- Published: 28.06.2006.
Reding Supports Telecom Industry Reform to Promote Competition
According to the writing of the Financial Times, the EU might be ready to initiate a large reform within the telecom industry with the goal to tear down national barriers and to promote competition. The press also reports that within this reform Europe's largest national operators might be forced to give up a part of their control over the infrastructure network.
That regulatory proposal is part of a larger reform supported by the EU telecoms commissioner, Viviane Reding. On Tuesday she presented, during the discussion, questions of setting up an independent European regulator which would strengthen competition within the sector since the current combination of national telecom rules is non-consistent and does not encourage competition.
Such a regulator would guide member countries in implementing European telecom regulations which is an attempt to prevent situations where some operators profit from certain national regulations on the account of other operators.
The EC supports a stronger competition on the European telecom market, which Brussels considers to be the key element if Europe wants to keep up with the current development of information and communication technology.
Reding is already running a campaign through which she wants to force the operators to decrease their roaming prices. Her proposals have provoked resistance within the telecom sector. The representatives of that sector declared her ideas to be ‘populistic’.