31 May, 2016

Press Note: Leading Telecom CEOs meet with the European Commission

Brussels - 31 May 2016
A delegation of telecom CEOs from ETNO, the association representing Europe’s leading telcos, met today with members of the European Commission in Brussels.

As the EU works on delivering the Digital Single Market Strategy, telecom CEOs vouched for a strong pro-innovation and pro-investment approach to regulation. Such an approach is needed to respond to the European citizens’ quest for ultrafast connectivity and innovative services.

At a time in which Europe moves towards a 5G society, ETNO companies believe that an unequivocal pro-investment stance in the upcoming Telecoms Framework Review is a pre-requisite to massive network deployment.

Similarly, both consumers and the digital ecosystem will benefit from more telecom innovation. For this to happen, the current sector-specific approach to service regulation should be abandoned to the benefit of a horizontal, principle-based one.

Background

The ETNO delegation included: Eelco Blok, CEO of KPN; Timotheus Höttges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom; Dominique Leroy, CEO of Proximus; Gavin Patterson, CEO of BT Group; Alejandro Plater, CEO of Telekom Austria; Berit Svendsen, CEO of Telenor Norway; Steven Tas, Executive Chairman of ETNO; Lise Fuhr, Director General of ETNO.

The delegation met with the following officials: Jyrki Katainen, Vice-President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness; Günther Oettinger, Commissioner for the Digital economy and society; Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition.

For more information on ETNO’s position on telecoms regulation, please read our latest Policy Paper.

To learn more about our vision on how to create a Digital Union, read here.