The European Commission has proposed a single telecoms market.

On 13 November the European Commission adopted proposals for a reform of the EU telecoms rules, creating a single market, to become law by the end of 2009.

The “Telecoms Reform Package”, presented by the Commission to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, will change the EU Telecoms Rules of 2002.

With the reform, the Commission wants to enable citizens, wherever they live and wherever they travel in the EU, to benefit from better and cheaper communication services, whether they use mobile phones, fast broadband internet connections or cable TV.

To achieve this, the Commission proposes strengthening consumer rights; giving consumers more choice by reinforcing competition between telecoms operators; promoting investment into new communication infrastructures, in particular by freeing radio spectrum for wireless broadband services; and making communication networks more reliable and more secure, especially in case of viruses and other cyber-attacks.

New authority will regulate market

A new European Telecom Market Authority will support the Commission and national telecoms regulators in ensuring that market rules and consumer regulation are applied consistently, independently and without protectionism in all 27 EU Member States. To become law, the Commission proposals will now need to be approved by the European Parliament and the EU Council of Ministers.

José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, said: “From today onwards, a single market without borders for Europe’s telecoms operators and consumers is no longer only a dream.

“Telecoms is a field where our single market can bring about very concrete results for every citizen in terms of more choice and lower prices, whether for mobile phones or for broadband internet connections. At the same time, a single market with 500 million consumers opens new opportunities for telecoms operators – if Europe helps to ensure effective competition and consistent rules of the game.”

For more information, visit: http://ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm