External Study on Communication Services for Businesses in Europe: Status Quo and Future Trends

Business services consisting of electronic communication services or based on them are a key input to ensure that the European companies and public administrations can benefit from the digital economy, allowing for a better provision of new innovative services for citizens, increase of productivity, efficiency and for competing in a globalised world.

In the last years business services have evolved and are expected to evolve even more to include new innovative services supported by the deployment of very high capacity fixed and mobile networks. Moreover, business services are increasingly being provided in combination with additional, typically IT, services. At the same time, these markets are more diverse and less transparent with regard to services provided, contractual clauses, and prices compared to the residential segment.

In the study, both the demand and the supply sides have been investigated in five large countries among the BEREC members, namely France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain. To analyse the demand side, a pan-European survey among business users with 1,000 respondents (200 in each country) was conducted. The analysis of the supply side was based in a large part on qualitative interviews with operators in the same five countries as for the demand-side analysis. In addition, desk research was carried out by consultants to identify trends and statistics that have already been documented. The study provides a valuable overview of business services in Europe and can be particularly useful for NRAs and stekeholders to characterise the demand and supply sides, as well as future trends.