Universal service
The universal service is a set of basic electronic communications services whose provision is guaranteed to all users who request it, regardless of their geographical location, with a specified quality and at an affordable price. These services are:
- Provision of the connection to the public electronic communications network from a fixed location with 1 Mbps broadband capacity.
- Telephone service provision available to the public from a fixed location.
- Provision of payment telephony service with coins or cards through terminals located on public roads (telephone booths).
- Preparation and delivery of the subscriber number guide.
- Telephone consultation service about subscriber numbers.
- Specific measures for users with disabilities.
The operator designated to guarantee the provision of the connection to the fixed network with broadband capacity at 1 Mbps and the provision of the telephone service available to the public from a fixed location, until January 1, 2023, is Telefónica de España S.A.U., which operates under the trade name of Movistar.
The operator designated to guarantee the provision of payment telephony service with coins or cards through terminals located on public roads (telephone booths), until January 1, 2022 is Telefónica Telecomunicaciones Públicas S.A.U.
For the telephone consultation service about subscriber numbers, no operator designation has been made, considering that its provision is guaranteed with the plurality of offers available in the market. For similar reasons, no designation has been made for the preparation and delivery of the subscriber number guide.
The control and monitoring of universal service obligations corresponds to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation.
User complaints that could not be resolved directly with the designated operator, may be addressed to the Telecommunications User Service Office.
The determination of the net cost and its financing corresponds to the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC).