Telecom Cos Want No New EU Rules On Mobile Broadcasting

BRUSSELS -(Dow Jones)- The European Commission should back off from introducing new rules governing mobile broadcasting in the 27-nation bloc, according to a document seen Wednesday by Dow Jones Newswires which contains recommendations to the commission from a group of industry players.

The commission should, however, urge national governments to liberalize their radio spectrum markets so that mobile operators can use the frequencies to offer mobile broadcasting, according to the recommendations of the European Mobile Broadcasting Council.

The commission should also take mobile broadcasting into account as it reviews its copyright rules, the council said.

The council was set up by the Commission last year and charged with making proposals to nurture mobile broadcasting in Europe.

The council "believes that there is no urgent need for specific new E.U. regulation to foster the introduction and development of mobile broadcasting," the recommendations said. The council argues that the field of mobile broadcasting is too new and could potentially use too many competing technologies to benefit from any single European-wide standards or regulations.

Mobile broadcasting involves broadcasting any digital content - such as a television show or a radio program - to any mobile device, such as a mobile telephone or a handheld electronic organizer. This can be done using radio spectrum frequencies, or through existing 3G networks.

Market players should be able to decide for themselves which technologies they prefer to use for mobile broadcasting and should also be free to determine whether they want their mobile broadcasting systems to be able to operate alongside those of other companies.

"The European Commission and the standards bodies should encourage efforts to promote interoperability," the council recommendations stated, though it added that current E.U. rules "are sufficient to ensure that interoperability objectives are met."

While the council acknowledged that competing mobile operators may need to share their networks or frequencies to best serve their customers, the council recommendations don't call on the Commission to force operators to share their networks as the Commission currently does in other areas of telecommunications.

More important to fostering mobile broadcasting in the E.U., the council said, is for the Commission to urge national governments to liberalize their radio spectrum markets so that mobile operators can access the frequencies and use them for mobile broadcasting.

Currently, most E.U. countries' radio spectrum markets are controlled by national regulators who decide which agencies may have access the frequencies.

Getting national regulators to loosen their grip on the spectrum market "has the greatest single effect on the introduction of mobile broadcasting."

"No undue obstacles or delays" should stand in the way of "potential mobile broadcasting service operators in securing suitable spectrum."

The council also said that the commission should consider mobile broadcasting as it mulls an overhaul to its pan-European copyright laws.

It is likely that mobile operators would want to offer "international roaming services" for mobile broadcasting, the council said - meaning that an operator would probably want customers to be able to watch the same music video on his mobile phone when in France as in Belgium.

This "raises a concern in relation to the clearance of copyright for audio and audiovisual services across international borders," the council warned, urging the Commission to "take into account the prospects for international roaming with mobile broadcasting."

The council is expected to present its report to the Commission on Friday.

-By Anne Jolis Dow Jones Newswires; +32 475 955 057; anne.jolis@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires"

Posted to the site on 14th March 2007