14 December, 2016

RD437 - ETNO Position Paper for the Trilogue Negotiations on the UHF Band Decision

Read ETNO's full position here.

 

In the context of the trilogue negotiations on the “Proposal for a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the use of the 470-790 MHz frequency band in the Union”, ETNO, the association representing Europe’s leading providers of electronic communications and services, would like to make the following remarks.

Introduction

Spectrum for mobile broadband is the lifeblood of the digital economy. Its effective and efficient management is necessary in order to create better conditions for investment in new 4G and 5G broadband networks, which will ultimately create the conditions for a more competitive EU economy.

• To this end, ETNO considers that a forward looking interinstitutional agreement on the UHF Band at EU level is needed and should be informed by these overarching objectives.
• Rec. 2 – We recommend to endorse the text of the Council’s general approach, with the addition of the reference “in order to ensure access and connectivity”, as per the ITRE Report.
• Rec. 2a – ETNO supports the addition proposed by the Slovak Presidency of the Council in the compromise proposal of 30 November, as it underlines the importance of effective spectrum management for the goals of the EU digital economy and Industry 4.0.
• Rec 3a (proposed by the ITRE Draft Report) – ETNO supports the Council’s general approach (no text). Effective spectrum management should be aimed at satisfying the connectivity needs of EU citizens and end-users, and should avoid distorting the functioning of mobile markets. We therefore see the addition proposed by the ITRE Committee as unnecessary.
• Rec 5a (Addition proposed by Slovak presidency on top of ITRE Draft report) – ETNO rejects the addition proposed by the Presidency, as we believe wholesale obligations should be addressed in the context of the regulatory market analysis, rather than as part of the authorisation process. If the reference is maintained, ETNO believes it should be made clear that any wholesale access obligation can only be imposed after a finding of dominance following the European Commission’s SMP Guidelines.

Read ETNO's full position here.

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