The European members of the GSMA welcome the European Commission’s White Paper ‘How to master Europe’s digital infrastructure needs?’, which is an important first step towards
resetting the regulatory framework for telecommunications and re-energising the European telco sector as an engine of competitiveness and prosperity.
Our call to action is clear – achieving a more connected and innovative Europe based on a digital single market that demands a bold new approach. Therefore the GSMA, alongside our mobile operator members, is calling for:
- A rebalancing of the digital ecosystem by ensuring equivalent rules for all service providers, levelling the playing field and promoting healthy competition across the digital value chain by adopting a mechanism to ensure swift resolution of eventual disputes between parties in the internet ecosystem.
- A re-evaluation of the existing regulatory framework that was conceived 20-30 years ago, and an update to the policy objectives and principles to match today’s market realities and challenges.
- A more long-term view on investment and innovation effects that will allow European telecom operators to build scale in-market consolidation.
- The establishment of a pro-investment approach to EU spectrum policy, including the adoption of best practices to achieve a more predictable and harmonised approach to spectrum auctions, licensing costs, the prolongation of licences, and the identification of future bands.
- The extension of circular economy principles to network equipment and the EU taxonomy for green investment in electronic communication networks, based on robust metrics.