The GSMA welcomed the European Commission’s newly launched Digital Single Market Strategy. Afke Schaart, Vice President GSMA Europe, praised the strategy for identifying the right priorities and objectives to fully realise the major social and economic benefits of a digital single market.
Ms. Schaart called for swift action to adapt and update the EU’s telecoms legal framework to rapidly changing market conditions, and clear signals from policy makers to encourage digital infrastructure investment. She also underlined the importance of bringing about a “level playing field” through the rules governing electronic communications. “To achieve the digital single market, Europe’s citizens should, for example, be able to rely on a consistent level of data and consumer-rights protection, whichever service they choose, and whatever the technology, business model or the provider involved,” Ms. Schaart added.
The Digital Single Market Strategy covers practically everything digital in Europe, from e-Commerce, cross-border VAT and parcel delivery, through telecom rules, radio spectrum, data protection, privacy and security, to the role of online platforms, digital diffusion for ‘Industry 4.0’, standards, interoperability, digital inclusion and education, the road to 5G and more. Ms Schaart commented: “With digital infrastructure, both mobile and fixed, playing a unique underpinning role in practically all the digital single market topics, the GSMA looks forward to supporting the Commission, the European Parliament and the governments in Council as they try to bring about a full EU Digital Single Market. The GSMA and its members believe that the first step to achieving the levels of investment required in digital infrastructure is for policy makers to get onto the Telecom Framework Review as soon as possible.”
Read the full press release here.