Creating a Single Market for Telecoms – Actions should focus on tackling the true barriers to the Single Market1

Brussels, 12 September 2013: ECTA, the European Competitive Telecommunications Association, welcomes the European Commission’s intention to improve the Single Market for telecoms but considers that only a genuinely pro-competitive policy can allow Europe to reap all the benefits of a true Single Market. ECTA warns against measures, which could undermine competition to the detriment of consumers and businesses and disregard national specificities.

ECTA CEOs meet Vice President Neelie Kroes
Building the telecoms Single Market on the EU‘s pro-competitive framework is key to unlocking innovation and investments in next generation access networks  

Brussels, 23 July 2013: CEOs from key member companies of the European Competitive Telecoms Association (ECTA) last week met with the European Commission’s Vice-President Neelie Kroes to discuss the upcoming Commission initiative on the Single Market. The take-away was reassuring: the EU competition model constitutes a cornerstone of the telecoms framework and it is this model that the Commission intends to continue building on. 

The telecoms single market– time to refocus on real cross-border bottlenecks

Brussels, 26 June 2013: Key players and regulators of the telecoms sector met yesterday under the auspices of ECTA to discuss the challenges of building a truly single market for telecoms in the EU.

With a high level panel of speakers, including Vice-President Neelie Kroes, the ECTA Conference addressed pressing issues related to the telecoms single market initiative, including broadband investments, business strategies, the review of the list of relevant markets and the need for a harmonised spectrum policy. 

                                                      

Brussels, 22 January 2013: The economic loss of a fragmented market for electronic communication services for businesses amounts to 90 billion according to a thorough analysis released today by WIK Consult. The study concludes that a regulatory action from the European Union is needed in order to tap the full potential of the Digital Single Market for businesses and productivity.

ECTA CEOs meet Vice President Neelie Kroes

Competition in telecoms is key to unlock Europe’s investment and growth potential 

Brussels, 27 November 2012: Today a delegation of CEOs from the member companies of the European Competitive Telecoms Association (ECTA) met with the European Commission’s Vice-President Neelie Kroes to urge her to ensure a fair balance between investment incentives for dominant operators and pro-competitive measures fostering challengers’ investments and the growth of the sector.

A stable policy framework for maximising investment and consumer benefits: Vice President Neelie Kroes meets ECTA Financial Chiefs  

Brussels, 22 October 2012: Today a delegation of the Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) from the member companies of the European Competitive Telecom Operators (ECTA) met with the European Commission’s Vice-President Neelie Kroes, to discuss the important role that the challengers of dominant firms play in driving future high-speed broadband investments.

Connecting Europe Facility – The EU must not "cut” the ambition to play an important role in fostering the deployment of future-proof, open and competitive fibre networks  

Brussels, 11 October 2012: As talks between EU Member States and EU institutions on the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020 intensify, there are increasing concerns that funding to support ambitious investments in communications infrastructure may fail to be considered as a major priority.

Vice-President Kroes turns her back on competitioni    
 

Brussels, 12 July 2012: Today, the Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda Neelie Kroes has announced her willingness to allow regulatory holidays for Next Generation Networks and to continue costly access conditions for legacy networks. The package of measures fortunately will also strengthen the non-discrimination obligations in electronic communications.ECTA, the pan-European industry association representing over 100 pro-competitive telecoms operators welcomes the steps Mrs Kroes has announced to counter some of the abusive behaviors that incumbent operators put in place to resist competition. However, the direction that Mrs Kroes said to be willing to take on pricing of copper-based legacy networks and on fibre-based Next Generation Networks will harm the competitive conditions of the broadband markets and will eventually harm consumer interests without fostering investments.

ECTA and TU Delft sign an academic cooperation agreement for enhanced research in the Telecom Sector

Brussels, 23 April 2012

ECTA - the European Competitive Telecommunications Association – has today entered into an academic cooperation agreement with TU Delft, the leading University of Technology, to support independent enhanced research in telecom markets.

TU Delft’s team of researchers led by Dr.Ir. Wolter Lemstra has agreed to develop research for an initial period of 15 month on the dynamics of telecom markets in Europe and on policy measures to support Europe’s target to achieve widespread coverage and take-up of superfast broadband by 2020. TU Delft has previously worked on a number of projects for the European Commission, including a recent report on Steps towards a truly Internal Market for e-communications.

Lack of effective access to fibre networks may impact competition in high speed broadband, study finds1

Brussels, 6 March 2012: A new report carried out by the research and consulting group WIK on the state of play of Next Generation Access (NGA) has found that the target set by Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes for 50% of households to use ultra-fast broadband by 2020 may be at risk because fibre networks have not been effectively opened to competition.