Some say that the company dealing with pure telecom services only won't be able to survive. Is this your opinion' Yes? No? Why?

We live in a fast changing environment and the number of services increases rapidly. Services considered today as innovative will be considered soon as pure telecom or even outdated services. Cegecom monitors the market very closely and is able to foresee its evolution and consequently offers the latest technologies and services. Our actual backbone is based on sate-of-the-art technology and our involvement in PLC and DSL show clearly that Cegecom believes in innovation and shows the way ahead

Do you think that the regulating authorities in Luxembourg are doing a good job? Do they have all the necessary means to do so? Yes? No? Why?

The ILR has been doing a very good job so far, considering the limited power of decision it had been granted. The changing of the status of the regulating authorities will give the ILR the leverage need.

Whom are you focusing on (private, small, and medium enterprises, international companies, ...)? How will you manage to stand out?

Cegecom is focusing on large, medium and small firms, all national and international. We will be able to offer services to the private customer as soon as we get stated with the PLC and the UMTS. We are already standing out today with the quality of our network as well as the flexibility we show towards our customers, and we will differentiate ourselves further with the new products we will be launching soon.

Bandwidth new technologies to access the network?. The competition is though because of the multiplication of technologies. Which are the ones that promise the biggest potential'

Cegecom has already shown where the future is. SDH is the technology for the big capacities (up to 2.5Gbps and WLL is the choice for medium-size demand. DSL and PLC will prove to be the right alternative for the residential and small business customers. All these technologies are aimed at different markets and purposes, therefore they all have a potential.

How would you analyze the Luxembourg market? What are its characteristics compared to other European markets? At what point can it still be developed'

The difference between the other European markets and Luxembourg is the size. The Luxembourg telecom market has the potential to grow further, driven by a strong competition among operators. The need for bandwidth is constantly increasing with new services offered by the banking and entertainment industry. The other difference is the international aspect. Many firms need international connections and Cegecom is able to provide high quality international connections at competitive rates, through its partnerships all over Europe.

Does the country still mean anything when talking about Telecom' Should we rather think of a region, even European level'

Cegecom has a regional vision with a point of presence in Trier (Germany) and with its strong European partners. Certainly the meaning of a country as a single entity changes but the law still defines the borders. You have to get licenses for each country and UMTS shows how expensive this can get. Billing and confidentiality are two aspects where a country shows its independence. However it is clear that the regional aspect is very important and you cannot have a vision of the future without it.

With some delay to other European countries, Luxembourg is now turning towards UMTS and the 3rd generation's mobiles. What is the potential of the country? Which are the dangers to be avoided by the legislators and the regulating institution' Why?

Luxembourg has indeed some delay in its licensing process, compared to other countries, but the reality is that the UMTS phones are not available yet. An early start for UMTS is not possible, as the situations with British Telecom (Isle of Man) and NTT DOCOMO (Japan) have recently shown.

Luxembourg has a penetration of more than 60% in the mobile area and UMTS will push this number higher. There is room for more than 2 actual operators and Cegecom will take on the challenge if the business plan makes sense. We are sure that the ILR as well as the Government are monitoring the European market very closely and they will make the right decisions concerning site sharing, maximum field strengths and licensing fees.