EU Towercos or Making the Utmost Value of Current Infrastructures: Eventual Competition Concerns

Xanthi Bitzidou, Senior Lawyer, E.E.T.T

The main priority of the EU Digital Agenda is to transform Europe into an attractive, secure and dynamic digital economy with clear and fair rules, while investing in next generation, standards, tools and infrastructures . At the first list of the framework stands the deployment of 5G networks , for which the Commission had set the ambitious goal of having at least one major city in each Member State “5G enabled” by the end of 2020 and uninterrupted 5G coverage in all urban areas and major terrestrial transport paths by 2025. Among the primary objectives of promoting competition, securing the internal market and promoting the end-user interests, the “connectivity objective” captures the attention, if articulated in terms of outcomes. Europe wants widespread access to and take-up of very high capacity networks for all citizens of the Union and Union businesses , on the basis of reasonable prices and choice, effective and fair competition, open innovation, efficient use of radio spectrum, e.t.c. It’s undeniable that the requirements concerning the capabilities of electronic communications networks are constantly increasing. In this frame, infrastructure competition seems to be ideally fostered through an economically efficient level of investment in new and existing infrastructure, complemented by regulation, where necessary.

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Greece Regulation Telecommunications May 2021 Vol.14, No. 55, Spring 2021

Xanthi Bitzidou

Xanthi G. Bitzidou is a Greek Senior lawyer with a 20 years experience in the full range of EU and Greek competition law (antitrust, merger/acquisitions and state aid), regulatory experience in the Electronic Communications, media and postal markets, corporate law, administrative law and litigation. Ms. Bitzidou obtained her Law Diploma from the Aristotelion Law University of Thessaloniki (Greece), holds a Masters degree in EU Business Law from the ‘Institut d’études européennes’ of U.L.B (Belgium) and also an MPhil from the University of Kent (UK) in ‘EU Competition law and Telecommunications’. Her EU and Greek professional experience includes a stage at the EU Commission, the Brussels office of an American law firm, the EU/Brussels office of a German Telecoms/Technology Consultancy and the South Eastern Europe headquarters office of a telecoms Institute. Since 2005, she is a lawyer at the legal department of E.E.T.T (Hellenic Telecommunications and Posts Commission), where for the last 16 years she handles a full range of regulatory issues and competition law matters (cases) of both the Electronic Communications and Postal sectors. Ms Bitzidou has authored a book and relevant articles on the topics of EU Law, Competition Law and Electronic Communications/Media. She is fluent in Greek, English, French and Italian and an active member of the Athens Bar Association (Greece).

E.E.T.T

The Hellenic Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT) is an Independent Administrative Authority, which was established in 1992. The Authority acts as the National Regulator that monitors, regulates and supervises: (a) the electronic communications market, within which fixed and mobile telephony, wireless communications and Internet access providers operate and (b) the postal services market, within which postal and courier service providers operate. Moreover, EETT is entrusted with the competences to act as the Competition Authority in the said markets.

Greece Regulation Telecommunications May 2021 Vol.14, No. 55, Spring 2021