March 2017: Highlights and Activities

International Meetings attended by MCA representatives

BEREC’s Market and Economic Analysis (MEA) EWG Meeting
The discussion at BEREC’s MEA EWG meeting focused on the PRD concerning the impact of content markets and devices on Electronic Communication Services markets and its  main deliverable, namely a report highlighting on the impact of content markets and devices on competition in ECS markets and the position of operators in the digital environment. The main objectives of the report were identified: (i) provide a snapshot on the current situation in Europe regarding the distribution of premium content by different actors; the application of content-ECS bundling practices; and the exclusivity agreements applied for content; (ii) identify areas of concern regarding the impact of these bundling practices and exclusivity agreements on ECS markets; (iii) provide an analysis on device openness; and (iv) summarise approaches taken by NRAs and competition authorities to address potential competition concerns in this area.

The report will be supplemented by information gathered via a questionnaire to which NRAs will provide input on issues related to the subject under discussion. The content and questions of this questionnaire were also discussed during the meeting and amendments were carried out.

It is planned that the report will be published for consultation in Q4 2017 and final report delivered in Plenary 1 2018. 

Malta-Italy bi-lateral Meeting on Spectrum Matters
A delegation from the Malta Communications Authority held a meeting with the Italian Ministry of Economic Development to discuss cross-border frequency coordination matters.  The discussions focused on radio spectrum used for terrestrial broadcasting and mobile services.

RSCOM - 59th Radio Spectrum Committee Meeting
The meeting discussed various spectrum matters having a European dimension.  In particular, the meeting approved two new mandates to CEPT to carry out technical studies with respect to ultra-wideband communications, and to wireless broadband electronic communications services in the 1.5 GHz band.  Discussions leading to the approval of a new decision amending the short-range devices technical framework continued.

Mobility to Enhance Active Aging
The Information Society Unit is coordinating an Erasmus+ funded programme with the aim to offer job shadowing with similar organisation which are engaged in activities similar to IS’s. The aim is to promote knowledge transfer and gain new experience about innovative ways on the quest to address the digital divide.  For the third visit, staff members visited  Dél-Alföld Teleház and KIFE in Szeged, Hungary. Staff members exchanged project and initiative ideas and had the opportunity to learn, discuss and plan future projects in the strive to offer new innovative projects with regards to the active aging. The mission of these NGOs is to encourage the development of the Information Society, increase the accessibility of the Internet and e-services in Hungary by providing computer literacy and safe internet trainings and stimulating the growth of e-services on a national level.

ERGP - WG - Market Outcomes
This meeting was held in Brussels in which the analysis of the core postal market indicators, customer complaints and quality of service were discussed. Apart from viewing the performance of the postal market, various discussions were raised on how to improve the data collection and the questionnaire. Also during the meeting, some presentations were delivered to show the various studies or processes that are adopted for the data collection and QOS analysis.

BEREC General Meetings
An MCA representative attended to a 2-day training and workshop session at Brussels, involving the 3rd out of 4 conferences being provided by BEREC and TERA Consultants. Mainly these relate to Cost Modelling Techniques, Spectrum Management, discussions about the developments of the 2009 “New Framework” for telecoms, and training on Net Neutrality. In brief discussion other topics such as USO and Postal Regulation.  

BEREC - WG - Roaming Mobile
Many countries face the difficulty to meet the increasing demand from users and local authorities for mobile connectivity available in ‘challenge areas’ (as as indoor areas). Furthermore, each national regulatory authority (NRA) uses different means to provide information on national mobile coverage. The aim of this working group is to prepare a report which contains a thorough analysis of initiatives to facilitate mobile connectivity in challenge areas. In addition the meeting will be also developing a common understanding on a number of aspects related to mobile coverage. This working group is also organising a workshop on spectrum needs to foster innovation.

COCOM/General Meeting
The 69^th meeting held on the 23rd March covered:

• An annual review of the Working Group on Mobile Satellite Services (MSS);
• Update from the Commission on the status of the project, particularly with respect to progress on deployment by the two contracted providers; 
• 5G deployment and National broadband plans - Proposal by the Commission on the setting up of a working group to assist with updating of Member States’ broadband plans, in order to incorporate deliverables proposed in the Commission’s papers on 5G and the Gigabit Society; 
• WiFi4EU initiative - Proposal by the Commission for Member States to assist in the logistics of the Commission-sponsored setting up of WiFi hotspots in public places; 
• DESI & the latest Broad Band figures - Presentation of the figures for 2016;
• 112 Implementation Report 2016 - Presentation of the implementation situation for 2016; 
• Feedback on the answers to the questionnaire on SS7 vulnerabilities - Prestation of results of a questionnaire to all Member States on the subject; 
• Presentation of results of a questionnaire to all Member States on the subject.

ERGP - WG - Reg. Accounting/Price
This meeting was held in Bucharest and the two main aspects were discussed. The first aspect dealt on the access of the postal market and the evaluation of the access cost. Each NRA presented how access is tackled and if there are any cases of access sharing among operators. In those countries where access is applicable, further understanding of the cost analysis is provided so that to understand how the incumbent postal operator costs are allocated. The second aspect dealt with reviewing the report and the questionnaire, that is to see what should be the main focus of this year’s questionnaire.

RSPG - Radio Spectrum Policy Group
The MCA attended a public workshop organised by the Radio Spectrum Policy Group on spectrum assignment. The aim of this workshop was to bring together different opinions and views from the different stakeholders with regard to the necessary framework for the assignment and management of spectrum. The proliferation of technologies and services are changing all the time, increasing the demand for the use of spectrum. The governing framework for the assignment and management of spectrum needs to continuously evolve in order to reflect such changes. Participants from the different foras; National Regulatory Authorities, Equipment Vendors, Mobile Telecommunications service providers, Governments and EU representatives were present for the meeting. 

Conference / Seminar - General Activity
On invitation of the French Embassy, Bernard Agius visited the tech startup ecosystem in Paris on the 15th and 16th March. The visit featured: a tour of three startup co-working/incubation centres; participation at the Hacking de l’Hotel de Ville event; and a meeting with L’Agence du Numerique. Ben Carlotti, ‎Managing Director at OulalaGames and Chris Knights, Head of Digital at BrndWgn participated in the visit.

ENISA - Security & Network Integri
The MCA attended the 21^th meeting of the Article 13a Experts Groups organised by ENISA and hosted by the National Regulatory Authority of the Portugal (ANACOM). The meeting was held between the 8^th and 9^th March in Lisbon.  This meeting serves as a platform to discuss various issues arising from the implementation of Article 13a of the USD and other closely related topics.    A half day workshop also formed part of the meeting where stakeholders from the industry were invited to give their views on security related issues  their networks are subjected to.  The workgroup discussed the areas of focus for 2017.

IR EWG full meeting
The MCA attended the International Roaming  EWG meeting held in Brussels on the 7^th March 2017. The working group discussed the finalisation of the Retail BEREC Guidelines on the Roaming Regulation (EU) No. 531/2012 as amended by Regulation (EU) 2015/2120 and the Commission’s Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/2286 which lays down detailed rules on the application of fair use policy and on the methodology for assessing the sustainability of the abolition of retail roaming surcharges. These guidelines will assist in a harmonised implementation of the roaming regulations across the EU. These guidelines replaced the previous set of BEREC guidelines which were published in 2016 and mainly dealt with the transitional period. 

BEREC - WG - Regulatory Framework 
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the list of 10 priority topics of the Code, identified by the Body of Regulators (BEREC), and to identify the upcoming deadlines and allocation of drafting duties. The meeting was held in light of the draft report issued by the ITRE Rapporteur, Pilar del Castillo. Building on the high level messages identified in BEREC’s opinion issued in December, this meeting was an opportunity for National Regulatory Authority to express their views. 

MCA Publications & Website Uploads

BeSmartOnline! and Facebook collaborate to spread awareness on online safety
Published On: Mar 15th 2017  http://bit.ly/2q0qdk4

Malta remains top performing country in broadband connectivity and the provision of digital public services
Published On: Mar 6th 2017 

MCA Events

Press Event: Training to Staff within the Hospitality Industry ‘Internet at Work

The MCA, together with the eSkills  Foundation, the Directorate for Data Protection and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, have teamed up to provide ICT training to staff working within the hospitality industry. The aim of holding this initiative was to target employees working within the hospitality sector whereby specific ICT training in this field was not available to them. This ICT course offered is an adaptation of the ENTER Course B 'Internet at work', but with a slight twist. The course syllabus was specifically revised so as to make it more relevant to employees engaged within this service sector. These training courses were offered to employees free of charge. The Hon. Minister E. Mallia attended during an ongoing training session on Monday 27th March.  

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 The Malta Robotics Olympiad

The MCA's first participtation to the 6th edition of the Malta Robotics Olympiad, the largest technology event in Malta, held on the 24th and 25th March. With an ever increasing number of exhibitors, hands-on workshops for all ages and 6 major events under one roof, the MRO is a fun free event for all the family. 

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 Workshop for HoDs and EOs in collaboration with Facebook

We have successfully managed to partner with Facebook and will be looking into the work carried out by social media platforms they offer, particularly Facebook and Instagram, in relation to online safety. 73.8% of all students between Year 4 and Form 4 have an account on one or both of these social media sites. It is therefore important that as educators we understand how these platforms work and the efforts we need to undertake to ensure that children's well being is safeguarded  whilst these platforms are used. The workshop was held on Tuesday 14th March, in the morning at the InterContinenal Hotel in St. Julians. 

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Media participation by MCA

MCA representatives’ participation in television programmes.

Television

22.03.17              ‘Twelveto3' – TVM
                             (Mobile Data - Part 1 -  Yanika Cassar)  

14.03.17               ‘One Breakfast’ – One TV
                             (World Consumer Rights Day -  Yanika Cassar)                    

08.03.17               ‘Twelveto3' – TVM
                             (World Consumer Rights Day-  Yanika Cassar)
 

Legal Updates

No court hearings during the month of March

We received an appeal filed by Melita Limited before the Court of Appeal (Superior) following the decision by the Competition and Consumer Appeal Tribunal decided on the 21st February 2017. The MCA filed a reply in mid-March 2017.

Participation in Activities: 

Drs. Spiteri Baluci & Vella attended to a one day seminar 'European Consumer Day - Digital Single Market' held on the 21st March 2017.

International News

REGULATION

Cullen International: BEREC - lead Parliament committee draft report opposes EU agency
BEREC should remain an independent body of European regulators, rather than becoming an EU agency. Lead Parliament Industry (ITRE) committee rapporteur Evžen Tošenovský (ECR, Czech Republic) rejects the main elements of the European Commission proposal, published in September 2016 as part of the EU Telecoms Framework Review [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International: WiFi4EU - European Commission warns against prescriptive overly approach to access conditions
EU-sponsored WiFi providers should neither ask for a direct payment for access, nor seek indirect remuneration, e.g. through advertising. Neither should the provided connection be limited in terms of duration, speed or volume, according to the draft report by Parliament rapporteur Carlos Zorrinho (S&D, Portugal). He also proposes that the WiFi system should “guarantee net neutrality” [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International: Lead Parliament ITRE committee approves draft Wholesale Roaming Regulation
The draft Wholesale Roaming Regulation has been approved by the lead Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) committee of the European Parliament during a vote on February 28, 2017 [read more – subscription required].

Ofcom: Review of the market for standalone landline telephone services
Ofcom is consulting on its review of the retail market for standalone landline telephone services; that is, the sale of telephone services to those people who buy such services in a standalone contract and not as part of a bundle with other services such as broadband or pay TV. This affects around 2.9 million households in the UK [read more].

Advanced Television: FCC’s Pai condemns net neutrality
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, a known critic of the Obama administration’s ‘Open Internet’ network neutrality proposals, has signalled a reversal of such policies, which he described – without naming the principle – as “heavy-handed decrees inspired by the distant past” [read more].

Cullen International: Proposed Geo-blocking Regulation – MEPs divided on the inclusion on non-audiovisual copyright content
The consideration of the amendments to the rapporteur’s draft report in the lead Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) committee showed that members of the European Parliament (MEPs) diverge on the inclusion of non-audiovisual copyright content (such as online music streaming) in the scope of the proposed Geo-blocking Regulation [read more – subscription required].

Ofcom: BT agrees to legal separation of Openreach
The biggest reform of Openreach in its history is set to conclude, after BT agreed to Ofcom’s requirements for the legal separation of its network division [read more].

European Commission: NGI Consultation outcome report
The open consultation for the Next Generation Initiative (NGI) was held between 10th November 2016 and 9th January 2017. A total of 449 people took part and provided their views both on technologies and values that are relevant for the Internet of the future [read more].

Cullen International: Czech competition authority launches a sector inquiry into the retail mobile market
The Czech national competition authority (NCA) has announced that it is about to launch a sector inquiry into the retail mobile telecoms market [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International: EU Court says sharing of subscriber data with directory services providers in other EU member states does not require additional consent
There is no need for a telecom operator that has received its subscribers’ consent for personal data to be published in a public directory to collect its subscribers’ separate, specific consent in order to make that data available, for the same purpose, to a directory services provider active in another EU member state [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International: Dutch regulator withdraws notification after BEREC agrees with serious doubt on wholesale high quality access (market 4/2014)
The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) agrees with the European Commission's serious doubt whether KPN has significant market power (SMP) on the wholesale market for high quality access at a fixed location (market 4/2014) [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International: Irish regulator investigates roaming data caps
The Irish regulator, ComReg, is investigating whether H3G is acting in breach of the EU Roaming Regulation by introducing a data cap for its 'all you can eat' offer when customers are roaming in Europe [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International: European Commission wants to exclude OTT communication services from Digital Content Directive
Dirk Staudenmayer (head of unit at European Commission DG Justice) suggested on March 22, 2017 that the proposed Directive on contracts for the supply of digital content (DCD) should not apply to OTT communication services. In that case, these services would not be subject to the consumer protection rules in the European Electronic Communications Code or the DCD [read more – subscription required].

Ofcom: Plusnet fined £880,000 for billing former customers
Plusnet, a BT owned company, has today been fined £880,000 by Ofcom for continuing to bill more than a thousand ex-customers [read more].

Ofcom: Compensation for landline and broadband customers when things go wrong
Ofcom is proposing to require providers to pay automatic compensation – either a cash payment, or a credit on a bill – to customers who suffer from these kinds of poor service [read more].

Cullen International proposes market review upon request, 30-year spectrum licences
Pilar Del Castillo (EPP, Spain) makes several proposals to increase the incentives for network operators to invest in the deployment of very high capacity networks. Spectrum licences should have a minimum duration of 30 years, rather than 25. Operators should not be obliged to disclose their network deployment plans to NRAs. At the request of an operator, NRAs would have to carry out a market review or review existing remedies [read more – subscription required].

Policy Tracker: European Parliament approves 700MHz proposal
With the European Council and European Commission agreeing to a revised proposal in December, the Parliament’s assent means the process is now complete [read more – subscription required].

Policy Tracker: RSPG opposes mandatory peer reviews of European licence awards
The measure suggested by the European Commission in its review of the EU telecommunications regulatory framework could increase legal uncertainty and bureaucracy and would not effectively achieve the intended benefits, said the group [read more – subscription required].

Advanced Television: Virgin Media makes ultrafast speeds standard
Quad-play operator Virgin Media has become the first widely-available UK broadband provider to offer ultrafast speeds of 100Mbps and above as standard as it revamps its bundles and launches the Virgin Fibre brand, putting pressure on BT’s Openreach to raise its speeds [read more].

European Commission: Commission announces pilot project to boost digital skills through internships
The European Commission announced plans for a pilot project to provide working experience in the digital field for 5,000-6,000 graduate students in 2018-2020. The paid 4-5 months internships will be available for students of all disciplines [read more].

European Commission: European Interoperability Framework: Commission presents new guidance for digital public services
The European Commission has published a new European Interoperability Framework which will help European public administrations to coordinate their digitisation efforts when delivering public services [read more].

European Commission: EU and EEA Member States sign up for cross border experiments on cooperative, connected and automated mobility
29 European countries, Members of the European Union and of the European Economic Area, have signed a Letter of Intent to intensify cooperation on testing of automated road transport in cross border test sites. This initiative drives forward the plans of the Commission's strategy to build a European Data Economy announced in January 2017 [read more].

Cullen International: Collective dominance at the heart of European Commission consultation on the review of SMP guidelines
The European Commission is calling for inputs until June 26, 2017 to inform its review of the significant market power (SMP) guidelines that date from 2002 [read more – subscription required].

European Commission: Online platforms – Points of view and exchanges | Workshop report
The European Commission has organised several workshops on trading practices between online platforms and their business users. Following a series of workshops with business users, a workshop with representatives of online platforms took place on 24 March 2017. The workshops are part of a series of stakeholder engagement events that the European Commission organises as part of its fact-finding exercise on platforms' business-to-business (B2B) trading practices [read more].

Ofcom: BT to be fined £42m for breaching contracts with telecoms providers
BT will be fined £42m for a serious breach of Ofcom’s rules, after the company reduced compensation payments to other telecoms providers for late installations [read more].

Advanced Television: Ofcom may cap Openreach prices
Ofcom is consulting on plans to cut the price BT’s Openreach can charge other telecoms companies for access to its network by up to 40%. Openreach would also face stricter deadlines for repairing faults and installing new lines and face fines for non-compliance [read more].

SPECTRUM

Policy Tracker: Clearing 700 MHz for 5G "not easy" for Italy
The Italian government needs to clear the band by no later than 2022 for mobile broadband services and ultimately 5G, but is hampered by an abundance of TV multiplexes [read more – subscription required].

Policy Tracker: European Commission vice president stresses need for 5G interoperability
As a slew of vendors and operators signal their commitment to 5G new radio trials, Andrus Ansip used his address at this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) to reiterate the European Commission’s position on 5G and warn against fragmentation [read more – subscription required].

Policy Tracker: Arqiva and Samsung to use 28GHz band for "5G" trial in UK
The network infrastructure firm and technology giant are teaming up to provide a network that Arqiva believes can be described as 5G. However, some are critical of this use of terminology [read more – subscription required]

Cullen International: BEREC supports European Commission proposal to harmonise NRA competences over spectrum but is critical about 25-year licence duration
BEREC supports the harmonisation of the tasks of NRAs regarding the “market-shaping” aspects of spectrum management, as proposed by the European Commission’s draft European Electronic Communications Code (EECC). At the same time, BEREC criticises the proposed 25-year minimum spectrum licence duration [read more – subscription required].

Ofcom: Improving spectrum access for consumers in the 5GHz band
Ofcom is presenting its decision to proceed with its proposals to extend Wi-Fi access in the 5GHz band to an additional 125MHz (5725 to 5850, the ‘5.8GHz band’) [read more].

Total Telecom: Norway sets date for 900MHz sale
Norway's telecom regulator plans to begin its upcoming auction of frequencies in the 900MHz band on 23 May, having once delayed the process to address an issue regarding spectrum caps and the competitive situation in the market [read more].

ITU: ITU Publishes Policy Recommendations on Digital Financial Services
After two years of extensive consultation, the ITU Focus Group on Digital Financial Services (DFS) has concluded its work with the publication of 85 policy recommendations and 28 supporting thematic reports. The Focus Group brought together more than 60 organizations from over 30 countries to drive greater financial inclusion for the estimated 2 billion people around the world who remain unbanked [read more].

Advanced Television: OTT not enemy, says cable
OTT is not the enemy and we can work together was the message in Brussels. Liberty Global, through Eric Tveter, CEO Central and Eastern Europe, said the relationship with Netflix was good for both partners and was revenue generating, though he did allow the margins were not comparable to more traditional premium services [read more].

Telecoms.com; EU caught in middle of autonomous vehicles standards row – Nokia
Connectivity consistency is one of the main problems in the IoT-driven world according to Thorsten Robrecht, Nokia’s VP of Advanced Mobile Networks Solutions, speaking to Telecoms.com at MWC 2017, especially when considering use cases such as the autonomous vehicle [read more].

Cullen International: European Parliament plenary approves the allocation of the 700MHZ band for broadband
The European Parliament plenary has voted in favour the draft Decision to release the 700MHz band for broadband by 2020 during its session of March 15, 2017 [read more – subscription required].

Policy Tracker: UK regulator to allow Wi-Fi at 5.8GHz before rest of EU
Ofcom has proposed opening the 5725-5850MHz band for Wi-Fi applications ahead of discussions on the issue at WRC-19. The decision was based on the absence of any EC decision governing the band and on a "lack of compelling arguments" not to proceed [read more – subscription required].

Total Telecom: Italy selects five 5G test cities
Italy has revealed a list of five cities that will play host to pre-standard 5G trials [read more].

Policy Tracker: Autonomous driving stalls at latest 3GPP meeting
As expected, members agreed to accelerate specifications for enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) in Release 15, leaving work on autonomous driving and network sharing to future releases [read more – subscription required].

Cullen International: Spectrum workshop calls for flexible approach to assignment
Industry stakeholders believe that national regulators need to have a range of spectrum assignment options and should exercise them flexibly depending on the spectrum band and use case in question. Claire Lyons (Ofcom, UK) responded by saying that most regulatory authorities already had access to the full range of assignment options, with the possibility to apply the most appropriate one to the situation at hand [read more – subscription required].

TELEVISION

Advanced Television: YouTube $35 live TV
YouTube is to offer live TV streaming from a range of leading US broadcast networks in a $35 (€32.20) per month package set to redefine the relationship between linear and OTT TV and attract cord-cutters [read more].

INFORMATION SOCIETY

European Commission: How digital is your country? Europe improves but still needs to close digital gap
The 2017 Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) shows that the EU is making progress but the gap between top digital players and lower-performing countries is still too wide. More efforts and investments are needed to make the most of the Digital Single Market [read more].

European Commission eGovernment: delivering innovative public services for citizens and businesses
The digital transformation of government will benefit citizens and businesses, save administrations money and create a new marketplace for public service applications. EU-funded projects have helped to overcome obstacles and provide the building blocks for administrations to deliver new digital services across departments and across borders [read more].

POST

Post & Parcel: Ofcom concludes review of Royal Mail regulation
Ofcom has concluded a comprehensive review of Royal Mail and its delivery of the universal postal service [read more].

Post & Parcel: Royal Mail adds a penny to stamp prices
Royal Mail has announced that, from 27 March, the price of a First Class stamp will increase by 1p to 65p and the price of a Second Class stamp will increase by 1p to 56p. In addition, the price of a Large Letter First Class stamp will rise by 2p to 98p; a Large Letter Second Class stamp will rise by 1p to 76p [read more].

Post & Parcel: In-car deliveries come to Switzerland
LeShop.ch, Volvo and Swiss Post are teaming up to offer online shoppers the option of having their purchased delivered to the boot of their cars [read more].

Post & Parcel: An Post braced for post office closures
Ireland’s An Post is likely to see a significant pruning of it post office network when an “in-depth” review is published in a few months’ time [read more].

Post & Parcel: An Post raising postal rates in April
An Post has announced that the standard domestic letter rate for items up to 100g within Ireland will increase from €0.72c to €1.00 while the standard international letter rate up to 100g will rise from €1.10 to €1.35 [read more].

Post & Parcel: Belgian regulator rejects bpost’s proposed stamp tariff increase
Belgium’s postal regulator BIPT has decided not to approve bpost’s proposed stamp tariff increase for 2017. This means that the stamp tariffs remain unchanged this year [read more].

Post & Parcel: Royal Mail rolls out online parcel delivery confirmation across UK
Royal Mail is now making online delivery confirmation available to customers purchasing parcels at all Post Office branches across the UK [read more].

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

Post & Parcel: EU General Court says EC was wrong to block UPS/TNT merger
The General Court of the European Union has found that the European Commission had acted wrongly in blocking the proposed merger of UPS and TNT four years ago [read more].

Advanced Television: Fox Sky bid referred to EC
Karen Bradley, the UK Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, is to refer 21st Century Fox’s bid to acquire the 61% of pay-TV operator Sky it does not already own to Ofcom and the Competition and Markets Authority [read more].

Total Telecom: EU OKs AT&T-Time Warner tie-up
AT&T has announced that the European Commission has approved its $85.4 billion (€80.4 billion) acquisition of Time Warner. The deal still requires the blessing of the US Department of Justice (DoJ), but the green light from Europe is nevertheless an important step in the right direction for the telco [read more].

Total Telecom: Vodafone UK, Liberty global merger talks back on
Vodafone and Liberty Global have allegedly restarted talks to merge their UK businesses, it has emerged late. Unnamed sources cited by The Register said that negotiations between senior executives at each company are being held at Vodafone's Newbury headquarters [read more].

Mashable: Vodafone and Idea merge to create India's largest cellular network
Vodafone's India arm has merged with rival Idea Cellular to form the largest cellular service network in India. The joint entity will have a subscriber base of nearly 400 million and a revenue market share of 41%, according to reports [read more].

INTERNET

European Commission: Study on National Broadband Plans in the EU-28: connectivity, targets and measures
The study on the current state of National Broadband Plans (NBP) in the EU presents a snapshot of the broadband policies in all 28 Member States. It provides an overview of the current and future state of connectivity, including the capacity to reach the EU targets by 2020 and develop innovative measures – a potential source of inspiration for rolling out digital networks [read more].

INNOVATION

Post & Parcel: House of Lords publishes autonomous vehicles report
The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee have set out recommendations on how the UK Government should proceed to “enable the UK to receive maximum economic benefit from autonomous vehicles” [read more].

ECOMMERCE

eCommerce News: 6 percent of Europeans shop online every day
Europeans are quite active in the ecommerce market. One in four Europeans with internet access shopped online at least once a week last year, while over 60% shopped online once a month. 6% of Europeans shop online every day [read more].