GERMAN AUTHORITIES KEEP SELECTION FEE BELOW TELEKOM AIM

In mid-June Germany's telecommunications regulatory body decided to allow Deutsche Telekom AG to charge a "pre-selection fee" of DM27 (USD14.92) a month through the end of 1998. The fee is up from DM20.65 now, but far lower than the DM47.26 Telekom had sought. It will be cut back to DM20 in 1999 and DM10 thereafter. Telekom collects the fee from rival vendors for using its local networks. Earlier, the Federal Cartel Office had criticised the Telekom plan as "excessive". A spokesman said the cartel office had submitted an opinion to the Regulatory Agency for Posts and Telecommunications advising that Telekom's proposal on pre-selection fees was not appropriate. Telekom has repeatedly clashed with the regulator since the German telephone market was opened to competition at the start of this year. The cartel office spokesman said the proposed charge was high by international standards, and he added...