BEREC seeks stakeholder input on IP interconnection, M2M roaming and assessment of the general authorisation regime

On 12 June, BEREC held its public debriefing to inform the stakeholders of the outcomes of the latest plenary meeting of the Board of Regulators. During the event, BEREC Chair Tonko Obuljen (HAKOM, Croatia) informed on the adopted documents, ongoing work on BEREC’s input to the European Commission White Paper and urged stakeholders to participate in the BEREC public consultations (PC) on the assessment of the general authorisation regime, IP interconnection, and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) roaming.

IP interconnection ecosystem “evolution rather than revolution”    
In their latest draft report BEREC experts have assessed the current status of IP-interconnection (IP-IC) in Europe. As BEREC had already published reports on IP-IC in 2012 and 2017, the new draft looks at the market developments since then. It also puts its previous conclusions to the test.
Since 2017, the use of on-net Content Distribution Networks and bilateral peering has accelerated. Competition and technological progress exert downward pressure on costs and prices. Thus, the Internet manages to cope will traffic growth like it did in the past. 
While the IP-IC ecosystem is still largely driven by functioning market dynamics and cooperative behaviour, BEREC also observed that a few IP-IC disputes occurred since 2017. 
BEREC now seeks stakeholder input on the draft report through a public consultation. Stakeholders are invited to provide their feedback by 26 July 2024.

Machine-to-Machine roaming   
The significance of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications is anticipated to grow exponentially with technological advancements. They are used in automotive, construction, building management, aerospace, agriculture, shipping, transport, and sensor technology. These solutions primarily target location tracking, proactive maintenance, machine status monitoring, and incident reporting.
BEREC has analysed M2M services that rely on permanent roaming. In its draft report, BEREC examines the potential obstacles for operators to negotiate (permanent) roaming agreements, whether they enable permanent roaming in their network for the provision of such services, and what pricing schemes are applied. BEREC has launched a public consultation on the draft report. The final report will inform the BEREC Opinion on the review of the Roaming Regulation. Stakeholders can submit their input by 23 August 2024.
 
Effectiveness of the EU general authorisation regime 
After having collected information from National Regulatory Authorities, BEREC is now gathering data from stakeholders to assess the effectiveness of the current EU General Authorisation scheme and its impact on the single market. Every three years, BEREC is mandated by the European Electronic Communications Code to provide an Opinion on how the general authorisation regime is being implemented and its functionality at the national as well as European level. On receipt of the BEREC Opinion, the European Commission may publish a report on the application of the General Authorisation-related provisions in the European Electronic Communications Code. It may also propose legislative amendments if necessary to address any obstacles to the proper functioning of the single market. BEREC has already adopted an Opinion on the matter on December 2021.The second draft Opinion is currently open for public consultation until 26 July 2024. 

Changing end-user digital habits to reduce the environmental footprint 
There are various ways of reducing the environmental footprint of our digital services and devices. Today, BEREC launched a social media campaign to inform end-users on how to achieve more sustainable and environmentally friendly utilisation of their digital devices. This involves awareness of the existing environmental  rights (right to repair, legal guarantee, energy label) as well as particular change of habits, for example keeping devices for as long as possible, repairing, recycling and reusing them for as long as possible, using airplane mode or wi-fi whenever possible, and similar suggestions. BEREC believes that empowering end-users will provide positive incentives for digital industry players to endorse the implementation of greener digital solutions and reduce the risk of so-called greenwashing. The social media campaign is based on the findings reflected in the BEREC Report on empowering end-users through environmental transparency on digital products and services. 

Public documents available online
A full list of BEREC’s public documents adopted at the 59th ordinary meeting (6-7 June 2024) is on the BEREC website, and the presentation and video recording of the BEREC public debriefing will be uploaded soon. The 60th BEREC ordinary meeting will take place on 2-4 October 2024, in Hungary. The next BEREC public debriefing will be held on 9 October 2024, in Brussels and online.
 
Note to Editor 
BEREC promotes openness and transparency in its communications and is available for any further questions that stakeholders might have. If there are any other topics related to electronic communications that stakeholders would like BEREC to explore. We would be happy to assist you in any way we can. Contact us at: [email protected]