INTUG

Yesterday INTUG responded to the European Commission’s Consultation on Cloud Computing, focusing on cross border issues.

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The European Commission has sent requests for information to 20 member states which have not yet notified measures to implement in full new EU telecoms rules into national law. The deadline for implementing the new rules was 25 May 2011.

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NEWS PICK

Last week CEOs from a broad range of companies met at a workshop organized by the European Commission to tackle the lack of investment in fiber optic cables.

While the EC asked companies to address a lack of investment in high-speed fiber optic networks, big and small telcos are failing to break a deadlock on how fiber should be financed.

Read more on the EurActiv web site.

See also: NGA funding chasm revealed as Kroes meets industry CEOs (European Broadband Portal)

– UPDATED 14 June – European telecoms operators should be free to develop new business models, including the controversial idea of charging online content providers for delivering their material to consumers, according to a new report by the chief executives of Alcatel-Lucent, Deutsche Telekom and Vivendi released on Wednesday.

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Today the European Commission proposed an EU wide cap on mobile data roaming fees of 90 euro cents starting July 1, 2012. The cap would fall to 70 euro cents a year later, and to 50 euro cents by July 1, 2014. Currently one megabyte of data averages EUR2.23 (USD3.22).

Nick White, Executive Vice President of INTUG said,

“The latest retail price cap proposals demonstrate acceptance by politicians and regulators that roaming charges are an unjustified imposition on consumers and a stealth tax on cross-border trade which relies increasingly on mobile data communications. However, they still do not go far enough in eliminating this particular symptom of market failure.”

Read more in the NY Times.

Yesterday the European Commission’s last price cut under the current roaming regulation came into effect. The maximum retail rate for voice roaming is now 35 cents per minute for calls made and 11 cents per minute for calls received while abroad in the EU.

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Tomorrow (25 May) new EU rules to ensure more competition on the telecom market and better services for customers will take effect. Among other things, users should be able to switch operators in one day without losing their existing number and enjoy better protection of their online personal data, according to the European Commission.

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The European Commission will outline new plans in the coming weeks to bring European roaming rates in line with national tariffs, EU sources told Reuters.

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