Removing regulation would align Spain with an increasing number of EU countries and follow similar interventions in other wholesale telecoms markets
MWC25: Final reflections
The halls were packed, the production value was high and the on-site catering was expensive: in short, there were very few surprises
The changing ownership of former incumbents
As some European governments are reducing shares in domestic operators, others are actively raising their stakes, often to protect strategic national assets
Extending spectrum licences in Germany
The Bundeskartellamt argues that conditions attached to the proposed extension of spectrum usage rights would harm new entrant 1&1 and hinder wholesale competition
Spain: Deregulating wholesale central and local access
Fibre network competition and the entry of new players has removed the need for wholesale broadband regulation, but Telefónica’s physical infrastructure remains a bottleneck
BEREC: Infrastructure sharing is caring
While network sharing can reduce the carbon footprint of the telecoms sector, the industry believes it should be agreed voluntarily, rather than mandated by regulators
EU: Google’s cloud complaint against Microsoft
The showdown between tech firms finds Google advocating greater openness in digital markets, despite its alleged abuse of dominance elsewhere
Portugal: Market restructuring after a failed attempt at consolidation
The combination of the country’s fourth operator (Nowo) and a new entrant (Digi) may be an opportunity to intensify competition facing the ‘big three’ providers
Replicating Telefónica's fibre broadband services in Spain
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
Spain extends spectrum licences at no extra cost
The Government will lengthen usage rights by up to 10 years but wants to see operators invest in return