Is mandatory access to the postal network desirable and if so at what terms?

Access to the network is one of the key tools used by regulators to stimulate competition in network industries. For instance, incumbents in the telecommunications sector, in the European Union and elsewhere, are typically mandated to grant access to their network to their rivals. Third-party access to the network requirements can also be found in the energy (gas and electricity) and rail sectors. The questions this paper seeks to address are (i) whether postal incumbents should be mandated to give access to their network and, if that is the case, (ii) at what terms. These questions are addressed by reference to the specific features of the postal sector.