Conference programme

Representatives from key antitrust agencies and communications regulators from around the world will discuss their visions and insights for the future of regulation in a digital economy, including the recently adopted Digital Markets Act in the EU and equivalent rules in Member States, the UK’s Digital Markets Unit and various legislative initiatives worldwide. This discussion will focus in particular on the interplay between antitrust enforcement (notably in the area of dominance/monopolisation) and regulation, impact on innovation and trends of global convergence or divergence in this area.

The session will examine and review the latest and most consequential mergers in the telecoms, media and tech sectors (such as the Orange/Masmovil merger announced in 2022) as well as the most recent key judgments in this area (including the European Court’s upcoming CK Telekoms ruling). The panel will discuss key issues, trends and themes coming out of these recent mergers including horizontal consolidation, vertical aspects, the importance of data and market definition in dynamic markets.

The Digital Markets Act (DMA) will soon enter into force in the EU. What does this entail for the various participants in digital ‘ecosphere’, including market players (such as would-be gatekeepers, startups, international players), regulators (such as the European Commission or the various national authorities), advisors, in-house and external lawyers? In addition, how does the DMA compare with similar initiatives all around the world – does it entail an advantage or a disadvantage for the EU globally in the digital world? Is this something revolutionary or just a mere repetition of the issues that the telecommunications industry faced in the 1990s? The panel intends to explore all these questions and aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the situation.

In Europe there is growing debate as to whether online service providers should be required to contribute to the costs of deployments of network infrastructure to achieve the objectives of the 2030 European Digital Decade. The panel will discuss potential implications on EU existing regulation such as net neutrality and competition as well as in IP interconnection.

In order to deploy new telecoms infrastructure (such as FTTH and 5G) quickly and in a cost-effective manner, various new forms of doing business have emerged (sharing access and infrastructure, co-investments and co-location models, involving PE funds, separating network and services or creating TowerCos or FiberCos). These models raise a myriad of questions and challenges both from a regulatory and an antitrust/state aid perspective and is being very closed looked at in the European Union and all around the world (see the upcoming Connectivity Infrastructure Act in the European Union or the recent T-Mobile/O2/CETIN decision by the European Commission). This panel 
will dig deep into these issues and discuss their implications for telecoms companies.

This expert panel will review the interplay between telecoms, antitrust and data rules in the newly emerging new worlds of the metaverse, ‘internet of things’ and artificial intelligence. It will discuss and debate key questions including: 

•    What is the role of telecommunications regulations in this space?
•    What is the connection between data protection and competition law rules in the world of big tech?
•    Is the cartel prohibition applicable in the metaverse?