News
Heads of BT, Deutsche Telekom, KPN, Telekom Austria, discuss framework review with commissioners.
The CEOs of several major European telcos along with lobby group ETNO met with a number of EU commissioners on Tuesday to advocate for a pro-investment approach to regulation.
"At a time in which Europe moves towards a 5G society, ETNO companies believe that an unequivocal pro-investment stance in the upcoming telecoms framework review is a pre-requisite to massive network deployment," said a statement from ETNO.
The delegation included Eelco Blok, CEO of Dutch incumbent KPN; Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Hoettges; Dominique Leroy, CEO of Belgium’s Proximus; BT chief Gavin Patterson; Alejandro Plater, CEO of Telekom Austria; and Telenor Norway CEO Berit Svendsen. ETNO’s executive chairman Steven Tas, and director general Lise Fuhr, were also in attendance.
They met with digital economy and society commissioner Günther Oettinger; competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager; and Jyrki Katainen, vice president for jobs, growth, investment and competitiveness.
The European Commission is in the process of drawing up proposals to update its approach to telecoms regulation.
Respondents to an EU consultation on the subject earlier this year said the current framework has stimulated competition, leading to a broad choice of affordable services for consumers.
However, they said the rules need overhauling in order to promote investment in next-generation networks. They also called for a more coordinated approach to developing new standards, including 5G, and highlighted the need for a more flexible use of spectrum.
Unsurprisingly, operators also want over-the-top (OTT) communication providers to be subject to the same rules as telcos, something that the OTTs disagree with.
"Both consumers and the digital ecosystem will benefit from more telecom innovation," ETNO said. "For this to happen, the current sector-specific approach to service regulation should be abandoned to the benefit of a horizontal, principle-based one."
The Commission is due to present its telecom framework proposals later this year.
