BEREC delegation at the IIC Communications Policy and Regulation Week

07 November 2024

BEREC delegation at the IIC Communications Policy and Regulation Week

The image shows a person holding a tablet on the hand and above, different icons representing the telecommunications policy and regulation landscape

During the Communications Policy and Regulation Week held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 4 to 7 November 2024, BEREC, represented by the Vice-Chairs Robert Mourik (ComReg, Ireland) and Kostas Masselos (EETT, Greece) and the Co-Chair of the Remedies and Market Monitoring Working Group, Annegret Groebel, had several opportunities to express their views on topics such as mobile network evolution and broadband investment challenges, the mobile virtual network operator ecosystem, 5G deployment and private networks, fit-for-purpose broadband investment, regulation of artificial intelligence and low earth orbit (LEO) regulation.

Competition as a key driver for investment

As part of several panel discussions on mobile network evolution and broadband investment challenges, BEREC’s new chair Robert Mourik discussed policies supporting the mobile virtual network operator ecosystem, 5G deployment and private networks. He also took part in the discussion on fit-for-purpose policy and business models for broadband investment. BEREC notes the problem definition set out in the recent European Commission’s consultation on its White Paper, the Letta & Draghi reports. BEREC would not necessarily subscribe to the proposed solutions in the Draghi report but would emphasise the benefits that competition has brought to the electronic communications sector over the past 20 years and the importance of not losing the gains achieved through ex ante regulation. This is in line with one of the strategic objectives of European regulators which see competition as a key driver of investment and innovation.

“BEREC recognises the technological developments may merit a review of the scope and provisions of the regulatory framework, the European Electronic Communications Code, under which BEREC’s constituent national regulatory authorities (NRAs) operate. BEREC is ready to contribute to this review, to be completed by the European Commission by the end of 2025, to ensure that the regulatory framework is evidence-based and fit-for-purpose to help European Member States achieve their common connectivity and coverage obligations.”

Robert Mourik, incoming BEREC Chair, ComReg, Ireland

Regulation of Artificial Intelligence

The BEREC Vice-Chair Kostas Masselos, within a panel discussion on the regulation of Artificial Intelligence, underscored the dual impact of AI, noting both its potential to drive resource and energy efficiency and its risk of significantly increasing energy consumption.

“On one hand, AI holds the ‘promise’ of incremental optimisations that will take place in industrial production lines and product design in the future, saving material resources and energy. On the other hand, it is likely to cause energy consumption to skyrocket in both data centres and more generally in IT and communication infrastructures in the coming years.”

Kostas Masselos, BEREC Vice-Chair, EETT, Greece

Meanwhile, in the session dedicated to AI, the Co-Chair of BEREC’s Remedies and Market Monitoring Working Group (RAMM WG and BNetzA), Annegret Groebel, discussed the role of AI in the context of the regulatory framework. Dr Groebel emphasised that regulation should prioritise safe and explainable AI. She also mentioned the importance of fostering innovation through the AI Act, which is why a regulatory sandbox can be set up as a virtual experimental space. It will allow innovators to train and validate an AI system, application or product to be developed for a limited period of time under regulatory oversight and, if necessary, test it in real-world conditions.

Regulation of low earth orbit satellites

Prof. Masselos also actively discussed the regulation of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites and the licensing landscape. During the discussion, he emphasized the pressing need to develop tools to address emerging trends in LEO satellite internet services and direct-to-device mobile base stations, with a view to ensuring compliance with Legal Intercept (LI) provisions and restrictions on certain online content and services.

Towards more horizontal approach for the digital economy

During the IIC Annual Conference, Dr Groebel discussed the importance of regulatory collaboration towards a more horizontal approach to the digital economy. She underlined the impact of organizational structures on regulatory effectiveness, advocating for a transformation that would facilitate a horizontal regulatory approach. BNetzA was recently appointed as the Digital Services Coordinator. In this capacity, she highlighted the importance of coordinating activities with other organizations to ensure effective interaction between traditional telecommunications and digital regulation while identifying their commonalities and differences. During the session, Annegret Groebel also shared BNetzA's experience of internal coordination and interactions with other sectors in Germany and Europe.

About the event

The Communications Policy and Regulation Week hosted by the International Institute for Communications consisted of the Annual Conference, the International Regulators Forum and the Small Nations Regulators Forum, and took place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 4 to 7 November 2024. The event brought together senior industry representatives, regulators, academics and other stakeholders from the telecommunications, media and technology sectors.