The CEO of Telefonica Europe, Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete, has suggested in an interview that the mobile industry needs a more stable regulatory environment and that he is favour of a lighter touch approach.
Speaking to Mobile Magazine, Alvarez-Pallete…
The CEO of Telefonica Europe, Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete, has suggested in an interview that the mobile industry needs a more stable regulatory environment and that he is favour of a lighter touch approach.
Speaking to Mobile Magazine, Alvarez-Pallete said that Telefonica has ongoing conversations with the European Commission and claimed that the company is attempting to collaborate and share in order to prepare for the next generation of mobile phones.
Alvarez-Pallete also reportedly said that the telecoms sector is one of the few that is deflationary, does not ask for subsidies and creates jobs.
Earlier in March, the European Commission asked five major European telcos –
Telefonica, Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom, Telecom Italia and Vodafone – for more information on their intentions concerning the standardisation of services.
The Commission specified that the “fact-finding” steps it has taken so far did not necessarily mean it has competition concerns. But it could lead to a more in-depth investigation.
Tension between telcos and the Commission flared up at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona at the end of February.
Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao complained there of “continuous intervention” on pricing issues and attacked an “autopilot” mentality among regulators.
In response addressed to Colao and Vodafone, the Commissioner for the Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes, said: “I call your bluff, and indeed don’t respond well to threats.”
