The European Commission reaffirmed it commitment to a policy blueprint to ensure that information services can be accessed anytime, anywhere across the EU, and that the EU retains its lead in mobile broadband services. Mobile penetration levels in Europe are over 80% and rising. The challenges ahead include ensuring that services can be supplied seamlessly to a variety of devices, making the technologies and networks that carry them interoperable, and providing adequate intellectual property protection for services with high value-added content. To meet these objectives, the EC is calling for targeted R&D, both on basic research and to accelerate technical innovation.
The EC communication outlined the following key issues:
- R&D - the share of GDP that Europe spends on R&D lags well behind that of its main trading partners. An R&D strategic agenda that supports innovation, including basic research, is needed;
- Interoperability - industry is asked to take urgent steps to improve the interoperability of mobile broadband services, so as to facilitate communication and the supply of services on different networks;
- Value-added content -- the regulatory framework for intellectual property rights should be implemented so as to foster the creation of high value-added content;
- E-payments -- prudential rules governing the use of "e-money", where relevant to mobile payments, need to be applied in a proportionate and risk-sensitive manner;
- Base stations and masts -- action is required to address regulatory barriers to their establishment in some Member States;
- Spectrum policy - a coordinated European approach towards availability and flexible usage is needed.
"Mobile broadband services are an economic locomotive in their own right, but are also vital to sustain competitiveness throughout the economy. Building on Europe's strength in the mobile communications sector, these new services will increase productivity by boosting labour efficiency in public services and business. Anywhere, any time availability will be essential to a European information economy where the mobility of people, goods and services is increasing," said Enterprise and Information Society Commissioner Erkki Liikanen. http://europa.eu.int/
