REGULATING MOBILE ROAMING CHARGES A ONE DAY POLICY FORUM

15 février 2011

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Mobile Roaming Conference

Confirmed high level speakers include:

Regulating Mobile Roaming Charges
A One Day Policy Forum - Register Now!

12th April 2011
Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Brussels

EARLY BIRD registration now open at www.mobileroamingcharges.eu
Register now to save 50€ off the delegate fee!

Taking place against the backdrop of the current Commission consultation on the roaming regulation, this one day policy forum will gather key policymakers, representatives of the telecoms industry, and other stakeholders for a full and frank discussion on the best way forward in creating a functional internal market for broadband roaming services. Consideration will be given to the various options that are available for regulatory intervention, and new services and business models that may emerge.

Speakers include:
Chris Fonteijn, Chairman, BEREC & OPTA
Martin Whitehead, Director, GSMA Europe
Roberto Viola, Secretary General, AGCOM
Vesa Terävä, Acting Head of Unit B2 - Implementation of Regulatory Framework, European Commission
Fabio Colasanti, President, International Institute of Communications
Richard Feasey, Public Policy Director, Vodafone Group
John Blakemore, Director of European Regulatory Affairs, Hutchison 3G
Alexander Zuser, Director for Regulatory & European Affairs, Telekom Austria Group
Robert Mourik, Director Regulatory Policy, Telefónica

Sessions at the event will focus on:
- Is regulatory intervention necessary to help create a well functioning internal market for roaming services?

- What impact would regulatory intervention have longer term on competition and innovation?

- Communications without borders - New services and business models for the next generation of Europe-wide communication

Context:
The 2007 EU Roaming Regulation introduced wholesale and retail price caps for roaming charges and included measures to increase transparency. In 2009, the European Commission amended the regulation to lower the prices of voice, text messages and data services further, amongst other things, introducing a new monthly limit of €50 for data roaming system designed to prevent so-called 'bill shocks'. Despite these actions, the retail prices have not declined nearly as rapidly as the regulated wholesale price, and have tended to cluster around the maximum price caps, leading to the Commission suggesting that the market is not yet strong enough to provide the best choice and even better prices to consumers.

With this in mind, and in line with its target of cutting the difference between roaming and national tariffs to zero by 2015, the Commission is now considering further regulatory measures in order to attempt to create a competitive Single Market for roaming services. Telecommunications companies, however, are warning that excessive regulation could make large-scale investments less likely and impact negatively on future competition and innovation. What therefore is the best way forward, and where does the regulatory balance lie?

For a full conference programme and speaker list, please click here

Interested in becoming involved?
For more information on the event or for details of speaking, partnership and other opportunities, please contact Lydia Holley on lydia.holley@forum-europe.com / +44 (0) 2920 783 023.

Confirmed keynote speakers include:		The 6th Annual European Spectrum Management Conference 14th & 15th June (post-conference workshop - 16th June) The Management Centre Europe, Brussels Save the date - click here to set a reminder for this event in your email calendar Early bird registration now open at www.spectrummanagement.eu Special offer - register 1 delegate, and get a second place for half price! Now in its 6th year, the European Spectrum Management Conference has an established reputation as the major European meeting point of the year for stakeholders in the field of spectrum management, bringing together more than 250 participants on an annual basis. For more information, or if you are interested in finding out more about speaker, partnership and other opportunities to become involved in the event, please contact Dan Craft on dan.craft@forum-europe.com / +44 (0) 2920 783021 Sessions at this year's event will be focussing on: Developing a Spectrum Strategy to ensure the EU's continued global competitiveness - What steps are Asia Pacific countries taking to identify new spectrum for release and how might this differ from Europe? - To what extent will the radio spectrum policy programme help to ensure Europe's continued global competitiveness? Spectrum auction formats and their impact on bidders and outcomes - Are regulators taking enough account of the needs of bidders when they select their auction formats? - What tools are available for governments to encourage competition in spectrum awards? - Refarming - Who have been the winners and losers to date, and what trends and timings are likely to be seen In the future? Mapping future spectrum Supply and Demand: How can it be best ensured that there is enough spectrum to meet future demand? - Picturing future spectrum demand - Maximising Supply: What additional spectrum is likely to become available, and how can its efficiency be maximised? - Meeting the increasing market needs for wireless broadband - What combination of satellite and terrestrial wireless broadband provides the best approach for meeting the Commission's target of 'broadband for all'? - How can new and emerging technologies help to increase spectrum supply? - Can spectrum reserved for public usage (including military spectrum) play a role in helping to provide spectrum to meet future demands for commercial uses? Plus an optional post-conference workshop: A Spectrum Valuation Masterclass An interactive 1/2 day workshop exploring challenges and approaches to valuing spectrum, and answering questions such as: What sources of value are created by acquiring spectrum? What scenarios should be considered? What are merits of various valuation approaches? How does valuation relate to bid values and auction budgets? Why is it important to value spectrum from the perspective of competitors? And unrivalled networking opportunities: - More than 6 1/2 hours dedicated specifically to networking (including an evening cocktail reception on 14th June) - An online networking platform (open 2 weeks prior to the event until 1 month following its conclusion) enabling delegates to connect with each other quickly and easily online in a secure, private area Forum Europe would like to thank the following organisations for their support of this event: For more information, or if you are interested in finding out more about speaker, partnership and other opportunities to become involved in the event, please contact Dan Craft on dan.craft@forum-europe.com / +44 (0) 2920 783021 Also of interest? Regulating Mobile Roaming Charges - A 1 day policy forum 12th April, Brussels www.mobileroamingcharges.eu Taking place against the backdrop of the recent Commission consultation on roaming regulation, this one day policy forum will gather key policy makers, representatives of the telecoms industry, and other stakeholders for a full and frank discussion on the best way forward in creating a functional internal market for mobile roaming service.
Neelie Kroes Commissioner for Digital Agenda, European Commission
Gunnar Hokmark MEP Rapporteur for Radio Spectrum Policy Programme, European Parliament
Full agenda available soon - please checkthe event websiteregularly for updates!