Date: July 26, 2005
Subject: Termination of the Canada Korea Telecommunications Equipment Agreement
Summary
Agreement has been reached with Korea regarding their request that the Canada Korea Telecommunications Equipment Agreement be terminated effective September 1,
2005.
Korea Telecom, the only entity listed in the subject agreement by Korea, has been privatized. As a private sector telecommunications service provider, the firm is no
longer carrying out government procurement and Korea no longer has any covered government procurement under this agreement.
The Canadian International Trade Tribunal Procurement Inquiry Regulations will be amended to remove this agreement from the scope of its inquiry. No other regulatory
changes are required.
Background
Korea made commitments to open procurement of the then government-owned Korea Telecom in the 1999 Canada-Korea Telecommunications Equipment Procurement Agreement
(CKTEPA). From an industry perspective, the purpose of the CKTEPA was to put Canadian equipment manufacturers on the same footing as U.S. and E.U. manufacturers. In June
2002, Korea proposed to withdraw Korea Telecom from the CKTEPA on the basis that Korea Telecom had been privatized and was no longer carrying out government procurement.
Canadian equipment manufacturers are aware that Korea Telecom has been privatized and that this agreement would no longer cover any Korean government procurement.
Contracting Policy
Appendix Y of the Treasury Board Contracting Policy pertains to the Policy Implementing the Agreement Between the Government of the Republic of Korea and the Government
of Canada on the Procurement of Telecommunications Equipment. This appendix will be removed from the policy.
All TBS publications are available online via the TBS web site at: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/
Enquiries
For further information please contact: Treasury Board Secretariat at (613) 941-7182 or by fax at (613) 952-1381.
Jane Cochran
Executive Director
Procurement and Project Management Policy Directorate
Distribution: T022, T023, T024, T161, TB06, TB07, TB21 and TB23.
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