telekom control - telecommunications report 1998-1999 / Regulatory environment and telecommunications institutions / Chronological development of market liberalisation in Austria: 1993

II.2 Chronological development of market liberalisation in Austria: 1993 - 1997
By requesting accession in 1989 Austria also implicitly agreed to implement the liberalisation steps in the telecommunications sector provided in the European Community. The restructuring of the Austrian telecommunications sector and the establishment of corresponding institutions and mechanisms, as shown below, was carried out not so much due to independent national initiative but rather the pressure for reform and reform patterns worked out by the European Union.		In many cases reorganisational steps were performed late and only to the extent absolutely necessary. Nevertheless, with the adoption of a new Telecommunications Act and the establishment of Telekom-Control GmbH as regulatory authority, Austria succeeded in taking the critical steps preparing for full liberalisation in due time.