Barcelona, 5 March 2025
A traditional set piece during Mobile World Congress, the BEREC-GSMA joint roundtable, is an opportunity to reflect on the current state of electronic communications and where regulators and industry want the sector to move towards.
This year, the roundtable explored two key topics:
- Connectivity challenges: delivering on 5G and beyond
- Consistent consumer protection in the digital ecosystem
Head of GSMA Europe & CIS Laszlo Toth opened the session, welcoming European National Regulatory Authority Heads, Chief Policy and Regulatory Officers from GSMA membership and GSMA representatives.
In an introductory speech, BEREC Chair Robert Mourik (ComReg, Ireland) spoke about the future of the European telecommunications framework:
“The current framework was initially designed to tackle vertically-integrated former monopolists but due to technological changes, such as the roll out of fibre, networks require a different regulatory approach.”
“As telecommunications regulators we are used to a periodic review of the telecoms framework under which we operate. This next review, which the European Commission must complete by December 2025, is of particular significance, considering the step-changes in technological developments and Europe’s overall competitiveness, compared to other regions. As BEREC, we are ready to contribute to this review and we believe that it is important that it is carried out in conjunction with a review of other legislation that impacts the sector.”
Following a speech by Ben Wreschner (GSMA Policy Group Europe Chair), the floor was open to all roundtable members. The discussion focused on a key question: how can Europe foster competition and innovation to drive larger investments in technology and infrastructure, while ensuring fair competition among providers and empowering telecom operators to deliver faster, more reliable services?
Source – BEREC