Europe’s €25bln digital deficit 
Internet speeds four times higher in better regulated markets, study finds Governments must tackle telecoms monopolies for Europe’s recovery, says ECTA

Brussels, 3 March 2010: Consumers and businesses are losing €25bn per year and broadband speeds are being restricted due to uncompetitive telecoms markets, reveals a study on Europe’s Digital Deficit released today.

Hubertus von Roenne elected Chairman of ECTA
Calls for firm measures from President Barroso to secure open pan-EU telecoms market

Brussels, 25 January 2010: The European Competitive Telecoms Association (ECTA) has announced the election of Hubertus von Roenne as chairman of the board of directors for 2010.

New Commission must reinvigorate the single market and strengthen its commitment to competition
ECTA conference debates priorities for the Digital Economy

Brussels, 8 December 2009; Key policy-makers from European Parliament and EU Council Presidency will debate the priorities for the incoming European Commission alongside industry leaders at the 10th annual ECTA conference being held in Brussels today.
The opening session, which features speeches from the Swedish and Spanish Communications Ministers and Pilar del Castillo, the MEP in charge of the Parliament’s report on Europe’s digital agenda, will focus debate on how to ensure a renewed impetus behind liberalized telecoms under the new administration.

The debate is over:  now we expect action
ECTA looks to new Commission to reinvigorate the single market and strengthen its commitment to competition during the next five years

Brussels, 24 November 2009 – As the Telecoms package is approved today in Strasbourg the European Competitive Telecoms Association (ECTA) looks to the newly appointed Commission to reinvigorate the single market for competition and promote a level playing field across the EU27.
The Telecoms Package contains important proposals that confirm Europe’s commitment to open and competitive telecoms markets including the power for regulators to separate dominant firms if they fail to abide by competition rules and a clear signal that fibre networks should be opened for competition.

ECTA Welcomes Commissions’ Digital Dividend proposals and calls for pro-competitive measures
Congratulates Mrs Reding on taking one, European approach instead of 27 national ones

Brussels, 29 October 2009 – The European Competitive Telecoms Association, ECTA, welcomes the Commission’s Digital Dividend proposals due at the end of this month, which make recommendations to allocate the airwaves (spectrum) that will be freed up and made available for mobile broadband in a number of Member States in the coming years as analogue TV is switched off.   It particularly congratulates the Commissioner for fostering one, European approach rather than 27 national ones
However ECTA highlights that the competitive consequences of Digital Dividend spectrum allocation need to be specifically addressed.   If competition is allowed to flourish, ECTA believes that the harmonizing and coordination measures the Commission has put forward for allocating the 800 MHz band have the potential to usher in a whole new era of high speed digital services for European consumers. 

ECTA welcomes Commission state aid rules on high speed broadband
Sees enhanced role for Governments to promote open and future

Brussels, 17 September 2009 – ECTA welcomes the Commission’s new rules on state aid for fibre networks. As old copper lines are being replaced with fibre networks allowing unlimited speeds and a plethora of new, yet unimaginable services clarification of state aid rules is vital.

ECTA CONDEMNS COMMISSION U-TURN ON TELECOMS COMPETITION

Brussels, 12 June 2009 – New proposals from the European Commission on ‘fibre access networks’ could allow dominant firms to escape regulation, limiting choice in TV and broadband services, ECTA warns. The Commission’s proposed “Recommendation on Next Generation Access” suggests that if incumbents make a deal with just one operator, they could avoid requirements to offer cost-based access allowing their rivals to offer alternative services.

DÁNIEL PATAKI, HEAD OF EUROPEAN SPECTRUM REGULATORS AND ECTA DISCUSS "BROADBAND FOR ALL”

4 May 2009: At a meeting today in Budapest, Dániel Pataki, chairman of the Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG), bringing together Member States’ national spectrum regulators, and head of the Hungarian telecoms regulator NHH, and members of ECTA (European Competitive Telecommunications Association), representing European telecoms companies discussed how the so-called "digital dividend” and next generation networks such as wireless broadband can help achieve "broadband for all”. EU-wide broadband access will be key to ensuring growth and innovation in the EU telecoms sector and can benefit the economy as a whole.

Click here to view full press release (PDF 85KB)

SPAIN STAGNATES AS TELEFONICA PROFITS: BROADBAND STUDY SHOWS

Pro-competition body ECTA warns policy-makers against yielding to dominant telcos’ demands for special treatment of fibre networks. Growth and investment in high speed networks depends on competition

Brussels, 2 March 2009 – Broadband connections across the EU rose by 20% over the year, to a total of 110.5m connections, representing 22.5% of Europe’s population, according to ECTA’s latest twice-yearly EU Broadband Scorecard, published today.  But the pro-competition body warns that in countries such as Spain, where the incumbent operator, Telefonica, continues to increase its control of the market with more than 57% of all retail broadband connections, the market has stagnated with the result that Spain is languishing below the OECD and EU average with a broadband penetration rate of only 20% and low growth rates.

Click here to view full press release (PDF 169KB)

TELECOM BENCHMARK HIGHLIGHTS GAPS IN EU COMPETITIVENESS

Consumers benefit from better telecoms services and higher investment levels in countries where the national telecoms regulatory authority has strong powers and is active in using them, according to a report that will be published tomorrow by ECTA.

Brussels, 27 January 2009 – The pro competition body’s annual Regulatory Scorecard, which benchmarks the telecoms regulatory framework in 20 European countries, found that the effectiveness of regulation varies significantly across Europe and that the actions of the regulator have a strong influence on the development of high-speed broadband. The report also highlights how the competitiveness of multi-national European firms is being undermined by the variations in regulation, which push up the cost of building networks across Europe.

Click here to view full press release (PDF 34KB)