Brussels, 23/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 22 July, the European Commission published a report on the telecommunications market and regulation in the EU. The report covers the 2012-2013 period and demonstrates that: - industry revenues again declined in 2013 but investment is beginning to grow; - use of traditional telephony services is decreasing as internet (VoIP) services become increasingly popular; - data traffic is growing quickly.
The report also indicates that mobile voice call and data prices are higher in the EU than in the US, while the usage of mobile is higher in the US, resulting in a higher “average revenue per user” in the US. Only Denmark, Germany, Latvia and Malta met the 2012 target for the authorisation of the specific spectrum bands. 21 Member States did eventually meet the target in 2013, but the delay in assignment of the 800 MHz band has significantly slowed the roll-out of 4G mobile across the EU.
The time needed to obtain permits to roll-out new networks ranges from a few days to years depending on where in the EU you are building the network. Most authorities still do not allow for electronic submission of requests.
European Commission Vice-President Neelie Kroes stated: “We are clearly still a long way from a real single market. We need to cut red tape and we need more consistent regulatory action at both national and EU levels to build up that single market. A quick implementation of the Broadband Cost Reduction Directive will contribute to this objective but there is more to do”.
Infrastructure. The report also found that access to a passive telecommunication infrastructure is fragmented, complex and cumbersome in some member states, including Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Luxemburg, Malta, and Poland.
Consumer issues. Substantial differences exist between the member states regarding wholesale charges for number portability, i.e. the cost charged to a competitor for transferring a subscriber's number.
Broadband. The majority of European countries have established broadband plans (with the exception of Greece, Romania and Cyprus, which are in the process of finalising their broadband plans); funding for the national broadband projects vary considerably (e.g. via national public funds in the form of state aid or from the EU structural funds). (LC)