September 2016

	Welcome to THE POST, our new monthly rendez-vous. In it, you will find talk of regulation (a lot) and digital affairs (everywhere). Architect and guardian of internet, fixed and mobile telecoms and postal networks in France, through its actions Arcep continues to be a passionate contributor to the wider movement of the digital revolution. - Sébastien Soriano, Arcep Chairman

REGULATION IN ACTION

Data-driven regulation: the regulator's new tool
Data-driven regulation means harnessing the power of information to steer the market in the right direction. Arcep already makes a host of data publicly available through its observatories, but it wants to take things one step further. QoS scorecards for mobile services, for instance, must closely match users' experience to allow them to compare operators. Quality as an argument for investing in the networks, looking beyond just price-based competition.
On the agenda: open data, crowdsourcing, online hotlines.
Contribute to the work being done today, to help forge these tools of alliance with the "multitude":
- a call for partnerships, ending on 30 September, was issued to companies capable of providing crowdsourcing solutions that would be useful for regulation. Submit a proposal, and spread the word.
- a public consultation on enhancing the mobile network coverage maps that Arcep publishes is open until 3 October.

Find out more

TOMORROW BY THE NUMBERS

This is the number of satellites that Elon Musk wants to send into low earth orbit (below 2,000 km) to provide global Wi-Fi connectivity. His main competitor, OneWeb, says that around 900 satellites would suffice. (Source)

In the spotlight

Isabelle Kocher, CEO of Engie
How digital technology is radically altering the nature of energy infrastructures. #digitalrevolution #uberisation #IoT #platform
Her interview in Les Echos

NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

MySpeed, the Indian regulator's crowdsourcing application
Measure 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi connection speeds in real time? Already a reality in India thanks to the application rolled out by the country's telecoms regulator, TRAI, this summer. All of the tests performed by users are aggregated on the regulator's portal, which then provides a complete snapshot of the quality of mobile services across the country.

Arcep LIKES

The Pikachu theorem

... or when the explosion in mobile traffic rewards operators' investments.
"More than 10% of the French population fell under the spell of Pikachu and his fellow monsters this summer. Between 5 and 10 million French people walked for hours, their eyes riveted to their smartphone and the augmented reality application that reveals any little creatures in their immediate vicinity. This pastime consumes a phenomenal amount of data, and has created a host of converts to the mobile internet,"reports Philippe Escande, journalist at Le Monde.
"Let's call it the Pikachu theorem," he concludes: a nice turn of phrase that reminds us that traffic remains the key driving force behind the virtuous circle advocated by Arcep, between investment, coverage/quality of service and monetisation.

WELL SAID

"We cannot be in a perpetual state of conflict; and it is entirely in operators' interest to get on board."

Patrick CHAIZE, president of AVICCA, senator for the Ain and mayor of Vonnas (source)

MEANWHILE IN BRUSSELS

Changes to the EU telecoms framework
The current regulatory framework for telecommunications in Europe is based on directives adopted in 2002 and 2009. To adapt to rapid and ongoing developments in the sector, the European Commission has just published a complete review of the legislation, with two major objectives in mind:

- connectivity: give regulators and the sector's stakeholders the tools they need to meet Europe's increasingly ambitious fixed and mobile coverage targets, in a way that benefits both the economy and digital society;

- innovation: ensure the regulatory framework keeps pace with the rapid development of communication technologies (5G, the Internet of Things, OTT).

It is now up to the European Parliament and Council to examine these proposals and discuss them. European NRAs will take part in this debate, notably through BEREC (Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications), of which Arcep will be Chair in 2017.

Find out more

Arcep, telling it like it is

"On 30 August the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) published its guidelines on net neutrality. A great leap forward for the open internet! Thanks to this clear roadmap, NRAs have the basis to enforce the European regulation in a consistent fashion in each Member State.
2015 was a very busy year. As soon as the European regulation was adopted in November, European NRAs, including Arcep, began the work of interpreting it and translating it into regulatory actions. Some 15 meetings - in Brussels, The Hague, London and Riga - and lengthy discussions proved necessary. Listening to stakeholders and civilian voices was a vital stage in the process. Two workshops were held: one in December 2015 at the European level, and another in May 2016 at the national level in France. In June, BEREC then held a wide-reaching public consultation which garnered an unprecedented response, receiving a record 500,000 contributions! The contributions that were analysed over four weeks helped to draft the guidelines that were published a few days ago."

Thibaud Furette

Head of the "Open Internet" Unit

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Stakeholder Forum - 17 October 2016 - Brussels

Hosted every year by BEREC (Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications), the next Stakeholder Forum will be devoted to the review of the EU regulatory framework for telecommunications. Arcep, which is managing this year's event, plans on addressing the topics of connectivity and the digital environment. EU Commissioner for Digital Economy, Gunther Oettinger, and several telco CEOs will be on hand.
Find out more

27 September 2016 in Brussels
FT-Etno Summit

Sébastien Soriano, Chairman of Arcep and BEREC Chair in 2017, will deliver the closing keynote for this one-day conference
Find out more

27 September 2016 in Paris
Les Rencontres du CSA

French Broadcasting Authority, CSA, is hosting a one-day conference devoted to the topic of "Audiovisual media and digital: platforms and data".

29 September 2016 in Paris
Telco & Digital Forum 2016

"Back to growth," is the topic of this year's conference hosted by Les Echos. Arcep Chairman Sébastien Soriano will talk about: "Superfast broadband: better regulation for sounder investment".

From 1 October to 16 October 2016 across the whole of France
Innovation Week

Digital Innovation Week is coming to France. Start-ups, SMEs and business incubators will present their projects through workshops and conferences.