Brussels, 23/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - By 25 May 2011, Europeans will enjoy new phones, mobile and internet rights and services. New EU telecoms rules to ensure a more competitive telecoms sector and better services for customers are due to be implemented in national law by this date. The Commission has worked closely with member states to seek swift implementation of these EU rules and will consider launching infringement proceedings against any member states which have not implemented them on time.
European Commission Vice-President with responsibility for the Digital Agenda Neelie Kroes said: “Citizens and businesses should take full advantage of the opportunities these new rules give them to get more competitive telecoms services. I will do my utmost to help them to do so. If these rights are not made available in practice, I will take the measures necessary to fix that situation vis-à-vis member states and telecoms operators.”
From 25 May, the new EU rules will give citizens and businesses:
Greater levels of consumer protection and more choice: (1) the ability to switch land or mobile phone operator without changing phone number within one working day; (2) a maximum length of 24 months for customers' initial sign-on contracts and an obligation on operators to offer 12-month contracts; (3) clearer information on services to which a customer has subscribed. Contracts also must give details of compensation and refunds available if these minimum levels are not met.
Improved online privacy and safety: (1) better protection against personal data breaches and “spam” (unsolicited e-mails), compulsory notification in the event of personal data breaches; (2) better information and consent requirements for storing or accessing information in users' devices (such as “cookies” not related to the service currently accessed).
More consistent regulation across the EU: (1) national regulators will gain greater independence and will have powers, as a last resort, to oblige telecoms operators with significant market power to separate their communication networks from their service branches to ensure non-discriminatory access for other operators (without necessarily separating ownership or obliging the creation of a separate company); (2) the Commission, in cooperation with the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC), has also been given extra powers of oversight on competition remedies for telecoms markets (the so-called “Article 7 procedure”).
Other new points in the package include better access to emergency services including 112, Europe's single emergency number.
The Commission's recommendation indicating to national telecoms regulators how they should regulate third-party competitive access to ultra-fast fibre networks (also known as “next generation access” - NGA - networks) was introduced recently on the basis of new elements in the updated telecoms rules.
The revised EU rules on telecoms networks and services were formally adopted by the European Parliament and Council in late 2009. The Parliament and Council agreed that the rules must be implemented into the national laws of the 27 member states by 25 May 2011.
The two directives that come into force on 25 May 2011, the Better Regulation Directive and the Citizens' Rights Directive, amend five different existing EU directives (Framework Directive, Access Directive, Authorisation Directive, Universal Service Directive and the e-Privacy Directive).
A new regulation setting up the European Body of Telecoms Regulators (BEREC) was also adopted. BEREC was officially established in Riga in May 2010. (L.C./transl.rt)