OXFORD, United Kingdom—European competition commissioner Mario Monti has indicated that his commission is not planning to prohibit third-generation (3G) network sharing through new legislation and would assess proposals on a case-by-case basis. Monti said that his team would examine each of the proposed schemes against a number of criteria including the duration of the network sharing and its geographical extent, as well as the market position of the companies in 2G markets.
Regardless of this decision, European network operators have already been striking deals with each other concerning 3G network sharing. However, two 3G license holders in France, Orange and SFR, who are in discussions about sharing infrastructure, have now been told by ART, the French regulator, that it will make a decision regarding the matter. Currently, France’s existing license terms allow operators to share sites for 3G base stations to minimize the environmental impacts of their equipment. ART is now said to be considering extending the terms to cover base stations and other network infrastructure.
Most of Europe’s 3G licensees are keen to conclude network sharing deals, given that operators are estimating equipment costs saving of up to 30 percent and a speed-up in the rollout of 3G mobile services.
