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Brussels reportedly wants Europe’s telco regulators to offer 25-year mobile licences.
The European Commission plans to relax rules that require telcos to open up their infrastructure to rivals in a bid to encourage the deployment of new fibre networks, it emerged on Wednesday.
According to a document seen by Reuters, operators will be encouraged to co-invest in shared fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) rollouts by offering them lighter access rules in return.
National telco regulators will also be advised to consider existing commercial arrangements between telcos and the level of retail competition before imposing mandated wholesale access rules.
It is hoped that these proposals will strengthen the business case for rolling out new fibre networks in areas where there is little financial incentive.
Furthermore, according to the document, regulators will be given the power to sanction telcos that deviate from their intended network investments without a valid reason.
In addition, Reuters reports that the Commission aims to set a minimum spectrum licence duration of 25 years in a bid to coordinate how airwaves are assigned to mobile operators across the European Union.
The proposed changes form part of Brussels’ sweeping overhaul of the EU’s telecom regulations, which are expected to be unveiled later this month.
