14 Sep ecta Sketches Pro-Competitive Path to Co-Investment
Brussels, 11 September 2020. Today, ecta marks a major step in the public debate on co-investment in the telecommunications networks of the future by publishing for public information and commentary its redrafting proposal of the draft BEREC Guidelines on Co-Investment*.
Commenting the release, ecta Director General Luc Hindryckx explains:
“Co-investment can be an important means to promote the roll-out of very high capacity networks. At the same time, it is important that the new rules of the European Electronic Communications Code for co-investment offers by historical incumbents are not interpreted in a way that suggests that deregulation is required to incentivise investment. Competition drives investment, and that is why ecta is offering an alternative view of how the rules should be read to maintain and promote competition. This is particularly important at a time as networks of very high capacity are evolving to become the basis for Europe’s economic recovery that, more than ever, requires all the sectors of the European economy to benefit from a diversified offer of digital product and services proposed by diversified players, small and large . ”
He is seconded by the Chair of the ecta Board of Directors, Emmanuel Forest:
“With today’s publication, ecta and its members show initiative and thought leadership in how to make the new co-investment offers work in practice while safeguarding competition. BEREC’s approach of enabling stakeholders to actively make drafting proposals on this complex and important topic was the right one. I’m satisfied that with our contribution we make a much-needed, constructive step to create a sustainable environment for healthy competition when incumbents and competitors get together to build out networks.”
ecta Director for Competition and Regulation Oliver Füg, who has led the technical workgroup on the proposed redrafting, adds:
“The ecta redraft draws on the wide variety of our members’ business models and experiences. We have therefore been uniquely able to address the difficult balance between incumbents, co-investors and access seekers. Our guiding principle has been that the networks of the future must remain open to participation and that such participation must make sense. At the same time, we are offering a reading that is fair also to those who cannot participate directly and reduces the workload on regulators. By publishing our proposals, we invite dialogue on this important topic for the future of competitive telecommunications in the EU.”
Following the public consultation to which ecta has submitted its redrafting proposals, the BEREC Guidelines on Co-Investment are to be adopted in time for when the European Electronic Communications Code becomes applicable on 21 December 2020. ecta and its members are keen to engage with interested parties on the Guidelines and the role of co-investment more broadly until and beyond that date.
ecta members are united in their belief that competition is the best driver of efficient investments and the greatest enabler of innovation, choice and benefits for citizens and businesses, as well as for the European economy overall. This is the key message that ecta and its members continuously promote in the discussions about the European Electronic Communications Code and other initiatives affecting competitive providers in the EU.
*BoR (20) 113, Draft BEREC Guidelines to foster the consistent application of the conditions and criteria for assessing co-investments in new very high capacity network elements (Article 76 EECC), 16.6.2020.