CyprusRegulatory Decision 271/2026 on the Beneficiaries of the Special Tariff Packages, universal service tariff packages for persons with the permanent disabilities it lists
In force since .
An accessibility requirements rule binding public and private bodies.
What it requires
- If the Commissioner has designated you as universal service provider, give beneficiaries with special social needs, being persons with a permanent severe or total physical, sight or hearing disability, a permanent moderate, severe or total intellectual disability, or a permanent severe or total psychiatric disability, the pricing set out in the table in Article 6(1) for fixed-location voice connections and for broadband internet access services (Decision Arts. 4(2) and 6(1)).
- Where a beneficiary is a minor in one of those categories, treat the parent or guardian who lives in the same premises and presents the required certificates as the beneficiary, and accept the parent's or guardian's signed declaration that the minor lives in the same premises (Decision Arts. 4(4) and 6(4)).
- Offer the special tariff package only to beneficiaries who are natural persons with their permanent residence in Cyprus, and for one premises with a distinct address (Decision Art. 6(2), (3), (5) and (6)).
- Treat persons with low income as beneficiaries too, being natural persons who receive public assistance from the Social Welfare Services or the Guaranteed Minimum Income from the Welfare Benefits Administration Service (Decision Arts. 4(1)(β) and 4(3)).
- Decide who is a beneficiary on the certificates Article 5 lists, which the applicant must produce: for special social needs, an Integrated Disability Assessment Finding (ΟΠΑΑ) showing a severe or total disability with a permanent period of validity, or a certificate from the Department for Social Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities that the person receives the Severe Mobility Disability Allowance, the Care Allowance for Quadriplegics, the Care Allowance for Paraplegics or the Blind Persons Grant and has a permanent severe or total disability, or a certificate from any State Department that the person is certified with a permanent severe disability or a permanent moderate intellectual disability, or a European Disability Card, or, for intellectual disability, a certificate that the person is registered with the Committee for the Protection of Persons with Intellectual Disability and is not institutionalised; for low income, a certificate from the Social Welfare Services of public assistance, or from the Welfare Benefits Administration Service of the Guaranteed Minimum Income (Decision Art. 5(1) and (2)).
- For a minor in one of the special social needs categories, also require the minor's birth certificate, the parent's or guardian's identity card and, where the minor is under guardianship, proof of guardianship such as a court order, in addition to the certificates required under Article 5(α) and 5(δ), and make the parent's or guardian's declaration that the minor lives in the same premises draw attention to the law on false declarations (Decision Arts. 4(4)(α) to (γ) and 6(4)).
- Fixed-location voice connections, special social needs (Decision Art. 6(1), table): connect persons with special social needs free of charge.
- Fixed-location voice connections, low income (Decision Art. 6(1), table): charge persons with low income at most 50% of the connection fee, excluding VAT, as published in the universal service provider's price list.
- Monthly rental of fixed-location voice connections, special social needs (Decision Art. 6(1), table): give persons with special social needs the monthly rental free of charge.
- Monthly rental of fixed-location voice connections, low income (Decision Art. 6(1), table): charge persons with low income at most 50% of the monthly rental, excluding VAT, as published in the universal service provider's price list.
- Calls, special social needs (Decision Art. 6(1), table): price calls by persons with special social needs at the same fee as the provider's call tariff as it applies or is amended from time to time, and give them the first 100 minutes of national calls each month free of charge.
- Calls, low income (Decision Art. 6(1), table): price calls by persons with low income at the same fee as the provider's call tariff as it applies or is amended from time to time.
- Broadband internet access connection fee, special social needs (Decision Art. 6(1), table): connect persons with special social needs to broadband internet access free of charge.
- Broadband internet access connection fee, low income (Decision Art. 6(1), table): charge persons with low income at most 50% of the connection fee, excluding VAT, as published in the universal service provider's price list.
- Broadband internet access monthly rental, special social needs (Decision Art. 6(1), table): give persons with special social needs the lowest service offered free of charge, provided the minimum speed of 10 Mbps download and 2 Mbps upload is kept.
- Broadband internet access monthly rental, low income (Decision Art. 6(1), table): charge persons with low income at most 50% of the monthly rental of the lowest service offered, excluding VAT, as published in the universal service provider's price list, provided the minimum speed of 10 Mbps download and 2 Mbps upload is kept.
These lines are LexLint's reading of the law's text.
If you get it wrong
Criminal exposureYes
Criminal exposure note
Article 46(10) of Law 24(I)/2022 makes it an offence for a person, without reasonable cause, to fail to comply with the terms of a decision or regulatory decision that the Commissioner issues under the Law. On conviction the person is liable to imprisonment of up to six months, to a fine of up to EUR 850, or to both. Article 46(1) of Law 24(I)/2022 also makes it an offence to provide an electronic communications network or service otherwise than as the Law, a general authorisation under it or the Commissioner's regulatory decisions lay down, punishable by imprisonment of up to six months, a fine of up to EUR 5,000, or both. Section 2 of the Interpretation Law reads a person to include a company, cooperative, association, society, foundation or body of persons, with or without legal personality, so both offences reach a provider that is a company, at the same ceilings.
Penalty structure
Article 43(2) of Law 24(I)/2022 caps the Commissioner's administrative fine at EUR 200,000 and, where the infringement is repeated, at EUR 400,000. Where the infringement continues, or the provider does not comply after notice of the initial fine, the Commissioner may add a further administrative fine of not more than EUR 1,000 for each day the infringement continues. The EUR 1,000 is a per-day amount. Article 43(1) also lets the Commissioner impose other administrative sanctions or revoke licences where it finds a breach.
- Rule
- Fixed only
- As of
- Currency
- EUR
- Fixed cap
- 400,000
Who enforces it
Enforcement body
The Commissioner for Communications (Επίτροπος Επικοινωνιών), who may impose administrative fines and other administrative sanctions, or revoke licences, under Article 43 of Law 24(I)/2022 on an obligated organisation that breaches the Decision
What it reaches
Instrument type
a regulation made under an act
Applicability criteria
- As of
- Combinator
- All of
- Criteria
- the public electronic communications network provider that is designated as universal service provider of electronic communications, or of part of it, in the Republic (the Universal Service Provider of Electronic Communications)
What this law does
Regulatory Decision 271/2026 on the beneficiaries of the special tariff packages is made under Articles 4(3)(β), 4(3)(ζ), 25(4) and 45 of Law 24(I)/2022. Regulatory Decision 271/2026 was published in the Official Gazette on . Article 10 puts Regulatory Decision 271/2026 in force from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.
Article 3 states the purpose of the Decision as defining the beneficiaries of the special tariff packages for the services within the universal service, so that consumers with low income or special social needs have access at affordable prices.
Annex III to Regulatory Decision 297/2022 requires the obligated organisation to make available to users who request fixed-location voice communications or broadband internet services one or more tariff packages, so that subscribers with low income or special social needs are not excluded from access to or use of the service, each complying with the Commissioner's regulatory decision under Article 25(4) of the Law.
Article 4(2) makes persons with special social needs beneficiaries, being persons with a permanent severe or total physical disability, a permanent severe or total sight disability, a permanent severe or total hearing disability, a permanent moderate, severe or total intellectual disability, or a permanent severe or total psychiatric disability.
Article 4(4) makes the parents or guardians of minors who belong to those categories the beneficiaries, provided they live together in the same premises and present the required certificates. Article 4(3) makes persons with low income beneficiaries, being natural persons who receive public assistance from the Social Welfare Services or the Guaranteed Minimum Income from the Welfare Benefits Administration Service.
Article 5 requires the applicant for a special tariff package to produce the certificates it lists for the person's class, so as to prevent abuse. Article 6(1) requires the universal service provider to give the beneficiaries the pricing that the table in that paragraph sets out.
Article 6(1) sets out the pricing by service for persons with low income and persons with special social needs, covering the connection, monthly rental and calls of fixed-location voice communications, and the connection fee and monthly rental of broadband internet access. Article 6(2) and (3) limit the fixed voice connection and the broadband internet access service for beneficiaries who are natural persons to one premises with a distinct address.
Article 6(4) requires the universal service provider to accept that beneficiary minors live in the same premises as their parents or guardians on the signed declaration of the parent or guardian. Article 6(5) and (6) limit the special tariff package to beneficiaries who are natural persons and who have their permanent residence in Cyprus.
Article 8 lets the Commissioner impose an administrative fine, under Article 43 of the Law and the Order on the Collection of Information and Imposition of Administrative Fines, on any obligated organisation that breaches an obligation in the Decision. Article 7 lets the Commissioner amend or replace the Decision by regulatory decision. Article 43(2) of Law 24(I)/2022 caps the Commissioner's administrative fine at EUR 200,000 and, for a repeated infringement, at EUR 400,000.
Article 43(2) also lets the Commissioner add a fine of not more than EUR 1,000 for each day an infringement continues, or the provider does not comply after notice of the initial fine. Article 46(10) of Law 24(I)/2022 makes it an offence, punishable by imprisonment of up to six months, a fine of up to EUR 850, or both, for a person without reasonable cause to fail to comply with the terms of a regulatory decision of the Commissioner.
Article 43(1) of Law 24(I)/2022 also lets the Commissioner impose other administrative sanctions or revoke licences where it finds a breach. Article 46(1) of Law 24(I)/2022 makes it an offence, punishable by imprisonment of up to six months, a fine of up to EUR 5,000, or both, for a person to provide an electronic communications network or service otherwise than as the Law, a general authorisation under it or the Commissioner's regulatory decisions lay down.
Section 2 of the Interpretation Law reads a person to include a company, cooperative, association, society, foundation or body of persons, with or without legal personality. Regulatory Decision 271/2026 repeals and replaces the Order on the Special Tariff Packages for Persons with Low Income or Special Social Needs.
The marginal note to Article 9 identifies the repealed Order as Regulatory Administrative Act 56/2018, published in issue 5070 of the Official Gazette of , and also cites Regulatory Administrative Act 153/2020.
Article 85(2) of Directive (EU) 2018/1972 requires Member States, where retail prices are not affordable because consumers with a low income or special social needs are prevented from accessing the services, to take measures to ensure affordability for those consumers, and allows them to require providers to offer those consumers tariff options or packages different from those provided under normal commercial conditions.
When LexLint raises it
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