Europe’s Next Generation Networks: the role of pro-competitive access regulation

Telecoms liberalisation in most of Europe has been a success story, with facilities-based competition extending further and further throughout the network. As competition has spread, regulation has been pulled back. With the growing need for upgrading access networks, arguments that regulatory obligations on incumbent telecommunications operators to provide access to
their network infrastructure discourages the much needed investment have become louder.

In this report for the Internet Economy Foundation we look at the importance of pro-competitive access regulation in providing the right incentives for investment in next generation access networks without losing the benefits from competition supported by access to bottleneck infrastructure.  The report can be downloaded here.