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2nd April 2003

GSM Europe, the European Interest Group of the GSM Association, welcomes the Member States’ recognition of the importance of electronic communications in achieving the Lisbon goals - to make Europe the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based society in the world by 2010.

Inset is Kaisu Karvala, Chair GSM Europe.

GSM Europe’s 130 network operator members also fully endorse the Commission’s recognition that the mobile sector, in helping to achieve these goals, is best served by self-regulation and market innovation.

Ahead of the Telecom Council Meeting the Group urges Member States to actively support the EC’s mission to encourage new mobile service and network rollout. It warns that national regulation could hamper the development of new service business models and that regulatory intervention should be kept to the minimum necessary level bearing in mind key principles of sustainability and proportionality.

“The European Mobile industry is fully committed to building sustainable economic development in Europe,” comments Ms Kaisu Karvala, Chair of GSM Europe. “However, we are living in a public policy paradox. We are asked to focus on the speedy development of new services but at the same time are facing some profound and unexpected regulatory barriers that hamper the implementation of these new services and networks”.

“The new regulatory Framework promotes the rolling back of regulation in liberalised telecommunications sectors, but the mobile sector is facing the risk of increasing regulation. This is in spite of the competitive development of the European mobile market in recent years,” explains Karvala. “We see the implementation of the new Communications market act as an opportunity to improve the climate for investments through legal certainty and a consistent approach towards Member States,” Karvala concludes.

GSM Europe members encourage the Council to take responsibility for ensuring the full rollout of mobile networks. Moreover, the Group says the Commission should invite Member States to define clear authorisation processes for installing base stations at local level in order to alleviate the current obstacles to network deployment.

The Commission, national and local governments as well as Operators share responsibility in resolving challenges in this area. While the mobile industry continues its efforts to ensure good practice in network roll-outs, led by GSM Europe, it hopes that the Commission will encourage national Governments to make planning decisions accordance with clear, transparent and proportionate guidelines.