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EU Telecoms Join Forces Against WhatsApp, Skype


Karamjit

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The European Commission might change regulations in 2016

Last week, we were telling you that the European Commission opened up an investigation, accusing Google of abusing its dominating position while its services are concerned. More than that, an antitrust probe into its Android mobile operating system has also been unleashed.

But the European Commission is also looking into another direction. The regulatory body is planning to overhaul Europe’s telecoms next year, a move which might bring about drastic changes for cable operators, but also for alternative services such as WhatsApp.

This is something European telecoms have long been asking the Commission to do. The new rule changes are part of a larger strategy meant to form a digital and unanimous market to help create a more homogenous ecosystem in Europe, says Reuters.

Telecom operators in Europe have been complaining that they have been forced to compete with so-called “over-the-top” services that aren’t subjected to the same regulatory regime. And this needs to change, as all services must abide by the same regulations.
European telecoms gang up against the competition

Telecom companies on the old continent are pressured by increasing competition coming from services such as Skype (which is a property of Microsoft) and are asking the commission to ease the regulatory burden. Operators like Orange and Deutsch Telekom have been fighting for lighter terms, complaining that increasing competition from new market entrants is holding them back from upgrading their network infrastructure.

Another demand is that services like Skype or WhatsApp, which are offering a substitute for traditional phone services, also be subjected to the same obligations as the normal operators are, with no discrimination. This would also include an obligation for these companies to offer emergency call services for users who need them.

These demands have been formulated in order to provide support to plans of developing superfast broadband on the continent. While this aspect remains an important priority, telecoms say the rules don’t leave any space for investing in developing technologies and advancements.

They also fear these rules would force them to give smaller operators access to the infrastructure. In turn, these smaller operators say they don’t need the help.

The new proposal will be revealed by the European Commission sometime in 2016.

From: http://news.softpedia.com/news/EU-Telecoms-Join-Forces-Against-WhatsApp-Skype-REUTERS-478929.shtml

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