Telecoms regulation
Germany considers Huawei 5G ban amid global backlash against Chinese tech giant
The German government is considering excluding Huawei from the country's 5G market amid a global backlash against the Chinese telecoms company. The news comes a week after a senior Huawei executive was arrested on espionage charges in Poland.
Calling within Europe will be cheaper from May 2019
Telephone operators will no longer be able to charge more than 19 euro cents per minute for calls within Europe from 1 May 2019. The end of roaming charges has already boosted the phone usage of holiday-makers. EURACTIV France reports.
Net neutrality compliance in France better than elsewhere in Europe
An app allowing Internet users to monitor their internet service provider’s proper conduct was presented at the Internet Governance Forum in Paris on Monday (12 November). The initial statistics have shown that France has fared well. EURACTIV France reports.
China’s Huawei opens up to German scrutiny ahead of 5G auctions
Chinese’s Huawei Technologies Co Ltd will open a new information security lab in Germany next month that will enable source code reviews, in a step aimed at winning regulators’ confidence before the country’s 5G mobile spectrum auction.
Deutsche Telekom CEO optimistic about EU okay for Tele2 Dutch deal
Deutsche Telekom is confident it will secure EU antitrust approval to buy Tele2’s Dutch business, the German company’s chief executive said, adding that the deal was necessary to help the companies compete with bigger rivals.
Pressure on Commission ahead of decision on connected car technology
Pressure is mounting on the European Commission ahead of a decision it is expected to announce this autumn that will affect how internet-connected cars are built in Europe.
Commission vs. Android: Killing the cow for a steak
Competition is what makes the world a better place, not intelligent design by God or by bureaucrats. Therefore, protecting competition is one of the key responsibilities of the European Commission. But in the case of Android, it is about to make a huge mistake, writes Žiga Turk.
EU connected cars plan sparks national backlash
A niche policy fight over the technical groundwork for internet-connected cars has pitted car companies against telecoms operators and also set off alarm bells in a handful of EU capitals.
MEP on connected car fight: Commission should focus on safety standards, not technology
The European Commission wants future connected vehicles to be able to run both on 5G and Wifi networks, claiming its upcoming legal proposal will remain "technology neutral". But a leading lawmaker warns this will in effect give preference to one technology over another.
Automakers and telecoms firms bicker over EU connected vehicle proposal
A battle between car manufacturers and telecoms operators is heating up as the European Commission prepares to announce legislation later this year that could determine whether automakers will need to rely on Wifi or wireless 5G technology to build internet-connected vehicles.
EU caps price of international phone calls in landmark telecoms overhaul
Lawmakers agreed to cap the price of phone calls and SMS messages between EU countries and sealed a deal to encourage investment in fast internet networks during a late-night meeting on Wednesday (6 June).OpinionPromoted content
Europe’s next digital network: power and responsibility
With great power comes great responsibility. Various versions of this quote were attributed throughout history to Churchill, Roosevelt and more recently to Spiderman.
Commission demands EU leaders approve deadlocked ePrivacy bill
The European Commission is amping up pressure on EU leaders to approve a controversial privacy bill, deadlocked in legal talks for more than a year, after the data breach scandal involving Facebook and Cambridge Analytica.
MEPs and Commission headed for showdown over international phone call rates in the EU
The European Parliament is holding its ground on its controversial proposal to lower the costs of international phone calls within the EU, one week before a make-or-break round of negotiations on a sweeping telecoms bill.
After Facebook scandal, MEPs argue the GDPR isn’t enough
The EU needs more legal safeguards to prevent massive privacy breaches like the current scandal over Facebook and British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, MEPs from different political parties argued on Wednesday (18 April).
Cybersecurity agency warns of ‘extremely dangerous’ risks of 5G technology
Superfast 5G mobile networks come with “extremely dangerous” cybersecurity risks, the EU cybersecurity agency ENISA has warned. 5G is expected to become available to European consumers by 2025.
EU telecoms regulators examine whether app stores restrict internet access
European telecoms regulators are investigating whether app stores restrict internet access by limiting their users’ choice of content, the chair of the umbrella group of EU watchdogs said on Wednesday (14 March).
Pushing boundaries: Thoughts on the tech milestone we’re about to reach
It’s been almost ten years since the commercial rollout of 4G created the connected world we live in today. And the new buzzword now is 5G, writes Tony Graziano.
Brussels pivots on controversial investment clause in EU telecoms bill
The European Commission has proposed new criteria to guide investment in telecoms networks, in a twist that is likely to stir disagreement as EU negotiators try to strike compromise over a draft telecoms bill.
EU cybersecurity boss eyes hardware as early target for certification plans
A draft bill to set up an EU system certifying the cybersecurity level of tech products is still trapped up in negotiations after the European Commission announced the overhaul last September.
EU’s 5G hopes at stake over disagreement on radio spectrum
Much of the Brussels policy crowd visiting this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona headed home early to monitor, lobby or take part in another round of tense negotiations over a draft EU telecoms law that is taking place on Wednesday and Thursday (28 February-1March).
Trump’s telecoms regulator: the EU’s ‘complexity’ may cause challenges for 5G
A lot of the debate around net neutrality comes from misinformation but "this baseless fearmongering will simply lose credibility" once it becomes clear that the internet economy has continued to thrive, US telecoms regulator Ajit Pai told EURACTIV on the sidelines of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Tensions over net neutrality shake up Mobile World Congress
Sparks flew at a public discussion over net neutrality at one of the world’s biggest tech conferences on Monday (27 February), as EU tech chief Andrus Ansip defended the bloc’s two-year-old legislation while sharing a stage with the American regulator who just repealed a similar US law.