Today, the Council of the European Union is expected to agree on a negotiating mandate (‘general approach’) on the proposal for a Gigabit Infrastructure Act (GIA), i.e. a Regulation on measures to reduce the cost of deploying gigabit electronic communications networks across the European Union.
Brussels, 4 December 2023 – ETNO, the Association representing Europe’s leading telecom operators, supports the continued dialogue between EU Member States and the European Commission on accelerating the achievement of the Digital Decade Targets. In view of this week’s Telecommunications Council meeting, we call for political ambition on investment and for a fresh focus on innovation in the EU connectivity ecosystem.
Brussels, 16 November 2023 – ETNO, the Association representing Europe’s leading telecom operators, welcomes the start of the World Radiocommunication Conference of 2023 (WRC-23), which will take important decisions on spectrum policy. As negotiations start in Dubai next Monday, ETNO calls on ITU Member States to prioritise the quality of mobile connectivity for consumers as well as to empower innovative 5G use cases. From a European perspective, such aspects are crucial to accelerating the achievement of the EU Digital Decade targets.
The GSMA and ETNO congratulate EU policymakers on reaching agreement on the Data Act, a landmark file for the EU’s data economy. The GSMA and ETNO’s members are supportive of provisions in the file around B2B data access, cloud switching and interoperability, which we believe will have the effect of facilitating data sharing and reuse across the single market.
The GSMA and ETNO welcome Commissioner Breton’s call for a “whatever it takes” moment for the future of telecom policy, in light of its critical role for EU competitiveness in the global tech race.
Brussels, 9 October 2023 – Europe has set bold policy objectives to achieve full 5G and fibre coverage by 2030. At the heart of a digitally transformed Europe lies the expansion and evolution connectivity networks. As the European Commission is in the midst of an analysis on the future of the telecom industry and of its infrastructures, a study by Deloitte requested by ETNO (later referred to as The study) highlights the key technology trends and investment requirements that will drive digital transformation. You can read its executive summary through this link.
Vienna (Austria), 5 October 2023 – ETNO, the Association representing Europe’s leading providers of digital networks and services, met today in Vienna for its annual General Assembly. Members and observers approved ETNO’s annual strategy for 2024 as well as a series of governance decisions. As per ETNO statutes, the event was hosted on a rotating basis by leading Austrian telecom operator A1 Telekom Austria. The meeting was opened by Florian Tursky, Austria’s State Secretary in charge of digitalization.
The future of connectivity – powered by secure ultra-fast, low latency 5G mobile and fibre networks – will underpin the next wave of digital transformation in Europe. Supported by these networks, Europe is already seeing new applications emerge in AI, virtual reality and IoT. More will come in the realms of smart cities, industry 4.0, the metaverse and future innovations of which we cannot yet conceive.
Our Associations ECTA, ETNO, GIGAEurope and GSMA Europe represent the European telecommunications industry. Our industry plays a crucial part in connecting European citizens and businesses and facilitating the EU green and digital transition.
By Maarit Palovirta, Senior Director Regulatory Affairs and Xhoana Shehu, Policy Manager, ETNO.
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