WORKSHOP 2

High Speed Connections

This workshop will discuss business models and cost reduction measures which could foster the deployment of high speed broadband infrastructures.

European economies confront the need to promote sustained economic recovery and higher long-term growth rates. One of the most prominent drivers of growth is digital networked services which are transforming our societies and open new opportunities for entrepreneurship. Innovation in this area critically depends on the availability of affordable, fast and reliable communications networks, which prompted the inclusion of ambitious NGA coverage and take-up targets in the DAE.

Achieving these targets requires considerable investments which exceed current sums of private and public investment activity substantially. This challenge can only be addressed by combining efforts to reduce deployment costs with effective ways to develop commercially viable business models and/or alternative investment models for rolling out NGA and attract additional inflows of capital to NGA projects.

Morning & afternoon sessions devoted to separate themes:

Morning session (09:45 – 13:00): What can be done at EU level to make high-speed broadband roll-out easier and less expensive?

The objective of the session is to discuss what can be done at EU level to help achieve efficiency gains and exploit cost saving potentials in the roll out process, with a focus on civil works, including through cooperation across utilities.

The workshop is part of the European Commission's consultation process related to an EU initiative on measures to reduce costs and overall administrative burden of rolling out high speed broadband networks.

This initiative is reflecting the conclusions of the Spring European Council, where Heads of EU Governments expressed the need to complete the Digital Single Market by providing better broadband coverage, including by reducing the cost of high speed broadband infrastructure.

Afternoon session (14:30 – 17:30): Making NGA work: Commercial, financial and regulatory features of NGA business models

The objectives of the session are to

• place the issue in the overall investment context
• use specific case studies to identify how commercial, financial and regulatory aspects can be combined in practice to create successful NGA business and investment models
• derive general conclusions from the case studies and other relevant cases that might emerge in the discussion about the pivotal elements of different types of models and develop a first blueprint for widely applicable role models
• discuss how EC policies and the DAE midterm review can be employed to facilitate widespread replication of these role models.

Programme

This workshop will be streamed live.

09:45 – 13:00 What can be done at EU level to make high-speed broadband roll-out easier and less expensive?

09.45 – 09.50 Introduction - Gerard de Graaf, Director Electronic Communication Policy Directorate,DG INFSO

09.50 - 10.00 Reporting from online discussions, Chris Conder, online engagement platform facilitator

10.00 - 10.55: Mapping and sharing for cheaper and faster roll-out (panel)

Moderator: Bruno Liebhaberg,Cerre – Centre on Regulation in Europe

Introductory statements by the moderator and the roundtable participants:

• Lowering the cost of broadband deployment, Gabrielle Gauthey, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs,Alcatel-Lucent
• Incentivising co-deployment, infrastructure sharing and in-house wiring, the French model, Philippe Distler, Director General, ARCEP, French National Regulatory Authority
• The Lithuanian experience in duct sharing and building access to infrastructure maps as a mean to enhance re-use of existing infrastructures. Natalija Gelvanovska, Deputy Director of Electronic Communications Department, Lithuanian National Regulatory Authority, RRT, Lithuania.
• How can the new German measures facilitate roll-out? Andreas Schuseil, General Director of the department for ICT, Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology,Germany

Discussion&SMS survey

11:00 – 12:10: Deploying across utilities: less digging and more cooperation,creating win-win situations (panel)

Moderator: Mr A.Renda, Centre for European Policy Studies

Statements by the moderator and the roundtable participants:

• Cost reduction through cross sector solutions, Catherine Trautmann, Member of the European Parliament, ITRE Committee
• How to make it happen? Alternative operators sharing infrastructure with water utilities – the case of Paris, Olivier de Baillenx, Iliad France
• Telecom Energy Cooperation, operators and utilities finding win win telecom energy solutions, Peter Hermans, Stedin, Netherlands
• The Infrastructure Clearinghouse model, Niels Zibrandtsen, CEO, Global Connect Denmark
• New business models for infrastructure sharing (support to co-location, ICH, air ducts), Marcus Boklund, Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communication, Sweden

Discussion and SMS survey

12:15 – 13:00: Rights of way and permits: cutting the red tape and creating synergies in public works (panel)

Moderator Philippe Defraigne (Cullen International)

Statements by the moderator and the roundtable participants:

• The role of local authorities in facilitating broadband roll-out, Jan Van Ooteghem, Eurocities, City of Ghent
• The Nordic cities case – how good are cities in facilitating broadband roll out?, What more can be done? Harald Wium Lie, Nexia and Johnny Gylling,Telenor
• The interest of the operators: benefiting from a Digital Single Market? Anthony Hellegers, Head of Public Policy Fixed Services, Vodafone Group
• Streamlining administrative procedures: the Greek "one-stop-shop", Tassos Lyratzis, Greek National Regulatory Authority, EETT

Discussion and SMS survey

– Lunch –

14:30 – 14:40 Keynote on NGA investment, Gerard de Graaf, Director Electronic Communications Policy, DG INFSO

14:40 – 17.30 Making NGA work: Commercial, financial and regulatory features of NGA business models

Facilitator 14:40-16:30: Gabrielle Gauthey, Vice-President of Public Affairs, Alcatel-Lucent

14:40 – 14:50: CEF: Introducing more flexibility in NGA funding: Anna Krzyzanowska, Head of Unit, DG INFSO; Harald Gruber, EIB

14:50 – 15:00: Summary of the online discussion on investment models, Roger Williams, ERISA/European Broadband Portal

15:00 – 15:30: Commercial, financial and regulatory aspects of NGA investment models in practice – three case studies (presentation)

• 15:00-15:10 Wouter Burger, Head of Strategic Cooperation, Reggefiber
• 15:10-15:20 Pedro Falcão, Head of Network Engineering, Portugal Telecom
• 15:20-15:30 Per-Olof Gustafsson, Senior Vice-President, Stokab & Crister Mattson, swedish ICT Research

15:30 – 16:30: Case studies from an investment perspective (discussion): Success factors, challenges and insights for replication

With interventions by:

• 15:35-15:40 Stephen Howard, Head, Global Telecoms, Media & Technology Research, HSBC
• 15:40-15:45 Jacek Krauze, Portland Advisers
• 15:45-15:50 Randolf Nijsse, Managing Partner, Rabo Bouwfonds Communication Infrastructure Fund
• 15:50-16:30 Open Discussion, in parallel: afternoon coffee

Chair 16:30 - 17:30: Göran Marby, Director-General, PTS

16:30 – 17:30: Expert roundtable: General insights, conclusions and implications for EC policy (panel)

• Michael Armitage, Finance Partner, Broadway.Partners
• Robin Bienenstock, Senior Analyst, European & Latin American Telecommunications, Sanford C. Bernstein
• Pedro Falcão, Head of Network Engineering, Portugal Telecom
• Anders Christjansen, CEO, waoo!
• Luis Correia da Silva, Managing Director, Oxera
• Stephen Howard, Head, Global Telecoms, Media & Technology Research, HSBC
• Gabrielle Gauthey, Vice-President of Public Affairs, Alcatel-Lucent

Workshop hashtag

#Da12bb

• Agenda afternoon.pdf (30 KB)
• Digital Agenda Action 43: Funding for high-speed broadband
• Digital Agenda Action 45: Foster the deployment of NGA networks
• Digital Agenda Action 46: Member States to develop national broadband plans
• Digital agenda Action 47: Member States to facilitate broadband investment
• Link to DAA 2011 related Workshop
• Portugal Telecom FTTH case (1 MB)
• Stokab FTTH model (240 KB)
• Wouter Burger - Reggefiber’s strategy in The Netherlands (162 KB)

Responsible Official: Lukas PAUL (INFSO C1, Belgium), Erika BUSECHIAN (European Commission, DG INFSO B3, Belgium)