Brussels, 07/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 7 March, the European Commission announced the end of its preliminary investigation into the “big five” telecommunications operators (namely Deutsche Telecom, France Télécom, Telefónica, Vodafone and Telecom Italia, also known as “E5”).
In March 2012, the Commission confirmed that it had asked these five large operators and the mobile telephony sector association (GSMA) to provide it with information on the definition of the standards applicable to future mobile communication services.
The aim of the Commission's policy is to ensure that the standardisation processes applied by the large telecommunications operators are not used for strategic purposes to squeeze out other companies.
In a press release, the Commission notes that the standardisation work carried out so far by the E5 has now been taken over by the GSMA and other sectorial associations. It welcomes this transfer, as it allows greater participation for the players concerned. “It is a positive step that reduces the risk of standard-setting work affecting competition negatively”, notes the Commission, which decided as a result of this to close its preliminary investigation. However, it goes on to stress that it will “remain watchful of how standardisation processes evolve in this sector”. (OL/transl.fl)