Brussels, 21/03/2001 (Agence Europe) - When adopting its first communication on the potential of third generation mobile telephony, on Tuesday, the European Commission reaffirmed its confidence in this technology and identified certain solutions to the readjustments that markets will have to undergo (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.12). It announced its intention of launching a dialogue without delay to proceed with the share-out of the network infrastructures between European operators of third generation telephony (3G), share-out that is regarded as being positive due to the potential economic gains, "on condition that the rules of competition are respected". Operators ran up debts of over 100 billion euro when licences in the European mobile phone sector were allocated. For most analysts, it does not seem conceivable to spend more on creating new networks, whereas the share-out of existing networks would be one solution. The dialogue being proposed has as goal not only to find immediate solutions for 3G services, but also to achieve a common European approach to the definition of the future methods for granting licences, so as to minimize the negative effects of the fragmentation of licences between Member States. This fragmentation has led to per capita price disparities for licences throughout the European Union: zero euro in Finland and Sweden, 44 euro in Belgium, over 100 euro in Austria and the Netherlands, over 200 euro in Italy and France, and over 600 euro in Germany and the United Kingdom.
On Tuesday, Commissioner Erkki Liikanen recalled to the press that the ball is in the court of the Member States: the whole of the telecommunications package has been on the Council's table since July 2000. It is crucial that the new regulatory framework for electronic communications and the regulation on radio spectra policy are implemented as quickly as possible. Mr Liikanen placed emphasis on the creation of a new stimulating environment for the future wireless services: 1) in terms of research, through the 6th framework research and development programme 2002-2006; 2) by implementing the eEurope action plan, notably the programme favouring European content and public information and by accelerating the development of the internet protocol version 6 (Ipv6), faster and with a higher performance.