Latest news with #DigitalNetworksAct
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Wi-Fi industry clashes with mobile operators over additional EU spectrum
By Gianluca Lo Nostro A group of 58 internet providers and industry associations urged EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen on Wednesday to free up additional spectrum for Wi-Fi services, setting up a clash with operators seeking the same frequencies for mobile networks. In a letter seen by Reuters, global advocacy group Dynamic Spectrum Alliance called on the European Commission to make the upper 6GHz band available for "unrestrained" Wi-Fi operations. Wi-Fi provides internet access to users but also enables various household devices to connect to networks, including televisions, home appliances and industrial sensors. As consumer demand for high-speed connectivity rises, service providers are looking to expand network capacity, eyeing valuable radio spectrum. Without additional Wi-Fi spectrum , European businesses could face higher costs and restricted access to new technologies, making them less competitive globally, the group said in the letter. "Europe is already behind other countries in adopting the latest Wi-Fi standards," it said. Earlier this month, 12 major telecoms operators urged EU regulators to reserve the same spectrum for 5G and 6G mobile networks, highlighting concerns over U.S. firms seeking more spectrum in Europe. While European countries have been more cautious in their approach, the U.S., Canada, South Korea and several other countries have already allocated portions of the 6GHz band for Wi-Fi use. The Wi-Fi community advocates a shared approach to spectrum compared with mobile operators who seek exclusive access, said Martha Suarez, president of the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance. "Most of the traffic in Europe is indoors. And most of it starts or ends by a Wi-Fi connection. There is always a hype about 5G, 6G, but we should not forget how really users connect to the internet," Suarez told Reuters. The EU Commission is expected to propose a legislative package, the Digital Networks Act , in late 2025, aiming to address connectivity challenges, including a more coordinated approach to spectrum policy across member states. The Radio Spectrum Policy Group, which assists the Commission in developing spectrum policy, is scheduled to meet on June 17.
The Star
21-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Wi-Fi industry clashes with mobile operators over additional EU spectrum
FILE PHOTO: European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium March 18, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo (Reuters) -A group of 58 internet providers and industry associations urged EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen on Wednesday to free up additional spectrum for Wi-Fi services, setting up a clash with operators seeking the same frequencies for mobile networks. In a letter seen by Reuters, global advocacy group Dynamic Spectrum Alliance called on the European Commission to make the upper 6GHz band available for "unrestrained" Wi-Fi operations. Wi-Fi provides internet access to users but also enables various household devices to connect to networks, including televisions, home appliances and industrial sensors. As consumer demand for high-speed connectivity rises, service providers are looking to expand network capacity, eyeing valuable radio spectrum. Without additional Wi-Fi spectrum, European businesses could face higher costs and restricted access to new technologies, making them less competitive globally, the group said in the letter. "Europe is already behind other countries in adopting the latest Wi-Fi standards," it said. Earlier this month, 12 major telecoms operators urged EU regulators to reserve the same spectrum for 5G and 6G mobile networks, highlighting concerns over U.S. firms seeking more spectrum in Europe. While European countries have been more cautious in their approach, the U.S., Canada, South Korea and several other countries have already allocated portions of the 6GHz band for Wi-Fi use. The Wi-Fi community advocates a shared approach to spectrum compared with mobile operators who seek exclusive access, said Martha Suarez, president of the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance. "Most of the traffic in Europe is indoors. And most of it starts or ends by a Wi-Fi connection. There is always a hype about 5G, 6G, but we should not forget how really users connect to the internet," Suarez told Reuters. The EU Commission is expected to propose a legislative package, the Digital Networks Act, in late 2025, aiming to address connectivity challenges, including a more coordinated approach to spectrum policy across member states. The Radio Spectrum Policy Group, which assists the Commission in developing spectrum policy, is scheduled to meet on June 17. (Reporting by Gianluca Lo Nostro in Gdansk; Editing by Matthew Lewis )
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wi-Fi industry clashes with mobile operators over additional EU spectrum
By Gianluca Lo Nostro (Reuters) -A group of 58 internet providers and industry associations urged EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen on Wednesday to free up additional spectrum for Wi-Fi services, setting up a clash with operators seeking the same frequencies for mobile networks. In a letter seen by Reuters, global advocacy group Dynamic Spectrum Alliance called on the European Commission to make the upper 6GHz band available for "unrestrained" Wi-Fi operations. Wi-Fi provides internet access to users but also enables various household devices to connect to networks, including televisions, home appliances and industrial sensors. As consumer demand for high-speed connectivity rises, service providers are looking to expand network capacity, eyeing valuable radio spectrum. Without additional Wi-Fi spectrum, European businesses could face higher costs and restricted access to new technologies, making them less competitive globally, the group said in the letter. "Europe is already behind other countries in adopting the latest Wi-Fi standards," it said. Earlier this month, 12 major telecoms operators urged EU regulators to reserve the same spectrum for 5G and 6G mobile networks, highlighting concerns over U.S. firms seeking more spectrum in Europe. While European countries have been more cautious in their approach, the U.S., Canada, South Korea and several other countries have already allocated portions of the 6GHz band for Wi-Fi use. The Wi-Fi community advocates a shared approach to spectrum compared with mobile operators who seek exclusive access, said Martha Suarez, president of the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance. "Most of the traffic in Europe is indoors. And most of it starts or ends by a Wi-Fi connection. There is always a hype about 5G, 6G, but we should not forget how really users connect to the internet," Suarez told Reuters. The EU Commission is expected to propose a legislative package, the Digital Networks Act, in late 2025, aiming to address connectivity challenges, including a more coordinated approach to spectrum policy across member states. The Radio Spectrum Policy Group, which assists the Commission in developing spectrum policy, is scheduled to meet on June 17. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Euronews
05-05-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Denmark to canvass member states on EU cloud plan, telecom rules during presidency
ADVERTISEMENT Denmark is planning to hold discussions with EU member states on two key digital files – the EU Cloud and AI Development Act and the Digital Networks Act (DNA) – when it takes the lead of the EU meetings in July, sources familiar have told Euronews. The discussions on both files will gather views of the EU countries before the policy proposals will be presented by the European Commission by the end of this year. The Commission started a public consultation earlier in April to seek feedback on the preparatory work for the Cloud and AI Development Act – which is meant to stimulate private sector investment in cloud capacity and data centres. The goal is to at least triple the EU's data centre capacity in the next five to seven years, prioritising highly sustainable data centres. Submissions are open until 4 June. It feeds into the bigger AI Continent Action Plan, which was presented by EU Tech Commissioner Henna Virkkunen in April, and which is meant to boost the uptake of AI tools among businesses through a series of initiatives and funding. Telecom overhaul The DNA is set to be presented by the Commission in December. Prior to that the EU executive will carry out a public consultation, expected this month, largely building on the White Paper published in February of last year. It spells out the different policy options that could be included in an overhaul of the existing telecom regulation, as well as new initiatives including spectrum management and sustainability targets. The dossier , first touted by Thierry Breton, the industry commissioner in the previous Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen, was criticised by member states when it was first presented in the White Paper. The plan, heavily lobbied by the telecom industry, sought to charge online platforms and other network users for the build-out of telecom infrastructure. It has been watered down since. Denmark will take over the rotating Council Presidency – which entails leading the member states discussions on Commission proposals – from Poland, which chaired meetings during the first half of this year. The country has hired some extra 100 colleagues in Brussels to enforce the work of the Permanent Representation to the EU.
Euronews
10-04-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Enforcing existing digital rules will help reduce strain on networks, says EU official
ADVERTISEMENT Proper enforcement of EU online platform rules – the Digital Services and Markets Acts – will help reduce the burden on telecom network infrastructures, a senior European Commission official tasked with framing new telecom network rules said in Brussels on Thursday. Renate Nikolay, the deputy director-general at the Commissions' DG Connect, told an event organised by Vodafone in Brussels on Thursday that the right type of enforcement of the existing rules would impact on mobile traffic. The Commission is aiming to publish the Digital Networks Act (DNA), an overhaul of the bloc's telecom rules to address connectivity issues, by the end of this year. 'For example, when it comes to rules for the protection of minors online will make a difference in social media use: we should not have constant loops to keep users online,' she said. She added that the same applies to practices of online marketplaces, such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress. The Commission has begun a few probes into recommender systems, which aim to keep users browsing online, for a lack of transparency. Telecom providers have been in favour of a fairer spread of costs for infrastructure with large users of their networks, including streaming platforms. The high demand for connectivity means a lot of extra costs for the big telecom players, they claim. Related EU member states enter discussions on future of networks act Vodafone EU chief: Telecoms barriers can't just be blamed on Brussels EU Commission warns overlapping rules offer loopholes for Big Tech Vodafone recently presented a paper on the 'responsible use of networks' which states that content providers, 'who do not bear the cost of using networks, lack the incentive to use them in a responsible manner.' Joakim Reiter, Vodafone's Chief External and Corporate Affairs Officer, called at the same event for the end of a sectoral approach to regulation actors in the telecom space. 'Whenever we offer a very similar service like a competitor, but that company is not regulated under telecom rules, we will end up with very different costs,' Reiter said. He said that more horizontal regulation would be needed. Microsoft's Director EU Government Affairs Tomas Jakimavičius said that his company has been very involved in the build-out of tech infrastructure – including data centers, sub sea cables and devices — through partnerships. 'We would need to look at the root of the problem and the current framework before proposing new rules,' he said. So far, member states have been split about the plans for more telecom rules and questioned their necessity.
