On 27 January, GSMA Europe organised the Mobile Meetings Series breakfast on Competition Policy in the digital age and used it as a platform to launch the Competition Policy Handbook: a practical guide. The handbook provides thought-leading insights into how current competition policy may, in some respects, hinder the dynamic digital marketplace.
In a roundtable debate with participants from the EU Commission, Parliament and Council, as well as industry, academia and analysts, there was broad agreement that the goal of any government intervention should be consumer welfare. How that welfare is measured, however, is a key question in telecoms. The debate centred on whether price alone is a sufficient proxy, as can be the case in merger reviews, or whether consumer welfare should include quality of coverage, service and other factors. As evidence points to a direct link between investment in telecoms and broad consumer welfare, investment and innovation should be key barometers for policy intervention and could help to determine a vision for the European digital economy.
There was general consensus that more regulation is not the answer. Instead, there was support for the equal application of competition policy to address distortions resulting from sector-specific regulation and the reluctance to revise market definitions or concepts of consumer harm in emerging services.
The handbook is published at a time when policymakers are considering whether and how competition policy should be adapted to reflect the new realities of the digital ecosystem, ensuring that it promotes long-term growth and innovation to the benefit of consumers.