BCS attended the Political New Year's Reception, hosted by the @German Data Centre Association in Berlin, where experts from industry and politics emphasised the need for affordable, sustainable electricity and stronger political support for data centres.
Germany's digital infrastructure is crucial for economic growth, but challenges in energy and infrastructure policies threaten progress.
The incoming government will have to act swiftly with clear policies to secure the digital future of the country.
We look forward to supporting European policymakers as they deliver a new legislative initiative, the Digital Networks Act, for reform in this vital market, which underpins the future of Europe as a digital powerhouse.
Interesting news...
Telecom operators consolidation is becoming a hot issue in the EU, a kind of prerequisite, in order for it to be able to compete effectively in the global arena by ensuring the necessary network upgrade and expansion investments now and in the years to come.
Someone could say that this somehow takes us "back to square one", ie against the much touted in the past market liberalisation as a panacea for bad telecom services (in terms of quality, reach/coverage and price) by state-owned operators who were single market players at the time.
It seems like we took a wild ride for a few decades by opening the European operators market, which brought in competition and as a consequence better service and prices to the consumers, but now we realize that we may need to take a step back and be more considerate/prudent on how we go ahead with much needed investment in new technologies, like eg. #5G (full fledged, ie #5GSA and at least midband deployments), as well as #FTTH and #FWA. Especially since other world regions are galloping while we are moving at turtle's pace and this could harm EU's potential for innovation and competitiveness unequivocally.
In addition, since becoming #green and #sustainable has also become a true necessity for our survival on this planet, this also calls for avoiding multiplying network infrastructure everywhere, as has been the (inconsiderate?) case during the past decades.
Lastly, if we do go for more operator consolidation in the EU (like it already happened decades ago with the vendors with the well known consequences), will it be for the better in the long run and for whom?
Many questions, few answers I'm afraid...
These are some reflections I'm having since quite some time now and triggered by this latest move, I thought of sharing here in the hope of starting a useful discussion and hear more from what other people may think about this.
So be my guest and offer your views and comments; I will be looking forward! 😉
General Manager at Greek Mobile Operators Association
We look forward to supporting European policymakers as they deliver a new legislative initiative, the Digital Networks Act, for reform in this vital market, which underpins the future of Europe as a digital powerhouse.
In 2025 governments will push to hold tech platforms accountable for user content, but passing and enforcing regulations won’t be easy. EIU’s Tech and telecoms outlook 2025 offers in-depth analysis of the key trends, challenges and disruptions that the sector will face. Download the full report here: http://econgrp.co/PE
Explore more insights with EIU’s Country Analysis service, covering 200 countries and six industries. Learn more here http://econgrp.co/PD
Associate Professor of Media and Communication Studies at Linköping University and Profutura Scientia Fellow at the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Studies
We got together in Utrecht 2 weeks ago, workshopped for a day, then wrote and submitted this policy response to the EC on regulating data centers that spins further on a lot of our research and experiences from Sweden. Read here: Governing Digital Infrastructures for a Secure and Sustainable Future
https://lnkd.in/dpQrsdGQ
🗓️ 𝗨𝗽𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲’𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀?
With the publication of its recent White Paper, the European Commission proposed a number of potential policy actions for the new legislative term. Now that the EU elections are in the rearview mirror, this is a good time to zoom in on the implications of the proposed policy actions on a variety of stakeholders.
Join us for “𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲’𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀?”, an event that aims to bring together relevant stakeholders from within Europe’s digital infrastructure sector to discuss how Europe’s digital economy can flourish.
The event will be kicked-off by Plum Consulting presenting their recently published report on the implications the policy actions outlined by the White Paper, followed by a panel discussion on how the digital infrastructure contributes to the EU’s competitiveness and its innovation capabilities.
🔗 Full agenda and registration: https://lnkd.in/e5ZEff-W
🔗 European Commission’s White Paper: https://lnkd.in/et-3G2_v
🖥 Following the publication on February 21 of the European Commission's White Paper "How to master Europe's digital infrastructure needs?", I-Com has presented its contribution to the public consultation opened by the Commission to collect views on the scenarios outlined in the White Paper and provide stakeholders an opportunity to take part to the Commission's future proposals in this domain.
I-Com supports the Commission's initiative but points out gaps in connecting identified issues with proposed solutions, with an analysis aiming to provide a valuable roadmap for strengthening Europe's digital infrastructure.
👉 Click here for a deeper insight on I-Com's recommendations and observations: https://lnkd.in/dEATrbrm
🇪🇺 New from me: See my full breakdown of the responses to the spectrum policy proposals floated in European Commission's digital infrastructure white paper.
Some of those who responded thought it focused on the right problems, but many felt it proposed the wrong solutions. In particular, there was push back on the following:
𝟱𝗚 𝗣𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀
Many respondents disagreed with the Commission's characterisation of the pioneer band initiative as a failure. BEREC, Telefónica and the RSPG all pointed to the regimes successes.
𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗨 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗺 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Many respondents accepted that more spectrum harmonisation would be beneficial but stressed that any potential regime needs to allow for flexibility among Member States.
𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝟯𝗚 𝘀𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵-𝗼𝗳𝗳
The least popular idea of them all: That 2G & 3G technology switch-off should be coordinated by the EU. BEREC, Deutsche Telekom and the GSMA all came out against this proposal.
𝗣𝗮𝗻-𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀
Various respondents expressed doubts about this idea. BEREC says the creation of pan-EU operators is already possible under current legislation “should operators, in fact, wish to take this particular direction”.
The GSMA meanwhile says policies that support pan-European operators could be “discriminatory” to single-country operators, and such a policy would not have “any relevant impact” on investor sentiment.
𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗺 𝘀𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘁𝘆
Nearly all respondents agreed that the existing spectrum governance model works well and can generally cope with sovereignty challenges. There was particularly strong support for CEPT.
https://lnkd.in/eNywb5-V
🌍 Lithuania: The Next Data Centre Hotspot
Lithuania is fast becoming a preferred location for data centre investment, thanks to its green energy access, advanced infrastructure, and strategic location.
At VMG Group, we’re proud to contribute to this exciting journey alongside KV Baltic, whose expertise in data centre technology strengthens Lithuania’s position as a top choice for investors.
💡 The recent DCD article highlights Lithuania’s strengths as a future-ready destination for data centres (link in comments).
Want to learn more?
Join us on 30 January for the DCD broadcast, where industry leaders, including Marius Adomaitis (VMG Group) and Simona Šimoliūnė (LEX CONSULTA), will discuss:
✅ Lithuania’s advantages for data canters
✅ Energy and technology innovations driving the sector forward
Tune in here: https://lnkd.in/dCAxAGBy
Let’s shape the future of data centres together! 🚀
#DataCenterDynamics#DCD#Lithuania#VMGGroup#Innovation#Sustainability#Investment
Eventmanager bei German Datacenter Association
2moThank you very much for being there