On Thursday 23 October, in Brussels, Oxera hosted a roundtable discussion entitled ‘The new electronic communications and digital infrastructure regulatory framework: what does the economic evidence say?’.

The discussion took place in the context of an increasing focus on the need for change in how the sector is regulated, building on the themes of the European Commission’s White Paper (on ‘How to master Europe’s digital infrastructure needs?’);¹ the Letta report,² and the Draghi report.³ All of these reports identify digital infrastructures as strategic assets for Europe’s economic sovereignty and competitiveness, arguing for less fragmented regulation, a simplification of the rules and a more investor-friendly environment.

But what does this mean in practice? How should the regulatory framework adapt to support these goals, while preserving the competitive environment that it has facilitated?

Oxera’s roundtable, held under Chatham House rules, brought together 30 senior stakeholders to discuss these questions. Participants included senior members of the European Commission (DG Connect), the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC), national regulatory authorities, telecoms operators and key digital players.⁴

The event was opened by Felipe Flórez Duncan, with Michael Weekes chairing session 1 entitled ‘The future of ‘significant market power’ (SMP) regulation’, and Johan Keetelaar chairing session 2 entitled ‘The economics of the wider internet value chain—to regulate, deregulate or stimulate?’

To facilitate the discussion, Oxera prepared a briefing paper shared in advance with participants, providing key background context on the economic issues at play and setting out series of questions that guided the discussion on the day.

The anticipated next step is that the Commission will publish a draft ‘Digital Networks Act’ (DNA) by the end of 2025, which is expected to provide initial answers to many of the questions discussed at the event.

The briefing paper for the event can be downloaded here.

^{Disclaimer: Oxera works for a wide variety of clients, including regulators, governments and corporates, on issues directly related to those discussed at this event. The event, however, was not commissioned or funded by any party.}