What can Europe have with WhatsApp and Skype? Last week, we reported that the European Commission launched an antitrust investigation, accusing Google of misusing its services. But it seems that the European Commission is exploring in all directions.
The regulator plans to overhaul all telecom regulations by next year, a move that could bring drastic changes for telecoms operators as well as alternatives services such as WhatsApp and Skype.
It is something that European telecommunications providers have been asking the Commission for some time now. The new regulatory changes are part of a wider strategy to form a unified digital market that will help create a homogeneous service system in Europe, Reuters said.
Telecommunications operators in Europe complain that they have been forced to compete with so-called "over-the-top" services, which are not subject to the same regulatory regime. And that must change, as all services must comply with the same regulations.
Telecommunications companies on the old continent are under pressure from increasing competition from services such as Skype (owned by Microsoft) and are asking the Commission to review the regulation. Telecommunications providers such as Orange και η Deutsch Telekom they complain that increasing competition from new market entrants makes it difficult for them to upgrade their network infrastructure.
Another requirement of European companies is that services such as Skype or Whatsapp or WhatsApp, οι οποίες προσφέρουν ένα υποκατάστατο στις παραδοσιακές υπηρεσίες τηλεφωνίας, θα πρέπει να έχουν τις ίδιες υποχρεώσεις όπως έχουν και οι εταιρείες τους, χωρίς καμία διάκριση. Αυτό θα πρέπει να περιλαμβάνει επίσης την υποχρέωση να προσφέρουν δωρεάν υπηρεσίες κλήσεις έκτακτης ανάγκης για τους users who need them.
Read: WhatsApp, Facebook, free Wi-Fi end of mobile providers
