Connect Europe Videos

What we need is to ensure that we have allocation and assignment of spectrum that is taking place in a timely manner and which is taking place in a transparent and really foreseeable manner. Concretely, we believe that the peer review proposal is not going to solve all our problems, but it is a step in the right direction, where it, hopefully, will lead to more transparency. Do you want to be kept up to date with the latest telecoms news and agenda? If so, sign up now for the weekly digital newsletter.

Europe is at the moment in this situation when it is trying to come to terms with many confluents of events. We have a telecoms sector in transformation and the policy makers involved are trying to come to terms with this, using the code, maybe, as an opportunity to create a new vision for Europe, because the future is digital, and how do you create a rulebook for that?

We need connectivity. In order to have a good deployment of these things in the future, we need a very low latency. So we do count on the ETNO members that they provide us with a very ubiquitous network, not only in the urban areas, as the 5G – Gigabit plan is promoting, but also along the highways and along the remote areas. And so, we need a seamless, I would say cross-border coverage, and that is something we would have to work on, jointly, with our both industries.

Let’s be clear, this is one of the biggest choices Europe has to invest in the future, to come up after 10 years of regulation for the telecom with a new framework that embraces the possibility of new technologies and also make our consumers more powerful, more active with the new technology. And this is also for the industry. So this is absolutely crucial.

The GDPR already, is well known to people from all kinds of companies. They come and say that they start to implement and really, for them, now, it is very inspiring. They are not complaining anymore that it is too complicated, that it is too difficult. In opposite, they find new ways for how to provide better services, what to do to have innovative technologies. So I suppose that always the clear rules really are for people who are creative and innovative; the better environment, the indefinite rule.

In the European Parliament, we are working on 5G. This is ultra-fast Internet. And this is very important to understand that due to 5G networks, some reactions and transmissions of data will be possible in milliseconds. Gigabit Society means that as consumers, as citizens, as patients, as people, as parents in our families, we will have some new possibilities to change our lives. And also, in our homes, we will have Internet of Things, and we will have the possibility to use smart devices and we will create the connections between all devices in our homes.

Is regulation an obstacle or an enabler for innovation?

When asked about the priorities of BEUC on the ePrivacy Regulation, Guillermo believes that "There are 3 key things that the ePrivacy Regulation needs to deliver: First of all, it has to make sure that the confidentiality of communications is ensured for all types of communication services, regardless of the technology, regardless of the service provider.

We certainly see that ambition is a really important part of the policy-making process. From a Telia Company perspective, we have been talking to a lot of policy-makers and regulators about what we entitle a “Gigabit Society” with terabyte territories. And this is saying a line that we believe by 2025 we should have a really high level of aspiration and work collectively together.

Sigve Brekke, President and CEO of Telenor Group, has 3 key messages for European regulators:

We went to ask Mr. Foster what is his view on the digital future: shall we be scared or enthusiastic about it?Foster answered that "clearly, the right answer is enthusiastic because technology has tremendous potential to make life better for customers, businesses and society. Naturally, there are some risks along the way and we need to be mind for all those and how we approach this, but overwhelmingly positive about the future".

What will enable the future of telcos? Does Telefónica have the same weapons to innovate as OTTs and other players? In the view of Mr. Enrique Medina Malo, Chief Policy Officer at Telefónica Group, "the main enabler of the digital future is to establish a new relationship with our customers; a relation based on – what we call “The Digital Confidence”. We need to let them see the advantages and all the benefits that come from the digital life."