TABC on Next Generation Networks

The Trans-Atlantic Business Council (TABC) released last month a paper on Next Generation Networks (NGNs) highlighting the concerns of the transatlantic business community with regard to the rapid change in ICT technology over the past decade and which regulatory approaches are best for the EU and U.S. to excel in ultrafast broadband networks.

TABC, an association of American and European companies which have significant investments in the U.S. and EU, makes a primary recommendation that the EU and the U.S. take a regulatory approach which incentivizes investment and innovation while facilitating cooperation between regulators and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic.

In fact, even if ICT technology advancements come with huge benefits, there are also challenges associated with their implementation, particularly in regard to ever growing investment requirements in connectivity, that need to be addressed. In order to continue moving past the roadblocks and towards the full development of a digital economy and society, more input is needed surrounding the direction of the burgeoning field of Next Generation Networks (NGNs).

TABC believes that ICT technologies offer an incredible range of opportunities for companies and citizens worldwide, but at the same time policy makers need to engage actively with business in order to promote a fair environment for their deployment.

The global race for high-speed broadband connectivity to the Internet is on, with demands for capacity increasing as technology requires greater bandwidth and specific services. Furthermore, the much anticipated convergence of all forms of communications with IP connectivity has become a reality, with a wide range of voice, video and other data services being offered.

In our recommendations, TABC encourages the EU to prioritize competition on infrastructures and encourage business agreements over regulatory impositions to allow for sustainable competition. In particular, TABC believes that the EU should also offer roll-out inclusive incentives to attract a wider range of technologies and investment models. On the other side, the U.S. should avoid intrusive and uncertainty-creating legislation and enhance a better cooperation between regulators and private sector.

TABC’s paper also highlights priorities for both sides of the Atlantic with regard to making a swift transition to fiber based networks including incentivizing a technology neutral approach, encouraging an appropriate policy approach to spectrum, and mobile NGNs, and minimizing regulatory impediments through horizontal legislations instead of sector-specific approaches.

In brief, TABC believes that ICT technologies offer an incredible range of opportunities for companies and citizens worldwide, but at the same time policy makers need to engage actively with business in order to promote a fair environment for their deployment.