The European Competitive Telecommunications Association wonders ’...
The European Competitive Telecommunications Association wonders “if the European Commission would agree” with a report endorsing competition policies that favor incumbent telecommunications companies, Regulatory Affairs Director Ilsa Godlovitch said Thursday. A study of five major EU countries ranked Germany’s…
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telecom market policies lowest, in part due to unfavorable antitrust laws and “modest” state support for Deutsche Telekom (CD Sept 4 p7). The report suggested that incumbents enjoy significant benefits, such as support for greater debt, if the state is the major shareholder, Godlovitch said. That may help incumbents, but “quite clearly signals” that providers with government support have an edge over competitors and probably are better placed for outlays such as building fiber access networks, she said. If the EU is serious about telecom competition, it must ensure that countries sell their stakes in incumbents and don’t promote national champions at the expense of competitors, she said.