|
The
comments by ETNO, whose members include Deutsche Telekom,
Orange, Telefonica and Telecom Italia, come as the European
Commission readies a proposal on digital networks and
infrastructure on Feb. 21.
The EU telecoms industry's hopes of getting Alphabet's Google,
Amazon, Netflix, Meta Platforms and Microsoft to help pay for
the rollout of 5G and broadband were dashed last year after the
Commission decided not to propose legislation to this effect but
to leave it to the next team in 2025.
Despite a record 59.1 billion euros ($64 billion) in investments
by the sector last year, only 10 out of 114 networks in Europe
were 5G standalone, ETNO said, citing a report it commissioned
from research group Analysys Mason.
On edge cloud, which brings computing capacity close to the end
user, Europe only had four commercialized offers in 2023 versus
17 offers in the Asia-Pacific region and nine in North America,
it said.
The report said this was due to the fact that Europe's telecom
capital expenditure per capita and average revenue per user (ARPU)
in 2022 lagged that of South Korea, the United States and Japan.
The study reminded EU regulators of the Rights and Principles
Declaration from 2022 which says that all market actors
benefiting from the digital economy should make a 'fair and
proportionate contribution' to digital network investment.
"The debate will shape the longer-term strength of the European
telecoms sector, as well as its overall investment capacity,"
the report said.
"The status quo - both in terms of investment and of policy -
will not deliver the levels of innovation that are so
desperately needed to sustain growth and deliver on the Open
Strategic Autonomy," ETNO Director General Lise Fuhr said.
($1 = 0.9229 euros)
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
