London: Anne Bouverot, Director General, GSMA, offered the following statement on the European telecommunications market in the context of the European Council meeting in Brussels last week:
“European Union leaders have shown their interest in the development of a strong European telecommunications market that can underpin growth and job creation across the region. The GSMA welcomes this and now calls on the European Commission to seize the opportunity to drive regulatory reform and encourage the investments in telecoms infrastructure required to achieve Europe’s Digital Agenda targets.
“Progress towards a true, pan-European, competition-based telecoms market could provide a significant boost to GDP, innovation and investment in the EU 27 and establish a convergent path between the performance of the EU broadband market and that of the United States, which has, over the past decade, delivered substantially higher levels of investment.
“We look forward to supporting the European Commission in its endeavours to complete the telecoms single market. In this regard, its priorities must be the introduction of pro-investment reforms and a significant reduction in the regulatory burden. The message from Europe’s leaders is a positive one. Now is the time to address Europe’s investment lag in this sector. A vibrant European telecommunications industry will drive growth, jobs, innovation and sustainability across all industries in the region.
“The details of the ‘concrete measures’ will need to be worked through but the assignment of new, globally harmonised spectrum for mobile broadband, and the removal of inappropriate barriers to market consolidation must be high on the Commission’s list.
“Private investment, enterprise and innovation are the key building blocks to a Connected Europe. The EU institutions play a critical role by providing a policy and regulatory framework that supports investment and competition. Putting the Digital Agenda back on track again will contribute to the creation of jobs in Europe and can help restore Europe’s leadership in telecommunications.”
-ENDS-
About the GSMA
The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Spanning more than 220 countries and territories, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators with more than 230 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers and Internet companies, as well as organisations in industry sectors such as financial services, healthcare, media, transport and utilities. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as the Mobile World Congress and Mobile Asia Expo.
For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com or Mobile World Live, the online portal for the mobile communications industry, at www.mobileworldlive.com
Media Contacts:
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GSMA Press Office
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