BEREC

Overview

About BEREC

Chair

Strategy

Work Programme

Working Groups

DMA High Level Group

Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications 

With BEREC, the EU brings all European regulatory authorities and neighboring observers to one independent table working on electronic communications. Here we learn from each other using "best practices", implement them harmonized across Europe and advise the legislator with expertise.

This expertise is nourished by the large pool of experts from the member states. They come together in working groups and deal with important issues in order to move Europe forward. These topics build on the BEREC strategy in the medium term and on the BEREC work programme in the short term.

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BEREC's Chair

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A Strategy for Europe

The current BEREC strategy is valid for the years 2021 to 2025. It therefore runs parallel to the legislative periods of the European Commission in order to make BEREC's work more effective. The strategy itself follows the five priorities from the EECC:

• Promoting connectivity and access to, and take-up of, very high capacity networks;
• Promoting competition and efficient investment;
  
• Contributing to the development of the internal market;
• Promoting the interests of the citizens of the Union.
  

BEREC set itself three high-level goals derived from this:

• Promoting full connectivity;
  

• Supporting sustainable and open digital markets;
  

• Empowering end-users.

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Work Programme 2023

The BEREC Strategy 2021 to 2025 with its three strategic priorities "Enhancing Connectivity", "Digital Markets" and "End-Customers" sets the direction in the current BEREC Work Programme 2023. 

On the strategic area of connectivity, BEREC is working on reports to help achieve European connectivity goals in line with cybersecurity measures and sustainability goals. In 2023, this will include completing work on the report on the regulatory treatment of business customer products. There will be a study on the development of the so-called "tower companies" or access infrastructure companies. A report on cloud services and edge computing is also planned.

BEREC will also look at the shift to new technologies. On the one hand, in a report dealing with the challenges of phasing out 2G and 3G, on the other hand, in a workshop on migrating to very high capacity networks or switching off copper networks. Also included in the connectivity focus are a workshop on satellite fleets in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and a report on international connectivity infrastructures, such as undersea cables.

The work on cyber security issues also continues: In close cooperation with the European Commission, the EU Agency for Cyber Security (ENISA) and the Network & Information Security (NIS) Cooperation Group, recommendations are being developed on how the resilience of communication networks and cyber security can be further strengthened.

On the topic of digital markets, BEREC's second strategic priority, a report on interoperability for number-independent interpersonal communications services (NI-ICS), among others, is being finalised. A study on the "cloudification" and virtualisation of telecom networks is also in preparation. This strategic focus also includes BEREC's report on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the telecom sector, two workstreams on environmental sustainability and a workshop on the European Commission's Data Act proposal.

In the public debate on whether and how content and application providers (CAPs) can contribute to network investments and the development of the internet ecosystem, in particular on the most recently proposed "Sending Party Network Pays" mechanism, BEREC will provide further analysis and continue to offer its expertise to the European institutions.

In the third priority area, BEREC will focus, among other things, on the creation of BEREC guidelines on quality of service (QoS) and on the question of transparency for end customers on the environmental sustainability of digital products and services.

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Working Groups

The tasks of the Work Programme are distributed among the different Working Groups. The work for 2023 is assigned to the respective Working Groups according to the list below.

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DMA High Level Group

The Digital Markets Act (DMA) stipulates a High Level Group to advise and assist the European Commission in the enforcement of the DMA. Six organisations make up this group and each sends up to six people. BEREC is among them, sending its Mini Board plus one other representative. In an election among BEREC members, our Executive Director Klaus M. Steinmaurer won this position. He is now the sixth BEREC representative in the DMA High Level Group.

The six bodies and networks sending represantitves to the DMA High Level Group are:

• BEREC - Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications;
• EDPS - European Data Protection Supervisor;
• EDPB - European Data Protection Board;
• ECN - European Competition Network;
• CPC - Consumer Protection Cooperation Network;
• ERGA - European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services. 

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