Over 100 stakeholders joined to discuss the opportunities and challenges of Europe’s ongoing fibre transition – and to air concerns over the EC’s DNA proposals
Attendees raised many of the same criticisms of the DNA proposals that have been heard since publication
On 17 March 2026, in Brussels, the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) held a workshop on the copper switch-off (CSO) in light of the recently proposed Digital Networks Act (DNA). The workshop gathered 100+ stakeholders from industry, national regulators, analyst firms and academia (online and in-person) to discuss the varying progress in, and ongoing barriers to, the CSO across Europe. The general consensus in the room reflected much of the response to the DNA so far, with attendees taking the view that it is a somewhat underwhelming proposal – at least in comparison to the ambitions of the Draghi and Letta reports. On copper retirement specifically, attendees raised concerns about a variety of issues, including mandating a 2035 deadline, potentially “coercive” rules and a lack of clarity on current fibre adoption rates.
There were calls for the EC to adopt a more ambitious CSO timeframe as well as a less centralised approach to the process
One of the primary criticisms of the DNA at the workshop was over its proposed CSO timeframe, under which operators would be required to switch-off their copper networks by the end of 2035. Francesco Nonno (Director of Regulatory and European Affairs, Open Fiber and President, FTTH Council Europe) argued that the 2035 deadline was “excessive”, and that most regulators already had updated network coverage mapping data available, making it easier to finalise CSO processes ahead of that deadline. Others around the table agreed and called for greater ambition from the EC with regard to this deadline. The migration of essential copper-only services, such as lifts and alarms that are still connected to the PSTN, also received attention throughout the day, with Nonno proposing that regulators be required to consult on these issues to ensure clarity on what still needs to be switched off. More broadly, a number of attendees argued that the DNA proposals adopt a too rigid, “one size fits all” approach to the CSO, potentially failing to take into account different market and investment conditions across the EU. Anton Horshkov (Senior Manager EU Regulatory Policy, Deutsche Telekom) considered this approach “a very dangerous concept”, urging policymakers to be cautious and consistent in the network elements they label as copper to avoid distorting competition between Member States.
Further research is needed into the potential economic benefits of transitioning final customers from copper to fibre
Benoit Felten’s (Managing Director, Fiberevolution) presentation highlighted some of the economic issues surrounding the CSO. Felten honed in on the lack of research available on the economic benefits of transitioning the last remaining customers from copper to fibre, explaining that without this, there may not be the incentive for national governments to intervene. He added that this tends to further reduce the incentive for incumbents to retire copper, arguing that more active governments lead to more active incumbents in this area. Tony Shortall (Director, Telage) echoed this view, stating that it is logical for incumbents to maintain copper networks in areas where there is competition from other providers, disincentivising them from migrating customers to fibre. Shortall stated that this could lead to some “thorny” competition issues, but warned against the alternative approach of a forced migration because of how costly it could be. He also proposed that policymakers consider the introduction of an ad valorem tax on copper services to discourage customers from continuing to use them.
Telia and Telefónica underlined the importance of effective communication with affected customers
The workshop also gave some former incumbent operators the chance to present about their experiences of the CSO in their respective countries. Marita Jansson (Head of Infra Strategy, Portfolio Management & Fixed Telephony, Telia Sweden) explained the history of Telia’s CSO process in Sweden, dating back to the impacts of Storm Gudrun in 2005, which led the operator to only build fibre underground. Jansson was clear that while switching copper lines off was simple, transitioning customers away from legacy services was considerably more difficult. She praised Telia’s excellent 5G coverage for its support in facilitating the migration, as well as its prioritisation of “information, information, information” to raise awareness among customers. Maria José Nogueira Pardo (Manager for Wholesale Regulation, Telefónica Spain) similarly detailed the lessons Telefónica had learnt from its CSO in Spain, agreeing with Jansson about the need to ensure customers are well-informed. She said that communication of the process needed to be “intensive”, with each customer given up to 12 billing alerts in the space of a year.
