Brussels, 02/10/2012 (Agence Europe) - High speed networks are no longer a luxury but have become essential to overcome the crisis and create a digitally competitive Europe, European Commissioner for the Digital Agenda Neelie Kroes says. Addressing CEOs and representatives from the major telecoms operators in Europe at the ETNO summit in Brussels on 2 October, Kroes spoke of the absolute necessity of investing in new networks. Consumers love new technology (for example, smartphones and connected TV) and businesses will increasingly frequently turn to cloud computing to manage their data. Yet it is only high speed networks that are able to respond to exploding demand. The challenge is to build these new networks which will run alongside the old ones, initially, thanks to the right dose of public and private investment. “Our objective is no longer just to open up one, existing, network - but to build or upgrade to new networks, for superfast broadband”, Kroes said. She defended the European Commission's approach to setting prices for broadband access (more flexibility) in the strategy presented on 12 July (see EUROPE 10654). “Our main purpose was to make investors confident that fast broadband networks are safe, profitable and worthwhile. (…) Analysts are confirming that this investment can offer attractive future returns - confirming that it's a growth story”, Kroes said. (IL/transl.fl)