Broadband
German parties clash over creating digital ministry after election
German political parties disagree over whether there should be a new federal ministry overseeing all digital policies after the 24 September election.
MEPs want to lower prices for international phone calls
MEPs want to put a price cap on calls and text messages from one EU country to another, arguing those rates are outrageously high for many consumers.
Rural areas have bad internet access in most member states
Many rural parts of the EU have poor or no broadband internet, even as lawmakers in Brussels discuss new rules to speed up connectivity.
MEPs to give telecoms regulators new muscle to police big firms
MEPs in charge of a sweeping new telecoms reform want to give national watchdogs new powers to control operators in countries where there is not enough competition.
Corporate networks: Digital transformation means new challenges
Corporate networks need to ramp up speed and performance if they are to keep pace with digital transformation. This article takes a look at four key trends.
EU telecoms watchdog: ‘We are independent and we bother powerful people’
Sébastien Soriano spoke to EURACTIV about what Yoda can teach us about EU telecoms law, accusations that he is lobbying to change draft rules, net neutrality and the likely new Digital Commissioner Mariya Gabriel.
Mobile roaming fees disappear, but MEPs want more EU rules
European mobile phone contracts are required to charge domestic rates for calls, SMS and data use when users travel in the EU starting today (15 June), capping off a ten-year fight to get rid of roaming fees.
The Brief, powered by Eni: EU wants us out of the roam zone
Hats off to the European Commission for squeezing two crowd-pleasing stories into one week. Just yesterday, Jean-Claude Juncker celebrated the 1 million 'Erasmus babies' (TMI, really) during a celebration of the programme. Tomorrow the EU wants to score again when it gets rid of mobile roaming fees within Europe.
Digital development plan promotes EU tech laws
A new European Commission aid plan promises to channel more development funds into building internet networks in Africa, in the hope that the bloc's fresh privacy and net neutrality rules could become a template for other countries.
EU agrees to fund free Wi-Fi for European towns with no internet coverage
European Union legislators agreed yesterday (29 May) to set aside €120 million to provide free wireless internet connections by 2020 to up to 8,000 municipalities in the EU in areas with no internet coverage.
Member states want to change investment rules in telecoms overhaul
EU countries have changed measures on network investment in a major telecoms bill and are kicking negotiations into the second half of this year.
Proximus CEO: High quality Belgian network ‘is reflected in the price’
Belgium has higher mobile phone prices than many other countries in Europe because of the high quality of its network, Dominique Leroy told EURACTIV.com. Looking forward, she said more spectrum was badly needed to cope with soaring demand for mobile data.
Thirteen member states double down on opposition to EU spectrum rules
A group of thirteen EU member states have doubled down on a pushback by national governments against the European Commission's proposed changes to radio spectrum policy, arguing it will sweep away their powers to auction off spectrum to telecoms operators.
Network quality vital for Europe’s move to ‘Gigabit Society’
While capacity and speed will always be important, European companies need networks that are exceptionally reliable and adaptable to launch new technologies across Europe, writes Richard Swinford.
Europe’s digital union is stuck in Brussels
A draft EU telecoms law could cause major economic growth and create jobs, but there is a high risk it could be diluted by the Brussels compromise machine, write Steven Tas and Lise Fuhr.
Your imagination is tomorrow’s innovation
Digital technologies and communication have the potential to uphold a strong and dynamic internal market fit for the digital age, ultimately making every European citizen’s life much better, writes Antonio López-Istúriz.
In Barcelona, cutting-edge technologies struggle to demonstrate their potential
As the Mobile World Congress continued, the "father" of Li-Fi said his LED-based wireless connection technology deserves EU support, while Blockchain developers defended the positive impact of the public ledger on society at large.
EU calls for greater industry involvement in 5G
The European Commission this week will urge EU member states and the private sector to get more involved in the development of the next generation of broadband networks enabling the digital revolution, as the World Mobile Congress opens in Barcelona.
EU strikes tentative deal on 700 MHz band for mobile internet
The Slovak Presidency, which made bringing “deliverables” to EU citizens one of its priorities, reached an informal agreement with the European Parliament on the coordinated use of a key frequency band that will allow the introduction of 5G as of 2020.
Fibre-powered value to European consumers
Overall spending on telecommunications is a fraction of consumer spending.
Cable is connecting Europe with Gigabit speeds
Cable broadband networks reach over half of European households, offering the single largest NGA network in Europe.
The CAP and the Digital Single Market
Internet connectivity has become vital to modern agriculture.
![Margrethe Vestager [Commission]](https://www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/11/vestager_blue_background.jpeg)
EU approves France’s scheme for very high speed broadband
European Union antitrust regulators today (7 November) approved France's €13 billion scheme to roll out very high speed broadband across the country, saying it did not unduly distort competition.
EU farmers dream of the digital age
Europe's farmers are beginning to embrace new technologies. But poor internet connections and the high cost of new digital tools can be discouraging. EURACTIV reports.