Brussels, BELGIUM – A new study released today directly refutes claims by Europe’s largest telecom operators that they are struggling to finance future infrastructure, confirming that the European Commission has no reason to concede to demands by telco CEOs in the upcoming Digital Networks Act (DNA).
The findings challenge years of aggressive lobbying by incumbent telcos who argue that EU regulation must be overhauled to rescue their ‘faltering’ sector. Instead, the report provides a positive financial outlook, showing that costs in telecoms are falling and revenues rising.
As the Commission finalises the DNA, the report confirms that there is no economic or policy justification for introducing measures such as ‘fair share’ payments, mandating IP arbitration, or rewriting Europe’s telecom framework to favour incumbent operators.
The study also shows that Europe is well on track to meet its 2030 connectivity targets, with 5G mobile coverage expected to reach 100% and very high capacity network coverage at 94%. While certain countries, such as Germany and Italy, face isolated issues, the overall European picture is positive and does not point to any systemic problem.
Contrary to incumbent telco claims of exponentially rising traffic, the study finds that on both fixed and mobile networks growth is clearly slowing and expected to plateau soon. The costs of managing this growth are also minimal, less than 1% of telcos’ network capital expenditure.
The study was launched today at the Euractiv-hosted event ‘Digital Networks Act: Rewriting the DNA of Europe’s Open Internet?’ and commissioned by the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA Europe).
At the event, EU policymakers, consumer groups, academics, digital rights advocates, and industry stakeholders gathered to discuss the Commission’s forthcoming Digital Networks Act, due in December 2025.
The following can be attributed to CCIA Europe’s Senior Policy Manager Connectivity and Competition, Maria Teresa Stecher:
“This study shows that the doom-and-gloom rhetoric from big telco CEOs simply doesn’t reflect reality. Europe’s connectivity rollout is well on track for 2030, investment is continuing, and telecom operators’ finances are actually improving. The Commission should not base the Digital Networks Act on the false premise of a manufactured crisis.”
“CCIA Europe urges the Commission to take these clear findings into consideration. European consumers deserve a DNA that serves their interests, rather than bending to big telco demands. Europe has too much at stake to artificially create new problems where none exist.”
