16 March, 2015
Press release: Joint Statement - Open Internet: INTUG and ETNO call for a user-friendly approach
INTUG, the international association of business users of telecommunications, and ETNO, the Association representing Europe’s leading telecom operators, call for the EU institutions to adopt user-friendly, innovation-enhancing and investment-conducive rules on the Open Internet.
European users are empowered by ubiquitous access to content, services and offers of their choice. Small and big businesses across Europe need to be underpinned by seamless and quality connectivity, in order to support their daily activities and create more growth opportunities.
For this reason, INTUG and ETNO are in favour of an Open Internet and support its development through sustained levels of innovation, investment and a broad variety of offers.
Users need quality
As the usage of the internet goes mobile and ubiquitous, European users need reliable, stable and top quality connectivity. Today’s Internet, its reliability and its quality depend upon traffic management and the technologies embedded in the Internet’s infrastructure. We need this to remain possible if we are to empower satisfactory user experience.
Users need choice
Not all users are the same and they value different offers, tailored to their needs. Telecom operators need to be able to respond to the diverse requirements of their customers, big or small. This diversified demand is only met if operators are able to provide users with a wide variety of Internet access products and services.
Users need freedom to innovate
Digitalisation of formerly analogue industries – from transport and health to manufacturing – is contributing to create new growth opportunities for enterprises. In this field innovation is essential, whether related to new products or new business models. The development in areas such as connected cars or entertainment, for example, depends on the possibility of providing specialised services at guaranteed levels of quality.
Users need harmonised EU rules
A patchwork of national rules on net neutrality will simply not work. Europe needs to find a single, high-level approach to net neutrality, and ensure users across the Continent are confronted with a stable and harmonised set of rules. The creation of a successful and globally competitive single market will also depend on our ability to avoid national extremes and create a homogeneous regulatory environment. EU harmonisation is key in a global environment, as companies will benefit from consistency of rules across markets.
The contributors to this joint statement are:
ETNO (the European Telecommunications Network Operators' Association - www.etno.eu) represents Europe’s telecommunications network operators and is the principal policy group for European e-communications network operators. ETNO’s primary purpose is to promote a positive policy environment allowing the EU telecommunications sector to deliver best quality services to consumers and businesses. ETNO members account for 60% of the total investments in European networks. You can follow @ETNOAssociation on Twitter.
INTUG (International Telecommunications Users Group – www.intug.org) is an international association of business users of telecommunications. We use our influence to actively promote professional customers' interests at the international level and to ensure that the voice of the business user is clearly heard. Our long-term focus is to bring down all barriers companies and public institutions face when developing their ICT. You can follow @intug on Twitter.
