BEREC outlines digital ecosystem dynamics and activities to support end-users in EU to its Latin American counterparts

BEREC is committed to promoting independent, consistent, high-quality regulation of electronic communications services and digital markets and is willing to share its experience with regulators worldwide.  At the Latin American Forum of Telecommunications Regulators (REGULATEL) plenary meeting in La Paz, Bolivia, the Co-Chairs of the Digital Markets Working Group and the End-users Working Group presented the BEREC’s contribution to fostering fair, open and contestable digital markets and the outlines for work next year.

Digital ecosystem dynamics
In her presentation, Ms Chiara Caccinelli, Co-chair of the Digital Markets Working Group (Arcep, France) highlighted the European regulatory response to the growing influence of major digital platforms. While acknowledging their positive impact on terms of innovation, user choice, and improved efficiencies, she emphasized the need to identify and regulate potential gatekeepers to ensure fair competition in digital markets. Ms Caccinelli noted that BEREC has actively contributed to addressing these issues and will continue monitoring digital market developments in 2024, while also underlined BEREC’s contributions to the implementation of some key European legislations such as the Digital Markets Act (via the DMA High-Level Group), the Data Act and the Digital Services Act. 

Empowering end-users
Throughout this year, BEREC has been working to empower end-users by improving transparency and defining adequate broadband internet access service. In this context, Ms Indre Jurgelioniene, the BEREC End-users Working Group Co-chair (RRT, Lithuania), presented updates to the Guidelines on Quality of Services, including new definitions and measurement methods for latency, delay variation, and packet loss ratio. Additionally, REGULATEL members were briefed on BEREC's work towards ensuring end-users with free-of-charge access to at least one independent comparison tool for evaluating at least Internet Access Services and publicly available Number-Based Interpersonal Communications Services. Ms Jurgelioniene noted that, looking to 2024, BEREC remains dedicated to promoting choice of services and empowerment for end-users.

BEREC- REGULATEL cooperation
International cooperation is a significant part of BEREC’s work as it allows exchange on cross-border and common issues and closely following global trends in technology and changing business models. It enables BEREC to retain its capacity to meet future challenges effectively. BEREC already has a long history of cooperation with regulatory networks in other regions, and the cooperation with REGULATEL is one of the longest. BEREC signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2013 and extended in 2015, 2017 and 2019. The regulators of both continents have multiple mutual interests. The geopolitical situation worldwide proves how essential, resilient global electronic communication networks are for the economies; therefore, more regulatory cooperation concerning different aspects of these networks is needed.