A blueprint for the European telecoms industry will now be published four months earlier than its original deadline in October, in attempt to implement regulations before the end of the year.
Neelie Kroes, digital agenda commissioner of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), is keen to have the plan approved ahead of the European Parliament elections in 2014.
Kroes has been a huge advocate behind the creation of a single European telecoms market.
“We are accelerating our efforts. It’s essential for the sector and the wider economy,” Kroes told the Financial Times.
“My number one priority in 2013 is making sure we agree with governments the elements needed to deliver a real single market. Then we will use the rest of this Commission term to put as many of those building blocks in place as we can.”
The final blueprint is still expected to be issued in October, but the June deadline is designed to address any objections from the industry prior to this.
C-level executives of telecoms incumbents throughout Europe met with EU competition chief, Joaquín Almunia, at the end of last year to discuss their proposals.
“We are already working with Boston Consulting Group to prepare our plan, and will present it to European Commission in a few weeks,” said Luigi Gambardella, chairman at European telecoms industry group, Etno.
“We want to stop the decline of the sector. It will be a plan for the growth of the European telecom industry.”
In March this year, the EU forecast figures of €600 billion by 2020 from the roll out of broadband in the region.
