EU Telecoms Policy

Latest news about the European Union's policy on telecommunications.

EU invests EUR 18m in future ultra high-speed mobile internet - briefing — 18 August 2009, 22:24 CET

As of 1 January 2010, the European Union will invest EUR 18 million into research that will underpin next generation 4G mobile networks. The European Commission has decided to start the process of funding research on Long Term Evolution (LTE) Advanced technology, that will offer mobile internet speeds up to a hundred times faster than current 3G networks. LTE is becoming the industry's first choice for next generation mobile networks, also thanks to substantial EU research funding since 2004. 25 years ago, Europe already made the GSM standard the backbone of modern mobile telephony. Based on Europe's joint research and the strength of the EU's single market, the GSM standard is today used by 80% of the world's mobile networks. LTE promises to be a similar success as EU-funded research continues to bring cutting-edge technology to the daily lives of Europeans.

Conference on the deployment of innovative broadband networks (Brussels, from 09 October 2009, 00:00 CET to 09 October 2009, 00:00 CET) —

A conference dedicated to 'Improving the deployment of innovative broadband networks in European regions' will be held on 9 October in Brussels, Belgium.

Transport Network Strategies (Barcelona, from 16 November 2009, 09:00 CET to 18 November 2009, 18:00 CET) —

TNS is EMEA's premier event for operator transport networking professionals wishing to develop a realistic and comprehensive understanding of the transport technologies on offer and the network evolution strategies adopted by their competitors.

IMS Global Congress (Vienna, from 23 November 2009, 09:00 CET to 24 November 2009, 18:00 CET) —

This year sees some exciting changes to the event which promise even more value for those taking part. Firstly, IIR is making 100 free delegate passes available to operators to ensure that IMS professionals can take advantage of the networking and learning opportunities available despite the current economic climate. Secondly, in order to encourage more networking and interaction between attendees, the event will feature more informal discussion sessions and some vendor spotlight sessions.

Mobile Termination Rates Compliance Forum (Crowne Plaza London, St. James, from 30 November 2009, 09:00 CET to 01 December 2009, 17:00 CET) —

Mobile Termination Rates Compliance Forum 30th November – 1st December 2009 Crowne Plaza London, St. James http://www.iir-events.com/IIR-Conf/page.aspx?id=22015

Key Audiovisual and Media Policies of the European Union: eCommunications — 09 July 2009, 16:24 CET

To improve innovation and increase efficiency in the telecommunications sector, the European Union promotes increased competition through a series of regulatory rules.

EU cuts the cost of texting and mobile data services abroad - briefing — 01 July 2009, 22:57 CET

As of today, sending a text message from abroad in the EU costs a maximum EUR 0.11, almost three times cheaper than the previous EU average of EUR 0.28 (excl. VAT). To make a roamed call in another EU country must not cost more than EUR 0.43 per minute, and no more than EUR 0.19 to receive a call. From today, outgoing roaming calls will be charged by the second, after the first 30 seconds, rather than by the minute, and incoming calls will be charged by the second from the first second. Holidaymakers and business travellers can also surf the web, download movies or send photos with their mobile without fear of ‘bill shocks’ while roaming thanks to a wholesale cap of EUR 1 per megabyte (MB) downloaded. All these measures are expected to cut roaming charges for EU consumers by a further 60% and increase mobile phone use. The EU first acted on roaming in 2007 reducing the cost of voice roaming calls by 70%.

EU harmonisation of mobile phone chargers - briefing — 29 June 2009, 16:15 CET

Incompatibility of chargers for mobile phones is a major inconvenience for users and also leads to unnecessary waste. Therefore, the Commission has requested industry to come forward with a voluntary commitment to solve this problem so as to avoid legislation. As a result major producers of mobile phones have agreed to harmonise chargers in the EU. In a Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”), which was submitted to the Commission today, the industry commits to provide chargers compatibility on the basis of the Micro-USB connector. In addition new EU standards to ensure continued safe charger use will be developed to facilitate the implementation of the MoU. The first generation of new inter-chargeable mobile phones should reach the EU market from 2010 onwards.

European Commission consultation on regulatory strategy to promote very high speed Internet in Europe - briefing — 12 June 2009, 15:28 CET

The European Commission has launched a public consultation on its revised proposals for the regulation of Next Generation Access (NGA) broadband networks, in the form of a draft Commission Recommendation. A previous public consultation held during the last quarter of 2008 confirmed general support for the objective of the Commission to achieve a common regulatory framework for NGA in order to foster timely investment in very high speed networks while ensuring that the competitive structure of the market is maintained. In the light of comments from stakeholders, the revised draft Recommendation includes mechanisms to allocate the investment risk between investors and operators seeking access to NGA networks. The draft Recommendation forms part of the European Broadband Strategy that the March European Council invited the Commission to develop by the end of 2009. The public consultation will be open until 24 July 2009. The Commission plans to adopt the Recommendation, taking account of comments received, before the end of 2009.

Carrier Ethernet World APAC (Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel, Malaysia, from 02 November 2009, 08:00 CET to 04 November 2009, 18:00 CET) —

Carrier Ethernet World Asia Pacific is the largest meeting place and educational forum for the Ethernet transport and services industry in the APAC region.

Mobile phone termination rates - briefing — 07 May 2009, 16:43 CET

The European Commission has today set out clear guidance for EU telecoms regulators on the cost-based method to be used when calculating termination rates – the wholesale fees charged by operators to connect the call from another operator's network which are part of everyone's phone bill. The guidance is in the form of a "Recommendation" that national regulators are obliged to take "the utmost account" of. The Recommendation indicates specifically that termination rates at national level should be based only on the real costs that an efficient operator incurs to establish the connection. Eliminating price distortions between phone operators across the EU will lower consumer prices for voice calls within and between Member States, saving business and household customers at least EUR 2 billion in 2009-2012, and help investment and innovation in the entire telecoms sector. Mobile termination rates varied widely in the EU in 2008 from 2.00 euro cents per minute (in Cyprus) to 15 euro cents per minute (in Bulgaria). Mobile termination rates (on average 8.55 euro cents per minute) are also typically 10 times higher than fixed termination rates (on average ranging from 0.57 to 1.13 euro cents per minute). Higher mobile termination rates make it harder for fixed and small mobile operators to compete with large mobile operators. These divergences, and differing regulatory approaches, undermine the Single Market and Europe's competitiveness.

Cost of roaming texts, calls and data services to fall from 1 July - briefing — 22 April 2009, 23:06 CET

A text message sent from abroad in the EU will cost no more than EUR 0.11 as of 1 July, instead of EUR 0.28 today. The times when consumers had to expect "bill shocks" for downloading a picture or a movie with a mobile phone while roaming in the EU are over. The European Parliament, in its plenary session in Strasbourg, today voted by a large majority in favour of new EU rules on SMS and data roaming, proposed by the European Commission in September 2008. The Parliament also voted for further cuts in the price of mobile phone calls while roaming in another EU country. The present cap for a mobile phone call made abroad will progressively drop from EUR 0.46 to EUR 0.35 per minute by July 2011, and from EUR 0.22 today to EUR 0.11 for mobile calls received while roaming abroad. Mobile operators will also be required to bill roaming calls by the second from the 31st second at the latest, which will end the current practice under which consumers are overcharged by up to 24%. As the Council of EU Telecoms Ministers has already signalled its agreement with the new roaming rules, today's vote paves the way for an entry into force of the new rules just in time for the summer holidays. European consumers are expected to save up to 60% on their bill for using a mobile phone abroad in the EU.

Faster and cheaper broadband: Commission study — 26 March 2009, 14:15 CET

European consumers paid less for their fixed broadband internet access (DSL, cable modem, fibre) in 2008 than a year ago according to a study released today by the European Commission. However, there are significant differences between EU Member States in broadband retail prices and cost structure for similar products. The Commission says EU rules should be consistently applied in a telecoms single market for all businesses and consumers equally.

Single European Telecoms Market 2008 progress report - briefing — 26 March 2009, 14:09 CET

Europe leads the world in mobile phone services with the number of subscriptions in 2008 at 119% of the EU population (up 7 percentage points from 2007), well ahead of the US (87%) and Japan (84%). This is a finding of today's European Commission progress report on the single telecoms market. Despite the economic crisis, the EU's telecoms sector (worth about 3% of EU GDP) continued to grow in 2008 with revenues estimated at above EUR 300 billion, up 1.3% compared to 2007 and outperforming the rest of the economy (up by 1% only). Consumers gain the most from the sector's competitiveness: they pay less while getting better value for money. Average mobile phone bills have fallen from EUR 21.48 to EUR 19.49 in 2008 and 75% of European consumers now have internet connections of 2 megabits per second and above (speeds allowing, for example, TV over internet), thanks to EU action. However, the Commission's report also warns that without better European coordination, the benefits of a single telecoms market could be jeopardised by inconsistent national regulation.

Optimising & Evolving 3G Networks 2009 (Barcelona, from 15 June 2009, 09:00 CET to 18 June 2009, 09:00 CET) —

Optimising & Evolving 3G Networks 2009 15th – 18th June Barcelona http://www.iir-events.com/IIR-Conf/page.aspx?id=18886

Number Portability ME (Dubai, from 19 April 2009, 09:00 CET to 21 April 2009, 18:00 CET) —

 

Pan-European numbers and services — 18 February 2009, 19:43 CET

With more mobility for citizens in Europe it is seen as increasingly important that access to essential services does not depend on ‘local knowledge’. Harmonisation and coordination of telecommunications services provide opportunities to introduce unified numbers as well as services to benefit citizens all over the EU. These include the single European emergency number 112 and the 116 range of numbers for social services. In future Europeans will be also able to benefit from pan-European mobile satellite services.

116000 EU missing children hotline - briefing — 18 February 2009, 19:43 CET

Two years ago, the European Commission reserved the number 116000 as a common missing children telephone hotline for the entire EU and called on Member States to get it up and running. While last year, the 116000 number was only working in Hungary, after repeated calls from the Commission, all EU Member States have today made the number publicly available to hotline providers. The number has also been assigned to service providers in nine Member States, compared to seven last year. 116000 is now a working service in five countries (Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal and Romania). It will also be functioning soon in two further countries (Belgium and Slovakia). After having closely monitored that 116000 is reserved by EU countries, as required under EU law, the Commission now calls once again on Member States to support and guide would-be 116000 hotline operators so that parents and children can call 116000 when they need it, everywhere in Europe.

Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly-Identified Health Risks — 03 February 2009, 22:52 CET

The European Commission's Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly-Identified Health Risks - SCENIHR - provides opinions on questions concerning emerging or newly identified risks and on broad, complex or multidisciplinary issues requiring a comprehensive assessment of risks to consumer safety or public health and related issues not covered by other Community risk assessment bodies. Examples of potential areas of activity include potential risks associated with interaction of risk factors, synergic effects, cumulative effects, antimicrobial resistance, new technologies such as nanotechnologies, medical devices including those incorporating substances of animal and/or human origin, tissue engineering, blood products, fertility reduction, cancer of endocrine organs, physical hazards such as noise and electromagnetic fields (from mobile phones, transmitters and electronically controlled home environments), and methodologies for assessing new risks.

Commission earmarks EUR 1bn for investment in broadband - briefing — 28 January 2009, 17:09 CET

The European Commission aims to achieve 100 per cent high-speed internet coverage for all citizens by 2010 as part of the European Economic Recovery Plan. EUR 1 billion has been earmarked today to help rural areas get online, bring new jobs and help businesses grow. On average, 93 per cent of Europeans can enjoy a high speed online connection but in some countries broadband covers less than half of the rural population. Broadband internet connection is expected to create 1 million jobs and boost the EU's economy by EUR 850 billion between 2006 and 2015.

Scope of the Universal Service in Telecoms: 2008 EC report — 25 September 2008, 15:40 CET

How can the EU ensure broadband Internet access for all Europeans? This is the main question raised in a European Commission report today. From 2003-2007 broadband use in the EU tripled to 36% of households. However, 7% of the EU's population are still not connected (30% in rural areas). There are striking gaps in the EU: 100% of the population is covered in Denmark, Luxembourg and Belgium, but more than 60% in Romania (75% in rural areas) do not have broadband access. Even in strong economies such as Italy and Germany, 18% and 12% respectively of the rural population are not covered. With broadband increasingly important in daily life, policy tools like radio spectrum management and mobile satellite services should accompany a broad debate about the universal service in telecoms – a safety net guaranteeing a minimum level of services, such as connection to a phone network and basic Internet access, filling basic needs that the market does not.

Roaming: No More Nasty Surprises — 23 September 2008, 23:20 CET

Will we soon see the end of unpleasant surprises on mobile bills after travelling abroad? Possibly.

Next Generation Access networks in Europe - briefing — 18 September 2008, 15:13 CET

The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the regulatory principles to be applied by EU Member States to Next Generation Access broadband networks (NGA). NGA optical fibre-based networks enable bitrates several times higher than those currently available on traditional copper wire networks. NGAs are required to deliver high-definition content (such as high definition television) and interactive applications. The objective of a common regulatory framework for NGA is to foster a consistent treatment of operators in the EU and thereby ensure the necessary regulatory predictability to invest. The Commission is consulting on the basis of a draft Recommendation, addressed to the regulators in the 27 EU Member States and suggesting definitions for harmonized categories of regulated services, access conditions, rates of return and appropriate risk premiums. The public consultation will be open until 14th November 2008. The Commission will then finalise the Recommendation in the light of comments received and formally adopt it in 2009.

Mobile Satellite Services in Europe - briefing — 08 April 2010, 11:00 CET

A competition for providers of communication services via satellite across Europe was launched on 7 August by the European Commission. Satellite operators will for the first time be able to offer services such as high speed data, mobile TV, disaster relief and remote medical services under a single European selection procedure instead of under 27 different national systems. This is made possible by a new EU decision on mobile satellite services that entered into force this July. Mobile satellite systems use radio spectrum to provide services between a mobile earth station and one or more stations either in space or on the ground at fixed locations. They have the capability to cover a large territory and reach areas where such services were economically unviable before. The new European selection procedure could allow companies to offer innovative wireless services throughout Europe over a specifically reserved spectrum as of 2009.

EU crackdown of ringtone scams - guide — 17 July 2008, 16:15 CET

The European Commission announced on 17 July the results of an EU-wide investigation into websites offering mobile phone services such as ring-tones and wallpapers. The enquiry, which was carried out on more than 500 websites across the 27 EU Member States, Norway and Iceland, found that 80% of the sites checked need to be further investigated for suspected breaches of EU consumer rules. Many of the websites target children and young people. Problems found included: unclear price information where prices are incomplete did not include taxes or customers are unaware that they are signing up to a subscription. Large numbers of websites do not provide some of the required contact information about the trader. Other problems relate to misleading information where key information is hidden in very small print or hard to find on a website or the word "free" is used to mislead consumers into a long-term contracts. The breaches vary in the degree of seriousness. More than 495 million mobile phones are owned by Europeans. Ring-tones alone were estimated to make up 29% of the overall "mobile content" market in Europe in 2007 (about 10% higher than 2006). The value of European ring-tone sales in 2007 was estimated at EUR 691 million. Seven countries Norway, Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Iceland, Romania, Greece) are publishing the names of the websites which they found to have irregularities.