Euro-telcos need consolidation, simpler regulation, says Telefónica

The European telecoms industry needs to consolidate and European regulations should be simplified, according to Telefónica chief operating officer José María Álvarez-Pallete.

Speaking at the UIMP Telecommunicatinos Forum, Álvarez-Pallete (pictured) also said that the European industry must gain in competitiveness, because, “despite the great growth in traffic in recent years, Europe is the only region of the world in which operators’ revenues are not growing”.

He said there was a need for consolidation, comparing the 339 mobile operators in Europe to the nine in the US and three in China, and said there was a need for regulations to be simplified, pointing out that there are 27 regulatory frameworks in Europe compared with one in the US or China.