The Brussels Round Table, a forum of leading EU telecommunications operators and equipment manufacturers, commissioned these articles. They examine the deployment of broadband in European countries and make policy recommendations related to telecommunications regulation. Specific topics include pricing flexibility, competition, growth potential, likely future dynamics, competition, investment opportunities, eliminating excess regulation, facilitating longer-term points of view, and suggestions for transparent and competition-neutral subsidies.
First in-depth analysis of broadband developments in Europe, combining qualitative and quantitative analysis, with chapter contributions provided by in-country experts.
How can Europe become, the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion"? Central to this goal are networks and networking: not only telecommunications but also information technology writ large. Their capability and performance are crucial for creating a globally competitive environment. Accordingly, the European Commission's eEurope Action Plan focuses on investing in a cheaper, faster, and more secure Internet. Increased competition is seen as a crucial step in the way forward to achieve cheaper Internet access and higher bandwidth capacity. This report is the result of a study commissioned by the Directorate General Information Society of the European Commission to create a better understanding of the pace and direction of developments in this area, mapped against an uncertain future, and to recommend policy options for government intervention as a background against which political decision making can take place. The study provides an analysis of the development of electronic networks in Europe and North America and its technical, economic and political drivers. It includes four scenarios depicting possible futures of electronic networks in Europe, a framework for policy formulation, analyses of selected current policies and observations regarding possible policy measures and the input of experts and stakeholders in the field during a workshop in Brussels, and concludes with a series of observations and recommendations for policy action and further research.
This original CERRE report reveals that the current level of public funds to support broadband deployment in Europe is insufficient compared against the ambitious targets for fibre to the home (FTTH). The report also suggests that the use of this funding is poorly co-ordinated, insufficiently monitored, and subject to rules which need to be simplified and updated. It is the first study of its kind: the authors have undertaken a systematic analysis of all of the 157 broadband measures notified to the European Commission by Member States over the past 15 years. Based on this research, the authors have identified critical issues and provided recommendations on how to better support the deployment of broadband infrastructure in Europe. The authors estimate that public funding from all sources to support broadband deployment in the period to 2020 amounts to around €7 billion per year. At this rate it will take Europe nearly 30 years to meet its FTTH targets. They also find wide variations in public funding for broadband between Member States: in the period 2003-18 France spent around €215 per capita and Italy €145, whilst the majority of Member States spent less than €100 per capita and some less than €10. “We found that broadband infrastructure receives less than 5% of available European funds, despite being a strategic priority for Europe and for the Juncker Commission”, said CERRE Research Fellow Richard Feasey. “Current public funding is insufficient if Europe is to achieve its Gigabit Society targets. It is equally important that whatever public funds are allocated, they are also used efficiently”. The authors provide recommendations for EU and national policy makers, including: 1. Mobilise grassroots interests in public funding of broadband with an EU-wide competition for funds. 2. Improve coordination between the European Investment Bank and the European Commission’s DG Competition to ensure that in each case the appropriate public funding instrument is used. 3. Increase the share of European funds allocated to broadband. 4. Revise the existing ‘Broadband State Aid Guidelines’ now to clarify elements such as: - when and how public funds can be used if commercial operators have no plans to deploy Very High Capacity infrastructure; - require that State Aid can only be used once adoption rates for a new technology have achieved certain thresholds in areas where it has already been deployed by the private sector; - consider allowing higher prices for broadband services provided by publicly funded networks in order to reduce the cost to the taxpayer and increase the coverage that can be obtained; - explain how the universal service provisions of the new EU Electronic Communications Code will ensure that all users can benefit from affordable access to publicly funded broadband networks; - simplify the regime so that measures to protect competition align with those that already apply to commercially-funded networks under the Significant Market Power regime and ensure enforcement. 5. Require Member States to provide more data to enable the evaluation of the effectiveness of State Aid measures. ‘Effectiveness’ should be measured by whether public funds achieve the goal of extending broadband services to the greatest number for the lowest cost to the taxpayer, and not simply in terms of competition or the time taken to approve the project. “If broadband infrastructure deployment is a priority for the EU, we think that the Commission should also explore how to formalise its Digital Agenda and Gigabit Society targets, to give Member States stronger incentives to meet those targets”, conclude the authors. Some facts and figures - Europe spends less than 5% of its budget on broadband - 65% of public funding for broadband comes from Member States - Estimated public funding from all sources allocated to broadband deployment in the EU in the period to 2020 amounts to around €7 billion per year - It will take Europe 29 years to complete FTTH deployment at current rates - Total expenditure by EU Members States for State Aid varies significantly - In the period 2003-18, the majority of Member States spent less than €100 per capita and some less than €10 - France spent around €215 per capita, Italy €145, and Germany €87 - Belgium, Luxembourg and Malta have achieved a relatively extensive and high capacity broadband deployment without relying on any form of State Aid whatsoever - There is a very large variation in the use of sources of funding by Member States
The Broadband Coverage in Europe study is designed to monitor the progress of EU Member States toward their specific broadband coverage objectives - namely: 'Universal Broadband Coverage with speeds at least 30Mbps by 2020' and '50% of households should have broadband subscriptions of 100Mbps or more by 2020'. This report covers thirty-one countries across Europe - the EU 27, plus Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and the UK, and analyses the availability of ten broadband technologies (DSL, VDSL, VDSL2 Vectoring, cable modem DOCSIS 3.0, DOCSIS 3.1, FTTP, FWA, LTE, 5G and satellite) across each market, at national and rural levels. In addition, various combination categories indicating the availability of one or more forms of broadband connection are also published. These cover overall fixed broadband availability, next-generation access (NGA) availability and overall FTTP & DOCSIS 3.1 availability. Europe-wide overview, country comparisons and year-on-year trends are provided in this report. Additionally, broadband coverage developments in study countries are discussed in individual country chapters. The Broadband Coverage in Europe study is designed to monitor the progress of EU Member States toward their specific broadband coverage objectives - namely: 'Universal Broadband Coverage with speeds at least 30Mbps by 2020' and '50% of households should have broadband subscriptions of 100Mbps or more by 2020'. This report covers thirty-one countries across Europe - the EU 27, plus Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and the UK, and analyses the availability of ten broadband technologies (DSL, VDSL, VDSL2 Vectoring, cable modem DOCSIS 3.0, DOCSIS 3.1, FTTP, FWA, LTE, 5G and satellite) across each market, at national and rural levels. In addition, various combination categories indicating the availability of one or more forms of broadband connection are also published. These cover overall fixed broadband availability, next-generation access (NGA) availability and overall FTTP & DOCSIS 3.1 availability. Europe-wide overview, country comparisons and year-on-year trends are provided in this report. Additionally, broadband coverage developments in study countries are discussed in individual country chapters.
This electronic version has been made available under a Creative Commons (BY-NC) open access license. Net neutrality is the most contested Internet access policy of our time. This book offers an in-depth explanation of the concept, addressing its history since 1999, its engineering, the policy challenges it represents and its legislation and regulation. Various case studies are presented, including Specialized Services and Content Delivery Networks for video over the Internet, and the book goes on to examine the future of net neutrality battles in Europe, the United States and developing countries, as well as offering co-regulatory solutions based on FRAND and non-exclusivity. It will be a must-read for researchers and advocates in the net neutrality debate, as well as those interested in the context of communications regulation, law and economic regulation, human rights discourse and policy, and the impact of science and engineering on policy and governance.
Examining the nature of telecommunication networks and the rationale for the developement of trans-European networks, the study explores the features networks need to exhibit if they are to complement the broad themes of Europe's industrial policy, and demonstrates the economic importance of advanced telecommunications to business. The final chapters of the volume offer an analysis of the technology associated with the three chosen priorities of the EU in the development of advanced telecommunication infrastructure: * the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) * the development of telematic networks * the development of broadband networks.
