GSM Europe Welcomes Italian Presidency of European Council
Brussels,
Belgium: 1st July 2003: GSM
Europe, the European Interest Group of the GSM Association,
today welcomed the incoming Italian Presidency of the
European Council. GSM Europe’s 143 mobile operator
members also underlined their support for the Italian
Communication Minister’s strategy to prioritise
the development and rollout of new generation mobile
networks and services.
Europe has long led the development of the global mobile
communications market, having invested in infrastructure
to foster innovation, growth and competition – promoting
economic development. GSM Europe, working closely with
the European Institutions, is committed to driving continuing
investment so that Europe can reap the economic benefits
of mobile communications. However, the group has identified
some key barriers that could hinder attempts to achieve
the Presidency goals of third generation network and
service rollout.
"The European mobile industry faces a public policy
paradox," said Kaisu Karvala, GSM Europe Chair. "Our
members are being asked to focus on the speedy development
of new networks and services - but the uncertainty of implementation
surrounding the new regulatory framework risks slowing this
development through unmeasured intervention in various areas
- be it m-payment or network deployment".
As the mobile industry matures, GSM Europe believes that
a socially responsible approach is crucial for all players
and that effective self-regulation removes the need for governmental
intervention. "We firmly believe that to develop further
our industry must, for example, address environmental and
social concerns," commented Karvala. "GSM Europe
has taken the lead by launching its ‘Good Practice
Recommendations for Network Rollout’ guidelines. They
enable us to co-operate with consumers and institutions regarding
network rollout issues and have experienced unprecedented
success."
"We look forward to working with the Italian Presidency
to tackle the confusion surrounding the implementation of
the new regulatory package as well as clarifying the role
of each player from the Commission to the European Regulators
Group (ERG)" said Karvala. "Success in this area
can only serve as an incentive to the investment community
and help us better serve our customers. We are confident
that the coming Presidency will be remembered as a key period
in achieving central e-Europe objectives," concluded
Karvala.
Notes for Editors:
About GSM Europe
GSM Europe is the European interest group of the GSM Association, the premier
global body behind the world's leading wireless communications standard.
GSM Europe represents around 143 operators in 50 countries/areas in Europe
and counts around 380 million subscribers. The GSM Association is responsible
for the development, deployment and evolution of the GSM standard for digital
wireless communications and for the promotion of the GSM platform. For more
information, visit the website at www.gsmeurope.org.
About the GSM Association:
The GSM Association (GSMA) is the leading global trade association for the
wireless industry. It consists of more than 564 second and third generation
wireless network operators and 137 key manufacturer and suppliers. The GSMA’s
members work collaboratively to accelerate the implementation of collectively
identified, commercially prioritised operator requirements in a market timely
way. The Association’s members provide digital wireless services to
more than 848 million customers in 196 countries of the world (end April
2003).
The GSM family of wireless communications platforms, including
GSM, GPRS (General Packet Radio Services), EDGE (Enhanced
Data for GSM Evolution) and W-CDMA account for approximately
72 percent of the total digital wireless market today. The
GSM Association is a unique organisation, with truly global
reach, offering a full range of business and technical services
to its members. For more information, visit the website at www.gsmworld.com.
Contact Information:
Kiki Walravens
Communications Manager
GSM Europe
Tel: +32 15 27 59 06
Fax: +32 15 27 03 21
Email: kwalravens@gsm.org
Or
Liz Macfarlan
Communications Dept
GSM Association
Tel: +44 207 518 0533
Fax: +44 207 518 0531
Email: lmacfarlan@gsm.org
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