“The regulatory treatment of backhaul is particularly relevant in 5G deployment, “ says Annemarie Sipkes, the incoming BEREC Chair for 2022

21 September 2021

The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) aims at fostering the independent, consistent and high-quality regulation of digital markets for the benefit of Europe and its citizens. The key policy objective is to promote full connectivity in line with the European regulatory framework. BEREC is also working to incentivize the investments and EU leadership in 5G and fiber across the communications sector.

The incoming BEREC Chair 2022, Annemarie Sipkes (ACM, The Netherlands), participated in the “5G guide for local communities” webinar. Together with other experts, she addressed opportunities, safety limits and myths related to the latest generation of mobile technology. Annemarie Sipkes also emphasized that BEREC focuses not only on issues related to the 5G roll-out, such as coverage indicators or electromagnetic fields (EMF) but also on less visible aspects such as backhaul and copper switch-off. The incoming BEREC Chair said that backhaul infrastructure is vital for enabling 5G and facilitating the deployment of very-high-speed networks, especially in non-densely populated areas.

BEREC is currently preparing a report to present the legal provisions applicable to mobile and fixed backhaul, the regulation in force and use of different types of backhaul networks and services in Europe, as well as views expressed by operators on their current and future need for backhaul. The public consultation on BEREC findings will be launched on 6 October 2021 during the public debriefing on the outcomes of the BEREC plenary meeting. 

The online webinar took place on 21 September 2021 and was organized by the European Telecommunications Network Operators’ Association (ETNO).