Mobile Meetings Series: Competition policy: setting the rules of the game in the digital age

Each day, more than 600,000 people go online for the first time, supported by a highly interdependent ecosystem of companies including mobile operators. The value created by the internet ecosystem is increasingly captured by the growing internet ecosystem which cover a wide range of activities including online advertising platforms, marketplaces, search engines, social media and creative content outlets, application distribution platforms, communications services, payment systems, and collaborative economy platforms. The digital economy presents major innovation opportunities for European industry, SMEs and start-ups to develop new business models, products and services.

Given their role in the modern society, it is critical to ensure a balanced regulatory framework which allows consumers and businesses in the EU to benefit from digital progress while fostering fair competition and consumer interests.

In this context, the GSMA recently published a report on the Internet Value Chain. The economic and market trends in that report point to strong concentration of returns and the inflows of capital to a few internet segments, the increasing influence of few internet entities through their portfolio approach and the changed competition dynamics across the value chain. These trends indicate the need for debate on the future competition policy framework. A holistic policy framework that recognises the changed competitive landscape, broader and multi-sided markets and dynamism of digital ecosystems is required.

The GSMA has been working with industry and policymakers to modernize regulatory frameworks and approach to competition policy to fit with the new market reality of complex and closely interacting players in the Internet value chain.

This Mobile Meetings Series breakfast will focus on

1. What should be the new regulatory objectives and policy priorities to ensure a balanced regulatory framework which allows consumers and businesses in the EU to benefit from digital progress?

 2. How can policymakers incentivise investment in infrastructure and services and what policies need to be implemented to modernise regulation for the new landscape?

 3. In what concrete ways can the EU accelerate deregulation and increase commercial flexibility in order to promote dynamic competition and innovation, and allow regulatory objectives to be achieved more effectively at lower cost?

4. How can the EU reform tackle the lack of level-playing field in certain sectors?

Event summary