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5
Focus on
T
he need for quality infrastructure
to ensure long-lasting digital
networks across Europe was the
maintopicattheevent,co-hosted
by Member of the European Parliament,
Dominique Riquet, Chair of the Long-
Term Investment and Reindustrialization
Intergroup. The roundtable, a Prysmian
Groupinitiative,featuredcontributions
from
high-level
speakers
representing the European
Investment Bank, and
European
Commission
and Parliament, as well as
telecomoperatorsandICT
industry representatives,
who shared views on the
challenges and opportunities
for the development of a
European high-speed broadband
infrastructure and the resulting increased
growth and competitiveness.
The contributions from experts and
policymakers were focused on new ways
to attract private finance to strong added-
value ICT projects. Reliable high-speed
broadband, like energy and transport
infrastructures, are key to increasing
the growth potential of the Union
and thus boost Europe’s real
economic competitiveness
in a globalised market.
Panellists engaged in a
lively exchange on the
challenges related to
building a high-speed,
secure and trustworthy
ICT infrastructure as the
backbone for the European
digital
economy.
“Economic
operators who design and implement
fibre-based, ultra-high-speed access
network technologies, have a unique
Attracting private
investments
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.
C
hoosing the right products
Throughout the discussion, panellists
questioned what type and quality of
technology is most effective. They agreed
that choosing the right products to
optimise overall capital expenditure and
minimise future maintenance is essential.
Optical fibre cables emerged as the future-
proof solution for broadband networks
– precisely the type of investment that
instils confidence in private investors and
encourages them to accept the associated
long term risks – and benefits.
The discussion paper that provided
the framework for the discussion at
the European Parliament roundtable
pointed out that high-performance
ICT, underpinned by high-speed
infrastructures, will stimulate both
job creation and growth. The political
importance granted to these goals is
mirrored in their nomination by President
Jean-Claude Juncker as the first two of
the political guidelines for the new
Commission. Prysmian agrees with this
assessment and believes that fibre optic
technologies provide the best and most
forward-looking solution: long-term,
future-proof solutions are required to
ensure that the Digital Agenda targets for
2020 are not only reached, but that it is
possible to build on them to truly connect
the European digital single market.
The challenge of a digital single market
Progress on the Digital Agenda has so
far been slow, particularly in terms of
the target that half of Europe’s citizens
have 100Mb/s connections by 2020.
Rapid action is therefore required. The
upcoming reform of the EU telecoms rules
in 2016, including ‘tackling regulatory
fragmentation to allow economies of
scale’, should also be considered to better
address this slow progress.