Internationales

BEREC

Overview: BEREC Guidelines following the EECC EECC Implementation
    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

    Annemarie Sipkes from the Dutch regulator ACM chairs BEREC in 2022. Chair and Vice-Chairs are elected annually for the following year. Together they form the Mini Board.

    One of the three additional Vice-Chairs is provided by the countries with observer status at BEREC. The Vice-Chairs support the Troika (Chair, Incoming and Outgoing Chair) in their strategic work. Usually each Vice-Chair is responsible for a specific topic.

    The Mini Board meets twice a year and also regularly before the plenary sessions to discuss current topics on the telecommunications markets and to ensure the implementation of the Work Programme.

    Mini Board 2023
    ChairKonstantinos MasselosGreece (EETT)
    Incoming ChairTonko ObuljenCroatia (HAKOM)
    Outgoing ChairAnnemarie SipkesThe Nederlands (ACM)
    Vice ChairWilhelm EschweilerGermany (BNetzA)
    Vice ChairRobert MourikIreland (ComReg)
    Vice ChairBranko Kovijanić Montenegro (EKIP)

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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.

    Working GroupDeliverables 2023
    Regulatory Framework (RF)
    • BEREC Report on the authorisation and related framework for international connectivity infrastructures
    • Ad-hoc input to the EU/NRAs
    • BEREC participation in the High-Level Group envisaged by the DMA Regulation
    • BEREC reflections on features of NRAs independence
    • BEREC Opinion on the functioning of BEREC and BEREC Office
    • BEREC report on national experiences of the implementation of the EECC
    Open Internet (OI)
    • Report on the IP interconnection ecosystem (carry-over from 2022)
    • Input to the European Commission consultation regarding potential CAPs’ contribution to network investments (carry-over)
    • Implementation of the Open Internet Regulation and the BEREC Open Internet Guidelines
    • Collaboration on internet access service measurement tools
    Planning and Future Trends (PFT)
    • Report on cloud services and edge computing
    • Report on the impact of AI solutions in the telecommunications sector on regulation (carry-over) 
    • BEREC workshop on the perspectives and regulatory/competition challenges of Internet of Things
    • BEREC’s input to the EU institutions on the Data Act
    • Study on the trends and policy/regulatory challenges of cloudification, virtualisation and softwarisation in telecommunication
    • Implementation of international cooperation
    • Developing the BEREC Work Programme 2024
    Market and Economic Analysis (MEA)
    • BEREC Report on the regulatory treatment of business services (carry over)
    • BEREC study on evolution of competition dynamics of tower and access infrastructure companies not directly providing retail services
    Digital Markets (DM)
    • Report NI-ICS interoperability
    • Open Digital Markets
    • Report on large CAPs in ECS-ECN
    End User (EU)
    • BEREC Report on Member States’ best practices defining of adequate broadband IAS (carry-over)
    • Report on Comparison Tools and Accreditation (carry-over)
    • BEREC Guidelines detailing quality of service parameters
    • BEREC Opinion on Article 123 EECC
    Roaming (ROAM)
    • BEREC Report on M2M and permanent roaming
    • International roaming benchmark data and monitoring Report
    • BEREC Input to the Commission on the Review of the Intra-EU Communications Regulation
    • BEREC Input to the Commission on the Review of the Commission Implementing Regulation on the Fair Use Policy and Sustainability of Roaming Regulation
    • Intra-EU communications Benchmark Report
    Fixed Network Evolution (FNE)
    • BEREC internal workshop on the migration to VHCN networks and copper switch-off with a focus on the needs of the end-users
    • Update of criterion 4 of the BEREC Guidelines on very high capacity networks (carry-over)
    • BEREC Report on competition amongst multiple operators of NGA-networks in the same geographical region (carry over)
    • BEREC analysis of the European Commission legislative proposal for a revised BCRD
    Wireless Network Evolution (WNE)
    • Report on practices and challenges of the phasing out of 2G and 3G
    • BEREC external workshop on secure and reliable connectivity in Europe from LEO satellite fleets
    • Peer review process
    Remedies and Market Monitoring (RAMM)
    • BEREC Report on NRAs’ annual reporting on the implementation of Article 75 of the EECC
    • BEREC Opinion on the review of the Access Recommendations
    • Article 32-33 Phase II process
    • Report on Regulatory Accounting in Practice 
    • Calculation of Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) parameters 
    Cybersecurity (CS)
    • Support in reinforcing EU’s Cybersecurity Capabilities
    • Report on BEREC’s activities to support initiatives for secure 5G networks
    Sustainability (SUS)
    • BEREC Report on Indicators to measure environmental impact of ECNs and services (carry-over)
    • Potential ad-hoc work on ICTs sustainability in the frame of the European Green Deal implementation 
    • BEREC contribution on empowering end-users through environmental transparency on digital products and services  

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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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