Tag Archive for 'European Parliament'


LIRNEasia’s Mobile Benchmarks (South Asia and Southeast Asia) and Broadband Benchmarks Report for October 2008 has been released. Click HERE for more information.




Net neutrality can raise broadband prices

by
Chanuka Wattegama
on October 22, 2008
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Broadband prices could rise by up to one-third if regulators in Europe insist on strict “net neutrality” rules that would block carriers from charging content providers premium prices to prioritise certain web traffic, a leading think-tank is set to warn.

Net neutrality has become a big issue in the US as internet congestion has increased. In Europe, regulators and industry players have claimed that the situation is different because users have more choice of network providers, and the debate has been more muted.

However, there have been growing concern among big telecoms companies that changes introduced in the European Parliament into the so-called telecoms package – the sweeping legislation which is designed to overhaul European Union telecoms laws – could open doors to net neutrality regulation in…

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European Union to slash mobile charges

by
Chanuka Wattegama
on September 23, 2008
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Proposals to slash the cost of using mobile phones abroad, for text, data and voice calls, could become law next July following a vote in Brussels.

The European Parliament is to vote on whether roaming costs for text messages should be capped.

The cost of sending a message is expected to eventually fall by 60% from an average of 23 pence to 9 pence.

Voice calls would fall from 36 to 27 pence a minute and customers would be able to set limits on data downloads.

A reluctant mobile phone industry first had limits on its roaming charges imposed by the EU in September 2007.

However, those applied only to voice calls, not those for texting or browsing the internet.

Mobile phone companies were limited to charging a maximum of around…

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EU sets out new strategy for a single European telecom market

by
Chanuka Wattegama
on November 14, 2007
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A single European Union-wide telecoms market could be in place from 2010 after the European Commission set out plans to increase competition. Under the new plans, a regional watchdog would be created and former monopolies could be forced to split up their network and services operations.

The planned changes are designed to offer consumers cheaper broadband services and phone calls from fixed line and mobile handsets, the Commission also argues. It claims that consumers are currently losing out because in many member countries, including Poland, Italy and Germany, the former state telecoms monopolies still dominate, particularly in the broadband market.

The proposals will now be debated in the European Parliament.

However, analysts said there is likely to be opposition to the changes with Germany and Spain seen as…

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Sri Lanka villages can be evacuated in 2 minutes

by
Rohan Samarajiva
on June 8, 2007
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European Parliament - News - Headlines - Article - Post Tsunami reconstruction - triumph or tragedy?

Mr Jayantha Samarasinghe of the Sri Lanka reconstruction agency told MEPs of how reconstruction efforts were proceeding. Among the figures he cited were that 134 of the 183 damaged schools were back in action, 80 railway bridges had been rebuilt and 75% of the fishing sector had been restored.In terms of early warning he said that the Dutch government had donated 50 Tsunami early warning towers. He also said that villages in coastal regions in danger of flooding had all worked out “escape routes” to higher ground. He said that if enough time was given then villages could be evacuated in 2 minutes.

Finally, it looks like the warning towers that…

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Mobile roaming, or the art of gouging someone else’s customer

by
Rohan Samarajiva
on March 19, 2007
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In the old days, telecom operators gouged each other’s customers through excessive termination charges (settlements) for international calls.   That went the way of the dodo with bypass and calling cards.   Then they came up with the idea of gouging the customers of other operators foolish enough to use roaming facilities.   Now the EU is trying to tamp it down, at least for its own citizens:

“The price of using a mobile phone in another EU country could be capped at 50 cents ($0.66; 34p) a minute. EU telecoms ministers agreed in principle to the limit at an informal meeting on the sidelines of the CeBIT hi-tech fair in Hanover. The European Parliament will debate the issue in May and ministers are understood to…

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