The CNMC looks to adopt a more flexible approach to its economic replicability test, reflecting the EC’s Gigabit Recommendation and recent M&A activity in the market
Declining returns on investment
Findings from the PTS in Sweden contradict some of those drawn by the EC, challenging the idea that the US telecoms market is a much more profitable place to invest
Germany: Long-awaited restrictions on Huawei and ZTE
Mobile operators have agreed to phase out the firms from their 5G networks, with almost 20 other countries already having imposed restrictions on equipment vendors
EU: State of the Digital Decade (second report)
The EC has issued a wake-up call to Member States, with many not currently making sufficient progress to meet key 2030 connectivity targets
Portugal: Vodafone/Nowo merger blocked
Despite being in line with the preliminary view, there is still a chance the AdC’s decision could be appealed directly to the Minister of Economy, although this mechanism has only been invoked (successfully) once before
EC: Protecting competition in a changing world
DG COMP research shows that mobile prices in the EU are consistently lower than in the US, but that consolidation tends to increase prices and may not deliver greater investment
UK: Vodafone and Virgin Media O2 extend network sharing agreement
Together with a balancing of spectrum across industry, the announcement boosts the chances of a Three/Vodafone merger
US: FCC proposes a ban on phone locking
The US would join only a handful of other countries that have pursued a ban on SIM locking to encourage greater competition at the retail level
Tech and telecoms under a Labour Government
A quick implementation of online safety rules, strengthening the framework for AI and reforms to the planning system are likely to take priority over changes to connectivity policy
Event debrief: ISPA ISP Business Summit 2024
Consolidation and the ‘right number’ of fibre networks dominated discussions, with the ultimate survival of some altnets the elephant in the room
