EU Telecoms Reform

On 4 December 2018, the Council of the European Union (the “Council”) formally approved a major reform of the European telecom regulatory framework, the European Electronic Communications Code (the “EECC”). The Council also approved an associated regulation on the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (“BEREC Regulation”).
Continue Reading IoT Update: Council of the European Union adopts the European Electronic Communications Code and BEREC Regulation

The European Commission estimates that the global market for the Internet of Things (“IoT”) will grow to 75.4 billion devices by 2023. It also estimates that the economic value of spectrum enabled services is at present worth €500 billion per year. This is expected to increase by 200% – up to €1 trillion a year by 2023 – making the availability of spectrum (needed to send and receive data) and the development of 5G technology increasingly significant.

The European Electronic Communications Code, part of the Commission’s Digital Single Market (“DSM”) Strategy, is nearing the end of the legislative process. It contains a range of safeguards aimed at European-level harmonization for 5G and spectrum management, high-speed broadband technology, and seeks to level the regulatory playing field for “Over the Top” (“OTT”) services with that of traditional telecoms services.Continue Reading IoT Update: The European Electronic Communications Code – Developing the Future of IoT in the EU

On 12 September, 2013, the European Commission formally adopted a proposal for a new Telecommunications Regulation (the “Regulation”).  The Regulation would, if enacted, reform the European Union’s telecommunication rules, including in areas such as net neutrality, spectrum allocation, roaming charges, and consumer rights in mobile and telecoms contracts.  The proposal is now being considered by the European Parliament and Council. 

This post, on reforms publicized as encouraging growth and reducing red-tape for companies, is the final part of a series on key aspects of the proposed Regulation.

As discussed in our previous post, the Regulation introduces a range of new consumer rights that, together with a phase-out of roaming charges (see our previous post), may harm industry’s short-term revenues.  However, to balance that outcome, and to make the Regulation more politically feasible, the Commission has also designed other sections of the Regulation to win over industry.  Some of the most important of these sections are outlined below.
Continue Reading EU Telecoms Regulation Proposals: Part 3 – Promoting Growth

On 12 September, 2013, the European Commission formally adopted a proposal for a new Telecommunications Regulation (the “Regulation”).  The Regulation would, if enacted, reform the European Union’s telecommunication rules, including in areas such as net neutrality, spectrum allocation, roaming charges, and consumer rights in mobile and telecoms contracts.  The proposal is now being considered by the European Parliament and Council. 

This post, on reforms publicized as “consumer rights”, is the second part of a series on key aspects of the proposed Regulation.

The Regulation proposes a number of measures designed to strengthen the rights of European consumers in the telecoms and Internet access markets.  If enacted, the proposals, which are described further below, will phase-out roaming charges within the EU, compel telecoms companies and Internet Service Providers (“ISPs”) to provide more information to consumers about service levels, and will make it easier for consumers to switch providers.  In the short run, the measures are anticipated to hit revenues for telecoms companies (the Commission estimates an average annual loss of around 0.5% in revenue), but the Commission claims the benefits to consumers will also help business travellers, generating net benefits over the longer term for the economy.

Some of the key pro-consumer measures in the Regulation include:
Continue Reading EU Telecoms Regulation Proposals: Part 2 – New Consumer Rights