EU considers easing merger rules for telecoms and big tech companies to help cover network costs

According to news from this site on February 14, according to European Commission documents seen by Reuters, EU regulators may relax regulations on mergers of telecom companies, Let large technology companies and other companies to fund the rollout of 5G.

Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefonica, Telecom Italia have long lobbied EU antitrust regulators to relax the ban on mergers, Unless substantial remedies are provided, the number of mobile operators will Reduced from four to three.

European Commission Vice President Margrethe Vestager plans to submit the document on February 21 and solicit feedback from all relevant stakeholders. According to the document, there are about 50 mobile operators and more than 100 fixed operators in the EU.

The report points out that the key issue is how to achieve cross-border integration or different forms of upstream cooperation so that operators can gain sufficient scale without harming downstream competition. Furthermore, the scope of current telecommunications rules is likely to expand as electronic communications networks and cloud services converge.

The report states that the Commission may consider expanding the regulatory framework to ensure that all participants and end users in digital networks enjoy a level playing field and equal rights and obligations.

Alphabet's Google, Meta, Amazon, Netflix, Apple and Microsoft Corp., which account for more than half of data internet traffic, should help pay for network upgrades, the service provider said.

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