Web players must help fund networks says new GSMA chief
Franco Bernabe says over-the-top firms have to be "part of the equation" in serving common customers
Published: 11 March, 2011
READ MORE: Europe | Mobile Content
Mobile operators have been arguing for some time that if over-the-top providers are going to take home much of the revenue from the mobile data boom, they should also help invest in the networks to support it. Franco Bernabe, former CEO of Telecom Italia and now the new head of the operator club, the GSMA, has joined the call, saying it is time to review the way networks are funded.
In an interview with Mobile World Live, he commented: "I think that we should address the question… something has to be done", adding that "if the over-the-top players want to serve their customers with high quality services, I think they have to be part of the equation in serving our customers … our common customers."
He had made similar comments when heading up Telecom Italia, one of the large European operators which has formed an unofficial grouping to fight against the loss of the cellcos' business to Google and co. In his previous role, he was more focused on encouraging carriers to cooperate more fully, not just by sharing investments in infrastructure but by creating common platforms that would have broad developer and consumer appeal, such as the Wholesale Applications Community or NFC-based payment services. The European clique, which also includes Orange, Vodafone and T-Mobile, is also understood to be lobbying the EU to investigate antitrust issues at Google and Apple more aggressively.
Bernabe also wants applications developers to take a greater share of responsibility for delivering high quality services. He called on content providers to create apps that use the network efficiently, which could reduce consumer fees as flat rate pricing goes into decline - and also reduce the charges that many carriers want to impose on content partners for a superior experience. O2 UK recently said it could use LTE to create a "toll road", on which content firms would pay a premium to deliver the best QoE.
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