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MEP Dominique Riquet, Chair of the Long-term Investment and Reindustrialization Intergroup

MEP Dominique Riquet, Chair of the Long-term Investment and Reindustrialization Intergroup

The EU’s future competitiveness will depend in large part on its ability to embrace the digital revolution, as highlighted in the Digital Single Market (DSM) Strategy.

The EU’s future competitiveness will depend in large part on its ability to embrace the digital revolution, as highlighted in the Digital Single Market (DSM) Strategy. The telecommunications infrastructure, in particular its quality and durability, has important and lasting implications for the extent to which these goals will be met. 

An analysis of the current debate on ICT shows that European policy makers agree on the need to invest in ‘reliable, trustworthy, high speed and affordable networks and services’: the Digital Single Market Strategy and Juncker Plan are a powerful illustration of this consensus. However, there are some vital elements missing from the discussion: characterization of the technologies that will allow for such deployment, and ways of achieve this – all the more important at this point of time as the EU is building tomorrow’s infrastructure.

 

The role of passive infrastructure in the Digital Single Market

On July 2, Prysmian Group organized a roundtable discussion in the European Parliament, co-hosted by MEP Dominique Riquet, Chair of the Long-term Investment and Reindustrialization Intergroup. Panellists shared views on the challenges and opportunities for the development of Europe’s high speed broadband infrastructure, the path towards further digitization in Europe, and the increased growth and competitiveness that results from investment in quality technologies. The discussion was initiated to bring about a shared understanding that today’s choices for passive infrastructure – considering their huge implications for the future – must be supported by solid evidence that they are the most fit for the purposes of the EU’s digital economy.

 

Panellists considered EU policy makers and financial institutions key to creating the necessary conditions for innovation, investment and competition. Throughout the discussion, panellists questioned what type and quality of technology is most effective for a reliable, robust digital infrastructure.

 

"The panel of high-level experts and policymakers reflected on new ways to attract private finance to strong added value projects in the ICT sector,” commented MEP Dominique Riquet, Chair of the Long-term Investment and Reindustrialization Intergroup. “Reliable high speed broadband, like other energy and transport infrastructures, are key to increasing our growth potential and thus boosting Europe’s real economic competitiveness in a globalized market."

 

Quality infrastructure: key to a lasting digital network

“Economic operators who design and implement fibre-based, ultra-high-speed access network technologies, have a unique role in helping meet the 2020 targets of the Digital Agenda for Europe,” said Philippe Vanhille, Senior Vice President of Telecom Business for the Prysmian Group.  “Choosing the right products that optimize the overall capital expenditure and minimize the future maintenance is essential. The future-proof solution optical fibre cables provides for broadband networks is precisely the type of investment which instils confidence in private investors and encourages them to accept the associated longer term risks – and benefits.”

 

“We must depart from technology neutrality, abandoning the goal to simply provide broadband regardless of its speed and efficiency, and instead embrace the most advanced fibre technologies. The time has come for Europe to capitalize on its know-how and advanced technologies to progress towards a Digital Single Market.”

 

“Fibre has a number of benefits which other solutions cannot match. Apart from speed, we need to take the quality and durability of the network components and homogeneity of the network into account. Here, fibre outperforms everything else. Furthermore, by intelligently bringing down the cost of civil works and installation, the cost of fibre rollout can de reduced by two-thirds. The network should remain in place for decades and support several consecutive generations of active equipment and services. Fibre is the most future-proof option and progress in technologies such as bend-immunity and data compression can increase its active life even further.”

 

On July 2 2015, Prysmian group organized a roundtable discussion in the European Parliament, to discusshigh-speed, secure and trustworthy ICT infrastructure as the backbone for the European digital economy. The event welcomed high-level speakers from the European Investment Bank, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Ambassador of Italy to the European Union as well as telecom operators and ICT industries.

Speakers included Dominique Riquet (Member of the European Parliament & Chair of the Long-term Investment and Reindustrialization Intergroup), Paul Rübig (Member of the European Parliament & Chair of the Science & Technology Options Assessment), Ambassador Marco Peronaci (Deputy Permanent Representative of Italy to the European Union), Anna Krzyzanowska (Head of Unit for Broadband, European Commission DG Connect), Gunnar Muent (Director for innovation & competitiveness, European Investment Bank), Philippe Vanhille (Senior Vice President of Telecom Business, Prysmian Group), Eric Debroeck (Head of Regulatory Affairs, Orange).