Telecoms get share-ware “OK” from Monti

Date: 06/03/03

MARIO Monti, the competition commissioner, is set to give mobile phone firms the green light for sharing expensive network equipment in a bid to save some of the massive costs of rolling-out "3G" services.

Germany's T-Mobile and O2 in the UK were given a preliminary go-ahead last autumn to share their networks.

As well as sharing infrastructure, such as base stations in rural areas, the two operators will be able to transmit calls via each other's networks in an arrangement known as "national roaming".

Tilmann Lüder, Monti's spokesman, said definitive rulings in the two cases, expected in June, will be seen by other firms as a guide to what they can and cannot do if they want to avoid breaching the Union's strict competition rules.

"We want to send a positive signal to the sector," he said, adding: "This is better than any kind of communication [policy paper] because it is legally binding."

Mario Monti, the competition commissioner, is set to give mobile phone firms the green light for sharing expensive network equipment in a bid to save some of the massive costs of rolling-out '3G' services.