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Technology Stocks : Nokia Corp. (NOK) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: 49thMIMOMander who wrote (2278)	6/5/2002 10:47:25 AM
From: Eric L	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9255

re: EC on 3G Rules The headline may be somewhat misleading. Important ... But as the draft toughens the Commission's stance on licence fees, the document also argues that national regulators should opt for a more relaxed attitude toward spectrum swapping and overall regulation as 3G services "are likely to constitute new or emerging markets." European Commission To Reject Relaxed 3G Rules June 05, 2002 M2 Communications The European Commission is set to reject requests by cash-strapped telecoms operators to relax rules for 3G licences, according to a draft communication obtained by the Financial Times. The draft argues that national rules on expensive UTMS licences which the Commission estimates have cost the sector E110bn should not be changed, calling a reduction in licence fees that some mobile operators had hoped for "clearly counter-productive." Operators had also pleaded with the Commission to support extending the length of the licence to give them the time to set up networks and wait for 3G-ready hardware to come to the market. But in the draft, the Commission says extending the life of licences will "have comparatively little impact on restoring the financial institutions' confidence in the (telecoms) sector." The communication argues that telecoms firms in the EU experienced a 10 per cent market growth and E224bn in turnover, better than the general economy. Some operators were surprised by the Commission's stance on extending licences, one of the biggest issues facing the sector. "It's inconceivable why there should be opposition to it," Michael Bartholomew, director of the European Telecommunications Network Operators Association told the Financial Times. "This falls well short of industry expectations." But as the draft toughens the Commissions stance on licence fees, the document also argues that national regulators should opt for a more relaxed attitude toward spectrum swapping and overall regulation as 3G services "are likely to constitute new or emerging markets." << - Eric -