BEREC delegation discusses Europe’s path to the digital age

On 13 and 14 September 2023 in Brussels, Belgium, during the annual WIK conference, BEREC Board members delivered several keynote speeches on topics related to Gigabit Connectivity and the implementation of the Digital Markets Act. 

The BEREC Chair, Prof. Kostas Masselos (EETT, Greece), reiterated that European regulators anticipate an improved digital ecosystem in the future, encompassing various technologies and offering significant economic, social, and environmental advantages. BEREC Chair recognized the challenges and the opportunities ahead and he also highlighted policy and regulatory measures to promote Gigabit Connectivity, crucial for achieving the EU's digital goals.

Implementation of the Digital Markets Act
During a session discussing the implementation of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), BEREC Vice-chair Annemarie Sipkes (ACM, The Netherlands), focused on the importance of cooperation amongst regulators and authorities in implementing the framework of the DMA, the DSA and the forthcoming Data Act and Data Governance Act. According to Mrs Sipkes, effective cooperation is essential to making these regulations a success in practice. 

Gigabit Recommendation and its impact on Significant Market Power regulation 
On the second day of the event, the incoming BEREC Chair Tonko Obuljen (HAKOM, Croatia) shared his insights as a keynote speaker in the session "The Gigabit Recommendation: Nearing the End-Game for Significant Market Power (SMP) Regulation?", exploring the Recommendation’s impact on telecoms regulation in an ever-changing industry landscape. Earlier this year, BEREC released its Opinion on the draft Recommendation, raising some concerns and providing suggestions for improvement. Once adopted, the Gigabit Recommendation will guide National Regulatory Authorities on access conditions for telecom networks of SMP operators to accelerate the rollout of Gigabit networks.

About the WIK conference 
Annual WIK conferences focus on discussions relevant to the expertise of BEREC. This year, the conference "Is Europe fit for the digital age?" focused on intricate technological, societal, and regulatory challenges that influence Europe's digital preparedness in the coming years. WIK, the Scientific institute for infrastructure and communications services is an organisation that provides independent research and consultation in the fields of telecommunications, digitalisation, internet and data economy, smart energy, postal services and logistics.