|
Monday, 16 June 2008 |
|
Rebuffed by telecoms ministers, Viviane sets about data roaming, targets half of analogue TV spectrum for new wireless and mobile services, and floats ‘bill-and-keep’ cell phone business model. Phew!
Seemingly undeterred at the rejection by the 27 EU telecoms ministers of her plans for a central regional industry regulator, EC Commissioner for the Information Society and Media Viviane Reding has floated (or re-floated as the case may be) a number of initiatives that could likewise seriously upset the status quo in the region’s communications service provider sector.
At a press conference following the meeting of the dissenting Council of EU Telecoms Ministers in Luxembourg last week Reding returned to the issue of SMS and data roaming charges and professed herself to be not impressed by the current charges being levied on users, and threatened (as she has done before) to impose a cap on these charges.
“I saw the figures released yesterday by the GSM Association: SMS roaming prices are now at 28 eurocent – down from 29 eurocent per roamed SMS national regulators measured in January. Ladies and gentlemen, I am not impressed by this,” Reding told the assembled hacks. “And if this stays unchanged until 1 July, you see from today's Council that I will not be the only one to believe that regulatory intervention will be necessary again. So, ceos of all mobile operators: do your job, respond to consumer concerns and lower your prices. You know exactly where you have to go!”
Distribution of the radio spectrum released by the region’s switch over from analogue to digital broadcasting also got an airing at the press event. “I believe sincerely that we need to make more progress on the reform of radio spectrum management. Radio spectrum is a very valuable resource, and a more market-oriented, efficient and consistent management will not only give an economic boost to Europe's wireless industry, but at the same time make substantial progress towards achieving a Europe with ‘broadband for all’ – whether in big cities or in less populated villages, whether in urban or in rural areas, whether at home or while travelling in Europe,” stated the Commissioner. “Let me make a very bold proposal: let us agree to make a very efficient and consumer-friendly use of
Europe
's digital dividend, the additional radio spectrum that will become available as soon as we switch from analogue to digital TV in the next three years. Let us agree to allocate, by 2010, 50% of this digital (divide) to new mobile and wireless services.”
And this week sees some more ‘big picture’ thinking from the EC’s very own Action Woman. This time Reding has reportedly signalled her willingness to see the introduction of a
US
style ‘bill and keep’ business model for cell phone use. In this, the user pays to receive as well as make calls, in the process doing away with the current mobile termination rates (MTRs) that Reding believes contribute to the unreasonably high cost of cell phone use in
Europe
. Reding is proposing a recommendation that would screw down MTRs to the point at which bill-and-keep may become very interesting for operators.
Clearly Reding is not known as ‘Viv the Impaler’ for nothing (actually, outside of this website she isn’t known as Viv the Impaler at all).
John Williamson |
