Functional separation within the European Union: Debates and challenges

T. Tropina, J.L. Whalley, P.J. Curwen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Since rising to prominence in the UK, functional separation has been widely discussed as a way to address the tensions that exist between incumbent fixed-wire telecommunications operators and new entrants that use their networks. The suggestion that functional separation could be employed by national regulatory authorities to achieve structural objectives has sparked considerable discussion across the European Union (EU). Through surveying the attitudes of Member States, this paper highlights that support varies across the EU with debates being influenced by the broader political and commercial contexts within which the telecommunications industry is located. It is also shown that a key debate across the EU is the extent to which functional separation will affect the willingness of incumbent operators to invest in infrastructure.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)231-241
Number of pages11
JournalTelematics and Informatics
Volume27
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2010

Keywords

  • functional separation
  • telecommunications
  • fixed-wire
  • EU

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