The U.K.’s telecoms operators are subject to over-regulation in areas where it is unnecessary and intervention from too many different regulatory bodies, EE chief executive officer Olaf Swantee declared on Tuesday.
"There is, frankly, too much regulation around mobile today," Swantee said in a keynote address at the Total Telecom Festival in London.
Telcos have three different bodies to contend with: the European Union, the U.K. government and Ofcom, Swantee said. Meanwhile, over-the-top (OTT) players continue to fly under the radar, he said.
"We cannot continue to have three organisations all trying to bring new ideas around regulation," he said, calling for greater coordination between them. However, that would be difficult to achieve, he admitted.
Avoiding regulating areas in which there is sufficient competition was a core premise of Ofcom, Swantee said, calling for an end to unnecessary regulation.
Today, "there are many areas where competition works and you don’t need regulation," he said.
Swantee noted that he is not looking for more regulation on OTT companies, just a more balanced playing field.
"They are under the radar screen today and that needs to change," he said.
Swantee also addressed an area that is close to the heart of its would-be new owner BT: pay television.
"Pay TV is very expensive," with prices coming in significantly higher than in other markets, he said. "That needs to be addressed by Ofcom."
Regarding EE’s takeover by BT, which received preliminary approval from the U.K. competition watchdog a month ago, Swantee insisted that the two companies are currently working on the mundane aspects of the deal, such as making sure staff have the appropriate building security cards and that the WiFi is operational.
The question of whether the merged entity will continue with a multi-brand strategy or adopt a single name will be decided "in due course," he said.
"It’s quite an important decision, but it’s not an urgent decision."
