February 2018: Highlights and Activities

International Meetings attended by MCA representatives

BEREC Working Group - Market & Economy Analysis
An MCA official attended a drafters’ meeting organised by BEREC’s Market and Economic Analysis (MEA) Working Group on the BEREC Report on Post-Merger Market Developments. The meeting took place at the IRG premises in Brussels, Belgium on the 28th Ferbruary 2018. The discussion focused on the outcomes of on econometric assessment investigating the impact of mergers in the mobile sector on consumer prices and service quality. The assessment took into account the latest mobile mergers that took place in Germany, Austria and Ireland. The next step is to circulate an amended version of the report to all members of the MEA EWG for their feedback. The final version of the report is to be presented at the May Plenary and at the Contact Network preceding it.

47th meeting of the Electronic Communications Committee (ECC)
The MCA participated in the 47th ECC meeting which was held in Lisbon, Portugal between the 27th February and 2nd March 2018.  The committee considered the work that is being carried out by the various ECC sub-groups. In particular, the ECC approved the publication for public consultation, of deliverables which aim to support the introduction of next-generation (5G) terrestrial wireless systems in the 3.4-3.8 GHz and 24.25-27.5 GHz bands, as well as a report on satellite solutions for 5G (please see: https://cept.org/ecc/tools-and-services/ecc-consultation). In addition, the committee has also approved draft CEPT Report 66 containing the results of studies in respect of IoT in the 900 MHz / 1800 MHz bands, as well as a correction to CEPT Report 65 on the harmonisation of technical conditions in the 1.5 GHz extension bands. A number of other deliverables concerning radio spectrum and numbering resources were also approved during the meeting.

European GNSS Programmes Committee Meeting
An MCA representative attended the European GNSS Programmes Committee Meeting which was held between the 27th and 28th February 2018 in Brussels, Belgium.  During this meeting a review of the state of play of the European GNSS Programme was provided.  The meeting also gave the programmes committee the opportunity to discuss future development.

BEREC Training on Regulatory Framework for Electronic Communications
An MCA officer participated in the BEREC NRA training in Brussels, Belgium on the 21st and 22nd February 2018. This course is divided into four sessions and the second training session was held in February. The BEREC NRA training programme provided training on the regulatory framework and other issues related to BEREC activities.

We Wish a better World, Erasmus + Project
We Wish a better World Project was a 7 day course, from the 20th till the 27th of February, in Copenhagen Denmark. The course included a series of lectures on the approach and the skills needed when teaching ICT to the elderly. The participants also visited an ICT center and got a brief hands on experience with the elderly. At the end of the course, an exam was given to the participants and also a certificate to those whom completed the course. Other than an MCA representative there were three other Maltese students, four Romanians and Seven Hungarians whom attended this course.

Training and Mentoring Programme: Kick-off workshop
An MCA representative participated in a kick-off workshop organised by PwC in Sofia, Bulgaria between the 19th and 20th February 2018.  PwC and Oxentia presented a training and mentoring programme which will be provided to 34 Digital Innovation Hubs in 13 European Union Member States. During this workshop, a number of networking events were organised to foster collaboration between different Digital Innovation Hubs.

The European 5G Conference
During the month of February, an MCA representative attended the European 5G Conference 2018 in Brussels, Belgium on the 12th and 13th February. With Europe almost 18 months in to the roadmap laid out by the Commission’s communication package ‘Connectivity for a European Gigabit Society’, the conference consisted of various sessions considering the progress that has been made to date on 5G in Europe and the challenges that lay ahead for both policymakers and stakeholders. The conference focused on different aspects of 5G technologies such as connectivity and future deployment and business models discussing primarily the shape of a future 5G world and at where Europe sits on the global 5G stage.

71st Communications Committee Meeting
An MCA official attended the 71st Communications Committee Meeting (COCOM) on the 6th February 2018. The Communications Committee performs an advisory function to the European Commission on the subject of electronic communications. These meetings are of an ongoing nature and take place around four times a year. The main objective is for the Commission to review, together with Ministries and National Regulatory Authorities of the EU Member States, any relevant topics, including proposed Commission regulations, guidelines and recommendations. Member States participate by discussing and providing feedback following thorough analysis of the subject matter, taking into consideration affected stakeholders. 
The main items discussed at the latest meeting, which took place at the Charlemagne Building in Brussels, were:
·      An update on the development of pan-European Mobile Satellite Services (MSS)
·      An update on the work and meetings of the 5G working group
·      The Draft SMP Guidelines to be issued shortly by the Commission.
·      Results from the Questionnaire on Service and technology Neutrality
·      An update on the state of play of the WiFi4EU initiative
·      An update on the cross-country 112 Implementation Report 2017 
·      An update on the state of play in Member states as regards sanctions for violations of the Net Neutrality provisions under the TSM regulations and the violations of the Roaming Regulation.

90th Meeting of the Electronic Communications Committee's Working Group on Frequency Management (WG FM)
A representative of the MCA attended the 90^th meeting of the Electronic Communications Committee's Working Group on Frequency Management (WG FM), which was held in Birmingham (United Kingdom) between the 5th and 9th February 2018. This working group is responsible for developing strategies, plans and implementation advice for radio spectrum management within CEPT (European Conference for Postal and Telecommunication Administrations). During the meeting, the working group discussed a number of topics related to frequency management including RF monitoring and interference aspects, maritime services, satellite services, mobile services, short range devices and drones. The participation of the MCA allowed Malta to be involved in the process leading to the adoption of European spectrum management and licensing deliverables. Furthermore, this will feed into the review process of Malta’s legal instruments pertaining spectrum management, for instance Malta’s national frequency plan.

MCA Publications & Website Uploads

MCA Events

Training on digital marketing by MCA extended to Gozo

Following the success of the training sessions on digital marketing offered as part of the Malta Communications Authority’s FastTrak project, this initiative is now being extended to Gozo. The Minister for Gozo Justyne Caruana announced this during a press conference this morning, at the Ta’ Dbieġi Complex, in Għarb.
The main aim of these sessions, which are being delivered free of charge, is to strengthen the relationship between businesses and digitization, and in turn increase proximity and facilitate communication between businesses and their customers. These sessions will serve as guidelines to businesses to boost brand awareness, particularly on social media platforms and via email marketing.

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The training programme will be covering theoretical aspects of email and social media marketing, as well as the practical aspect which will see participants putting their newly acquired skills to test via equipment provided by the MCA.
The first sessions as part of this programme were delivered throughout 2017, and their success generated interest even amongst the Gozitan business community, which led MCA to extend this initiative to Gozo. Businessmen who participated in the past sessions had nothing but praise for this opportunity that allowed them to gain useful skills that are required to be successful in the digital era.
“The course was excellent both in terms of content and delivery. The tutor was extremely knowledgeable and provided practical examples which will undoubtedly help us to apply in our various projects. The timings were also very practicable as I could attend after working hours. I would definitely be interested to participate in similar courses offered by the MCA and I highly recommend that others do so to!” exclaimed one of the participants.
The sessions in Gozo will be held over four days during the last week of February and the first week of March. Interested individuals may apply by visiting the following link https://mca.org.mt/content/fasttrak-gozoonline-application-form and complete the FastTrak in Gozo application form.
This project is being extended to Gozo with the support of the Ministry for Gozo (MoG) and the Gozo Business Chamber (GBC). This project is one of many others in-line with the National eCommerce Strategy.
For more information about the MCA’s projects and initiatives, you may wish to visit our website www.mca.org.mt or our Facebook page – Malta Communications Authority - MCA.

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View Press Release in Maltese.

Media participation by MCA

Television

22.02.18              ‘Fuq Net' – Net TV
                             (Access to Bills - Yanika Bugeja)

15.02.18              ‘Fuq Net' – Net TV
                             (Fast Trak in Gozo - Caryl McKay)

08.02.18              ‘Fuq Net' – Net TV
                             (Free to Air TV - Yanika Bugeja)

01.02.18              ‘Fuq Net' – Net TV
                             (Porting / 180 service - Yanika Bugeja)

Radio

06.02.18              ‘Ta' Kullħadd' – RTK
                             (Internet - Yanika Bugeja)

International News

REGULATION

Cullen International       BNetzA partially prohibits Telekom Deutschland’s zero rating offer StreamOn
BNetzA, the German regulator, has partially prohibited Telekom Deutschland’s mobile zero rating offer StreamOn for violating the net neutrality rules of article 3(3) of the TSM Regulation and the Roam-Like-At-Home (RLAH) principle [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       Finnish government proposes to merge the communications and transport authorities
The Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications is consulting until February 23, 2018 on a draft government bill to set up a new authority, the Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom) [read more – subscription required].

EurActiv               EU telecoms regulator warns US proposal on 5G would ‘end in disaster’
A proposal from the Trump administration to build public-funded 5G networks will “end in disaster”, the EU’s top telecoms regulator has warned, urging Europe to speed up plans for its own fast internet networks [read more].

Cullen International       ETNO summit – Lost in regulation: towards a new telecom world
ETNO organised a regulatory summit titled “Lost in regulation: towards a new telecom world” on January 31, 2018 in Brussels [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       German competition authority opens sector inquiry into online advertising
The German national competition authority, the Bundeskartellamt, has launched a sector inquiry into online advertising, focusing on technical developments and their impact on the market [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       ACM confirms that T-Mobile’s zero-rated offer complies with EU net neutrality rules
T-Mobile’s zero-rated music offer is in line with the BEREC net neutrality guidelines, according to ACM, the Dutch regulator. It is offered on a non-discriminatory basis without infringing the rights of content [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       NIS Directive – European Commission sets thresholds for incident reporting by digital service providers
The European Commission has adopted an implementing regulation that lays down the thresholds for incident reporting by digital service providers (DSPs, i.e. online marketplaces, search engines and cloud computing services) under the Network and Information Security Directive (NIS Directive) [read more – subscription required].

European Commission  Revision of Guidelines on Significant Market Power: Commission publishes drafts of the revised Guidelines and Explanatory note
The European Commission has published the drafts of the revised SMP (Significant Market Power) Guidelines and its accompanying Explanatory Note. Both documents were sent to the Body of Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) for its opinion, with a view to adopt the Guidelines early in the second quarter of this year [read more].

Cullen International       Swedish appeal court annuls Telia’s fines for bid-rigging
The Swedish Patent and Market Court of Appeal annulled the SEK8m (€0.82m) fine imposed in 2016 on Telia for having colluded with Gothnet in a public call for tender (bid-rigging) to provide fixed data communications services to the city of Gothenburg [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       Spanish NCA accepts Mediapro commitment to end discrimination against OTTs
The Spanish national competition authority (NCA), CNMC, closed its proceeding against Mediapro and accepted its commitment to grant all pay-TV operators, including OTT players, access to its premium football channels (BeIN Sports and BeIN La Liga) on non-discriminatory terms [read more – subscription required].

European Commission  New 5G standard gives 10 times faster mobile broadband access rate thanks to EU 5G research
New 5G standard called New Radio (NR) will provide the needed capacity to make data traffic jams a thing of the past. This standard will be able to provide very fast mobile broadband access which provides users with seamless connectivity [read more].

European Commission  European Commission opens a second phase investigation in Slovenian wholesale high-quality broadband access market
The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation into the proposal of the Slovenian telecoms regulator AKOS to make adjustments to the standard weighted average cost of capital (WACC) formula leading to higher prices of wholesale high-quality broadband access services [read more].

Cullen International       Copyright Reform – Bulgarian presidency suggests new liability exemption for content-sharing platforms
To seek an agreement between EU member states on the so-called ‘value gap provision’, the Bulgarian presidency of the Council suggests the creation of a new liability exemption for certain information society providers defined as ‘content sharing services’ [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       Data protection authorities highlight the new requirements for binding corporate rules under the GDPR
The Article 29 Working Party (WP29) of national data protection authorities (DPAs) has adopted two working documents listing the elements that must be present in binding corporate rules (BCRs) for controllers and processors under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The documents highlight the changes brought by the GDPR [read more].

Cullen International       European Commission issues draft SMP guidelines with more advice on joint dominance
The European Commission has published its draft revised significant market power (SMP) guidelines, together with an explanatory note [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       European Commission publishes preliminary results of consultation on EU consumer law review
The European Commission has published the preliminary results of its public consultation “on the targeted revision of [the horizontal] EU consumer law directives” that apply to all sectors. The consultation, which ran from June 30 to October 8, 2017, aimed to gather input for the legislative proposal reviewing the current rules that the Commission is expected to adopt in April 2018 [read more – subscription required].

Ofcom  New Ofcom rules to boost full-fibre broadband
More UK homes are set to benefit from ultrafast internet speeds, after a draft decision by Ofcom that will halve the upfront cost of building ‘full-fibre’ broadband networks [read more].

Ofcom  Draft statement: Mobile call termination market review 2018-21
Mobile call termination is a wholesale service offered by a mobile provider to connect a customer (i.e. call recipient) on its network. When fixed or mobile providers enable their customers to call a UK mobile number, they pay a wholesale charge to the mobile provider which terminates the call. This charge is called a mobile termination rate. Mobile termination rates are set on a per-minute basis and are currently subject to regulation [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       Italian competition authority suspects main telecoms operators of price fixing cartel
The Italian national competition authority (NCA), AGCM, has opened an investigation into a suspected price fixing cartel infringing article 101 TFEU by telecoms operators Fastweb, TIM, Vodafone, Wind Tre and industry association Assotelecomunicazioni (Asstel) [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       Scope of antitrust investigation into Telecom Italia extended
The Italian national competition authority (NCA), AGCM, has extended the scope of its pending investigation into the possible abuse of dominance by incumbent Telecom Italia (TIM) in the high-speed broadband market [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       Polish regulator continues obligations in broadcasting markets (market 18/2003)
The Polish regulator, UKE, has continued to designate Emitel as having significant market power (SMP) in the national wholesale markets for television and radio broadcasting (previous market 18/2003) [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       German court strikes down parts of Facebook's privacy policy
The regional court of Berlin has ruled that several aspects of Facebook’s default privacy settings and terms of service violate its users’ right to privacy. The court also found unlawful the requirement that users must sign-in to Facebook exclusively under their real names. However, the court did not consider that Facebook conducts misleading advertising by advertising its services as ‘free’ (when individuals may instead be paying with their personal data) [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       EU bans geo-blocking but not for audio-visual and other copyright-related services
The EU adopted on February 27, 2018 a regulation that will prohibit unjustified geo-blocking and other forms of discrimination by traders in the EU based on the customer’s nationality or place of residence. However, the Regulation will not apply to audio-visual and other copyright-related services such as IPTV and music streaming [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       European Parliament lead committee votes against fully harmonising legal guarantee periods in contracts for sales of goods
The lead Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) committee of the European Parliament voted against fully harmonising legal guarantee periods in business-to-consumer (B2C) contracts for the sale of goods. Consequently, EU member states would retain the possibility to maintain in their national laws guarantee periods longer than two-year minimum set at EU-level [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       EU General Data Protection Regulation - Guidelines on automated decision-making and profiling
The Article 29 Working Party (WP29) of national data protection authorities has adopted guidelines on the conditions under which companies can use automated decision-making and profiling under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       Spanish competition authority opens investigation into possible anticompetitive agreement in the TV advertising market
The Spanish national competition authority (NCA) has opened an investigation into possible anticompetitive agreements by Astremedia and Mediaset, the only two companies active in the Spanish TV advertising market [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       European Commission repeats that no EU regulation will be adopted on fake news
During a workshop in Brussels on 'fake news and disinformation online' Giuseppe Abbamonte (Director, Directorate I Media Policy, European Commission), clearly said that there will be no regulation to tackle fake news at the EU level [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       European Commission adopts recommendation on the fight against illegal content online
The European Commission has adopted a new recommendation with concrete measures to be taken by internet companies to remove illegal content online. It foresees that online platforms such as Facebook and Twitter will need to remove terrorist content within one hour from when they receive an official referral [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       Orange Polska refusal to supply 2011
The European Commission fined Telekomunikacja Polska (TP) €127m for having abused of its dominant position in the wholesale markets for broadband access and for unbundled access to the local loop (LLU) from 2005 to 2009 [read more – subscription required].

SPECTRUM

Cullen International       Ofcom prepares for the 2.3 and 3.4GHz auction
Ofcom published the final 2.3 and 3.4GHz Auction Regulations, giving effect to its policy decisions for the award of this spectrum band [read more – subscription required].

Policy Tracker                    UK is too harsh on mobile operators over coverage, says former minister
Some in the mobile industry agree, claiming that the 700MHz band will not be the game changer government departments envisage [read more – subscription required].

Policy Tracker                    France to press ahead with 4G and 5G plans
France is forging ahead on 4G and 5G rollout, with the regulator making spectrum available in the 3.4-3.8GHz and 26 GHz bands for 5G trials, and the government unveiling plans to raise money for better rural 4G coverage from extended spectrum licences [read more – subscription required].

Policy Tracker    Japanese spectrum contest could herald a break with past policy
Japan is deciding how to award frequencies in the 1.7GHz and 3.4GHz bands, a process that could pave the way for a disruptive newcomer and a significant change in the country's approach to spectrum assignment [read more – subscription required].

Policy Tracker    Coverage, not revenue, is increasingly the goal of spectrum assignments
After 20 years and three or four generations of mobile technology, governments and regulators are starting to recognise that there is a contradiction between extracting large amounts of money from mobile operators for spectrum licences and then demanding costly network deployments to cover 100% of a country. That’s according to Gérard Pogorel, Emeritus Professor of Economics at top French graduate engineering school Télécom ParisTech [read more – subscription required].

Policy Tracker    Network firm to use London’s lampposts to assist with coverage in busy areas
The two mobile operators so far involved in UK network infrastructure firm Arqiva's project are understood to be focusing on providing extra capacity rather than new services [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       5G: second RSPG opinion highlights the 66 GHz band
The 66 GHz band should be considered as an “important” band for 5G deployment, under a general authorisation (licence free) regime. More studies are needed on sharing arrangements in the 26GHz band [read more – subscription required].

Total Telecom   Court of appeal rejects Three's case for lower spectrum cap
Ofcom is to proceed with its 5G spectrum auction, after the Court of Appeal rejected a suit brought by Three. Three argued against a 37% cap on the amount of spectrum that any operator can own [read more].

Total Telecom   Operators must sharpen their focus on 5G security
Operators must do more to ensure the security of their networks in the run up to the launch of 5G, according to industry experts [read more].

Policy Tracker    Pyeongchang Winter Olympics offer glimpse of 5G’s possibilities
Korean operator KT and vendors Intel and Samsung have been showing off 5G on snow and ice for the past two weeks, but the actual offerings at the event have felt relatively low key [read more – subscription required].

Total Telecom   Deutsche Telekom, Huawei and Intel hail significant step towards 2019 5G rollout
Deutsche Telekom has joined forces with Intel and Huawei to undertake ground breaking 5G testing [read more].

Policy Tracker    5G offers way back for Japan’s mobile industry, says study
The glory days of the country’s mobile industry may be behind them, but a new McKinsey study says there is hope for the future [read more – subscription required].

Ofcom  Ofcom approves six companies to take part in spectrum auction
Ofcom has announced the companies that have qualified to take part in the upcoming spectrum auction [read more].

Total Telecom   US to hold 5G spectrum auctions in November 2018
FCC chairman, Ajit Pai, told attendees at the Mobile World Congress that the US must seek a "light touch" regulatory framework to enable swift development of next generation networks [read more].

INTERNET

Advanced Television     UK: 95% superfast broadband coverage
The UK Government has delivered on its manifesto commitment to extend superfast broadband to 95% of the UK by the end of 2017, DCMS Secretary of State Matt Hancock has revealed [read more].

Total Telecom   Europe's Aviation Network ready for take off
Deutsche Telekom, Nokia and Inmarsat say that the network will provide high speed connectivity to airline passengers throughout Europe [read more].

European Commission  Launch of the #SaferInternet4EU initiatives on Safer Internet Day
The European Union celebrates the annual Safer Internet Day today. Over 140 countries join together to create a better and safer online environment. This year Commissioner Gabriel will launch the #SaferInternet4EU initiatives [read more].

OECD     OECD broadband statistics update
Mobile termination rates – the rates operators charge each other to connect calls – dropped by an average of 42% in OECD countries between end-2014 and end-2017 as a result of increased regulation and competition, according to new data released by the OECD [read more].

Total Telecom   Vodafone brings 200Mbps 4G services to Britain's rural communities
Vodafone UK is bringing mobile broadband speeds of up to 200Mbps to some of Britain's hardest to reach rural communities, thanks to a successful trial of its new 4G mobile mini mast [read more].

European Commission  Cross-cutting business models for Internet of Things (IoT)
This study focuses on identifying promising areas for cross-cutting Internet of Things (IoT) activities and their corresponding business models. It also analyses market and technology related success factors and barriers, as well as the social impact of IoT. Finally, a set of policy recommendations based on the study findings are included with the aim of supporting the European Commission in fostering the growth of IoT in Europe [read more].

Total Telecom   Virgin Media to boost download speeds to 350Mbps
Virgin Media is set to boost the speed of its fastest networks to 350Mbps from Spring 2018, according to a company release [read more].

CORDIS                 Novel tools to make the web advertising industry more transparent
Market leaders Google and Facebook drive three quarters of internet advertising’s growth. This online advertising explosion is raising serious data privacy and security concerns [read more].

Advanced Television     FCC to approve SpaceX broadband application
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has proposed that the agency approve an application by SpaceX to provide broadband services using satellite technologies in the United States and on a global basis [read more].

Telecoms.com  Speeds aren’t getting faster, but 4G is coverage is expanding – OpenSignal
OpenSignal’s most recent State of LTE report claims that while download speeds across the world have started to plateau there is promising work being done to improve coverage [read more].

Cullen International       Ofcom to strengthen voluntary broadband speeds codes of practice
Ofcom, the UK telecoms regulator, has decided to strengthen the codes of practice that fixed providers follow when informing customers about broadband speeds [read more – subscription required].

Ars Technica      Defying Pai’s FCC, Washington State passes law protecting net neutrality
The Washington state legislature has approved a net neutrality law that applies to all wired and wireless Internet providers in the state and prohibits blocking, throttling, and paid prioritisation [read more].

Ars Technica      Democrats submit plan to save net neutrality, still one vote short in Senate
Congressional Democrats has introduced legislation that would prevent the repeal of neutrality rules, but they still need more support from Republicans in order to pass the measure [read more].

Ars Technica      AT&T describes post-net neutrality plans for paid prioritisation
AT&T is talking up the benefits of paid prioritization schemes in preparation for the death of net neutrality rules while claiming that charging certain content providers for priority access won't create "fast lanes and slow lanes [read more].

Ars Technica      AT&T loses years-long quest to cripple FTC authority over telecoms
AT&T's years-long quest to avoid punishment for throttling unlimited data plans suffered a blow when a court said that AT&T cannot escape the jurisdiction of the Federal Trade Commission [read more].

INNOVATION

European Commission  European Commission launches the EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum
The Commission has just launched the EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum with the support of the European Parliament, represented by Jakob von Weizsäcker responsible for the recent report on virtual currencies [read more].

European Commission  Digitising European Industry: 2 years after the launch of the initiative
The European Commission presented the Digitising European Industry initiative (DEI) in April 2016. Almost two years after its launch, this brochure takes stock of the progress made [read more].

European Commission  New study on secure cross-border identification from mobile devices
The GSMA, which represents the worldwide mobile communications industry, has published a report on the pilot linking its own multi-purpose identity solution, called Mobile Connect, with the eIDAS regulation, the EU regulation on electronic identification and trust services [read more].

Telecoms.com  WhatsApp to enter world of mobile money – first stop, India
WhatsApp has been granted permission to test out a money transfer service in the Indian market, a move which could generate notable ripples in the maturing mobile money segment [read more].

EurActiv               Europe postpones response to cryptocurrencies to end of year
The European Commission will assess whether new rules are needed against the “substantial speculation” of digital currencies, Commission vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis said on 26th February [read more].

European Commission  EU-Funded Research ignites Yetta: a Next Generation Blockchain currency for the Smart Economy
Yetta advances the current state of the art for a fast, affordable and energy-efficient untraceable electronic cash system. Yetta is a spin-off from CAPS research projects funded under the EU-Horizon 2020 programme. It is sustainable by design and aligns with the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) [read more].

INFORMATION SOCIETY

Cullen International       European Parliament committee and scholars discuss children’s online safety
On February 21, 2018 the Culture and Education (CULT) committee of the European Parliament organised a workshop on the protection of minors in the digital age [read more – subscription required].

Politico                Facebook’s next project: American inequality
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is quietly cracking open his company's vast trove of user data for a study on economic inequality in the U.S. — the latest sign of his efforts to reckon with divisions in American society that the social network is accused of making worse [read more].

TELEVISION

Advanced Television     Movistar/Netflix: Pay-TV without football?
The anticipated agreement between Telefónica and Netflix – to be officially announced by mid-February – is set to see Movistar’s pay-TV offer become more focused on cinema and TV series, to the exclusion of football on account of its high cost [read more].

Advanced Television     Facebook, Netflix, Google won’t bid for Premier League
Facebook, Netflix and Google will likely not submit bids for the next round of Premier League TV rights in the February 9th auction, with most analysts believing Sky and BT will remain the major players [read more].

Total Telecom   BT ties up new Premier League deal
BT has secured the rights to English Premier League matches for another 3 years, according to a company release [read more].

Broadband TV News       Vodafone eyes Czech IPTV market
Vodafone is preparing to launch an IPTV platform in the Czech Republic by the end of this year [read more].

Advanced Television     Movistar refuses to bid for football
Telefónica’s pay-TV platform Movistar has made the first move in putting pressure on Mediapro to reduce the price of football TV rights in Spain [read more].

Advanced Television     5G TV broadcast test
A 5G test site for broadcasting is being set up in the Bavarian Oberland as part of the Bavarian research project ‘5G Today’ [read more].

Advanced Television     Vodafone Spain: “Losing subs better than paying for La Liga”
At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the CEO of Vodafone Spain, Antonio Coimbra, has demanded a new “exploitation model” for TV football rights, as he believes the current high prices are no longer sustainable [read more].

Advanced Television     Sky, Netflix ‘pioneering’ European partnership
With the Netflix app integrated into Sky Q, and Netflix programmes promoted alongside Sky content, customers can enjoy shows such as Britannia, Billions and Big Little Lies alongside The Crown, Stranger Things and Black Mirror, as well as free-to-air TV, all on the Sky platform [read more].

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

Total Telecom   Vodafone considers €14 billion acquisition of key assets from Liberty Global
Vodafone has acknowledged that it had entered into talks with Liberty Global over a possible strategic acquisition of Liberty Global's European assets [read more].

Cullen International       Polish competition authority opens in-depth merger investigation into Cyfrowy Polsat’s proposed acquisition of Netia
The Polish national competition authority (NCA) has opened an in-depth phase II investigation into the proposed acquisition by pay-TV platform Cyfrowy Polsat Group of sole control of fixed telecoms operator Netia [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       European Commission approves Discovery’s acquisition of Scripps subject to content offer commitment in Poland
The European Commission has authorised Discovery’s acquisition of Scripps subject to remedies aiming to reduce Discovery's bargaining power in Poland. The decision is not public yet [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International       Apple’s acquisition of Shazam to be reviewed by the European Commission
The European Commission has accepted, upon request by several EEA member states, to review Apple’s acquisition of Shazam under the merger control procedure. Shazam is a popular mobile application, free of charge, which recognises music [read more].

Ars Technica      AT&T’s attempt to buy Time Warner suffers a blow in court
AT&T's court defence of its merger with Time Warner Inc. suffered a blow, as a judge ruled against AT&T's attempt to find evidence that President Trump meddled in the government's merger review [read more].

Ars Technica      AT&T’s attempt to buy Time Warner suffers a blow in court
AT&T's court defence of its merger with Time Warner Inc. suffered a blow, as a judge ruled against AT&T's attempt to find evidence that President Trump meddled in the government's merger review [read more].

POST

Cullen International       La Poste - new state contract for 2018-2022, including user satisfaction dashboard
La Poste, the French universal postal service operator, has signed a new contrat d'entreprise (state contract) for 2018-2022 with the French state [read more – subscription required].

Post & Parcel     Posti pilots “smart letterbox”
Finland’s Posti is working with Telia to develop a new type of “smart letterbox” using NB-IoT technology. NB-IoT (short for Narrowband Internet of Things) is an international network technology that can be used to connect a large number of devices, so they can share real time information [read more].

Post & Parcel     bpost adjusting domestic mail tariffs
Belgium’s bpost has announced that it will be adjusting its domestic mail tariffs next month [read more].

Post & Parcel     UPS highlights opportunities in European cross-border online shopping
Seven in 10 European online shoppers bought items from retailers outside their home country, according to the 2017 UPS Europe Pulse of the Online Shopper™ study [read more].

Business Insider               Amazon is launching its own delivery service to compete with UPS and FedEx
Amazon is getting ready to launch its own delivery service, named "Shipping with Amazon" (SWA), which will rival UPS and FedEx, according to The Wall Street Journal [read more].

Post & Parcel     WCO cross-border eCommerce conference produces “Beijing Declaration”
Participants at the First Global Cross-Border E-Commerce Conference, which was co-hosted by the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the General Administration of China Customs (GACC) on 9-10 February, agreed to adopt a “Beijing Declaration” [read more].

Post & Parcel     Royal Mail’s new stamp prices
Royal Mail will be raising the cost of First and Second Class stamps by 2p – to 67p and 58p respectively – from 26 March [read more].

Post & Parcel     IPC: “eCommerce sales boosted by direct mail”
Research from the International Post Corporation (IPC) has given extra weight to the claim that direct mail can boost e-commerce business – as a recent survey indicated that half of regular cross-border online consumers have received direct mail from an e-retailer, and 44% of these consumers made an online purchase as a result [read more].

Cullen International       State aid for the network of post offices in the UK approved by Commission
On February 20, 2018, the European Commission announced the approval of £0.37bn (€0.42bn) of UK government state aid to Post Office Limited (POL) [read more – subscription required].

Post & Parcel     Poste Italiane reports 10% profits increase
Poste Italiane has reported a consolidated net profit of €689m for 2017, up 10.8% on 2016, while revenue was up 1% at €33.4bn [read more].

Post & Parcel     Royal Mail reports on quality of service targets
Royal Mail has reported that it exceeded its Quality of Service target for Second Class mail for the first three quarters of the financial year 2017-18, but missed the First Class mail target [read more].

Post & Parcel     Shipping giant Maersk reportedly eyeing parcel delivery market
The international maritime giant Maersk is reportedly looking to add package deliveries to its portfolio, so it can transform itself into an end-to-end global logistics player [read more].

Post & Parcel     Deutsche Post DHL charging €6 fee for delivery of import shipments subject to customs tariffs
Deutsche Post DHL Group has announced that it is now charging a fee of €6 including VAT for the delivery of import consignments that are subject to customs tariffs [read more].