Telefonica: Opportunity To Re-Direct EU Telecom Regulation
August 31 2009 - 6:48AM
Dow Jones News
Telefonica SA's (TEF) chief operating officer, Julio Linares,
said Monday the European Commission has a unique opportunity to
change its regulatory policies.
"The European Commission is renewing the mandate of its
telecommunications directorate... it's an opportunity to reorient
(the regulatory model) in favor of different objectives," Linares
said in a telecommunications conference.
Linares said the telecoms industry in Europe would lose out on
EUR40 billion in revenue between 2007 and 2012 because of caps the
European Commission has put on roaming charges and mobile
termination rates, or the tariffs telecom operators apply to each
other to connect calls.
He added companies affected by regulation would invest EUR6
billion less in the period due to the changes in the regulatory
framework.
Telefonica is Europe's largest telecommunications company by
market capitalization.
Company Web site: www.telefonica.com
-By Jason Sinclair, Dow Jones Newswires, 34 913958127,
jason.sinclair@dowjones.com