Mobile Meetings Series: Data driven innovation: Practical applications for big data in the mobile economy

On 10 November, GSMA Europe hosted a Mobile Meetings Series breakfast debate entitled “Data driven innovation: Practical applications for big data in the mobile economy”. Participants, including MEP Axel Voss (as moderator), officials from the European Commission and industry representatives, discussed the potential of big data to revolutionise a variety of business sectors.

As more and more devices are connected to the Internet, there is enormous potential for big data analytics to improve products and services for consumers and to help governments achieve social and public policy objectives. Whether in healthcare, energy, or transport, insights from big data can enable governments and businesses to improve people’s lives by spotting potential epidemics, eliminating traffic jams, and making the planet greener.

Participants agreed big data generated by the growing Internet of Things could yield great benefits for the Digital Single Market.  However, realising this potential depends in part on the negotiations between the EU institutions on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) addressing the long-term viability of the regulation, so as not to hinder the development of this new market in Europe.

MEP Voss reported the conclusions of the Mobile Meetings debate in a blog post on the EPP group website. He highlighted the importance of a European data protection framework that allows for a data-driven economy, while protecting privacy.