Wholesale Regulation of very high capacity networks (VHCNs) 18-19 of June 2019. Amman, Jordan
Deployment of very high capacity networks (VHCNs) is a major goal for moving forward a fully digital environment. The European Commission proposed a set of ambitious broadband targets for 2025:[1]
- Access to 1 Gbps for all schools, transport hubs and main providers of public services and digitally intensive enterprises,
- Access to download speeds of at least 100 Mbps to be upgraded to 1 Gbps for all European households,
- Uninterrupted 5G wireless broadband coverage for all urban areas and major roads and railways.
Small cell densification will be mandatory for 5G to fully deliver its potential, and this strongly relies on fibre deployment at high density, also where wide-area fibre networks have already reached a relevant coverage for fixed services.
In all the cases, deployment of wide-area fiber networks is a pre-condition to foster innovation and increase consumer benefits in the digital society.
Competition is a key driver for network investment and the regulatory framework in Europe has played – and is still playing – an important role in fostering and sustaining competition. The fixed access network is an economic and technical bottleneck which always requires some form of wholesale regulation to guarantees competition.
The aim of this workshop is to have a “map” about development of VHCN’s and regulation policies in the EMERG countries.
AGCOM, the Italian Regulator as Rapporteur for the workshop, has drafted a questionnaire on “Wholesale Regulation of Very High Capacity Networks: price control, promotion of competition and investments (Amman, 18-19 June 2019)”, to gather the necessary information in EMERG countries.
The workshop, hosted by TRC Jordan, will address different approaches of regulation, including pricing schemes, adopted in different Countries, with a view on the relationship between promotion of competition and incentives to investments.
A report will be delivered after the workshop. This report will consider the response to this questionnaire and the discussions during the workshop and the Recommendations to the MENA Countries
[1] https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/policies/improving-connectivity-and-access.
PROGRAMME
Wholesale regulation of fiber and 5G networks (Dr Heuermann, Arnulf, Detecon)
The European approach for regulating prices of fixed access markets (with a focus on the Italian case): costing and pricing methodologies Vs incentives to investments. (Giancarlo Ferraiuolo, AGCOM)
Wholesale-only model: regulatory treatment and opportunities (Bernd Soerries, WIK)
Regulation of access bottlenecks in order to foster the rollout of VHCN (João Goncalves ANACOM)
No fibre regulation, co-deployment and co-investment: the Swiss case (Raphael Scherrer, BAKOM)
Wholesale regulation in Spain: a success case (Alberto Ubaldo Navas García, CNMC)
Possible wholesale regulations in fixed broadband markets in Jordan (Mohammad Almomani, TRC)
State of deployment of broadband and ultra-broadband fixed networks in the EMERG countries: coverage, NGA take-up, investments and the role of the Institutions (on the basis of the questionnaires received) (Giancarlo Ferraiuolo, AGCOM)
Update on the EMERG Summit with BEREC, Regulatel and EapeReg, 2nd October 2019 (Paola Calestani AGCOM/EMERG Permanent Secretariat)
