Brussels, 05/10/2009 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has called on the Austrian telecoms regulator, Rundfunk und Telekom Regulierungs GmbH (RTR), to suspend the adoption of regulatory measures regarding the definition of the Austrian broadband access market, the bitstream access market. The Commission has serious doubts as to the compatibility of the provisions defining the Austrian wholesale broadband access market with EU law. In the notification submitted one month ago, RTR has provided insufficient evidence to support its finding that mobile broadband connections can be considered as substitutes to fixed line DSL and cable connections. The Commission has therefore asked RTR not to adopt the measure until the Commission has taken a final decision on RTR's proposal. EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said: "To consider that Austrian consumers can easily switch between a DSL, TV or mobile connection to access the internet presumes that the residential broadband market in Austria is already fully competitive. At this stage, the Austrian Regulator has not presented sufficient arguments to endorse such a far-reaching move." Viviane Reding, the EU Telecoms Commissioner, said: "The Commission is in particular concerned that the current developments of networks and services towards higher capacities and speeds are adequately taken into account so that monopolistic bottlenecks in the next generation networks are prevented in a timely manner and regulation can ensure where necessary that customers get the best possible offer". (I.L. trans fl)