Pursuant to Article 93(5) of the Telecommunications Law, in force since September, an operator designated to provide universal service must, at the subscriber’s request, provide a detailed, free-of-charge statement of the telecommunications services performed on their behalf.
According to the ministry’s official interpretation, the billing system does not meet the requirement of detail if it contains only the number of calls made, the total number of tariff units and the corresponding charge. It does not allow the costs incurred to be verified and monitored.
Poland’s largest telecommunications operator, TP S.A., does not meet the statutory requirements; it charges PLN 5 plus VAT for detailed bills.
The European Court of Justice recently ruled that telephone operators should not charge additional fees for detailed telephone bills supplied with an invoice. The European Commission brought proceedings in this matter against Austria. The ruling states that the so-called abbreviated bill offered, for example, by TP S.A., which contains only the number of calls made, the total number of tariff units and the corresponding charge, “does not allow the costs incurred to be verified and monitored.” It should be explained that in its judgment, the Court held that the basic bill referred to in the directive should contain the information included in the statement known in Poland as a detailed bill.