Ulf Pehrsson, Vice President Government & Industry Relations at Ericsson, says that the problem is that the regulatory framework in the EU does not sufficiently promote broadband investments.

“Europe is good at mobile broadband but is falling behind North America and Asia when it comes to fiber deployments,” he says. “One of the main reasons for this is that the regulatory conditions are unfavorable for fiber investments. Unless we have an investment-friendly regulatory framework, there will not be major investments in fiber.”

Pehrsson hopes the seminar will increase understanding among governments and regulators about the regulatory conditions that are beneficial to achieve broadband for all. “They’ll get the market and technology perspectives and also our views on what is the best regulatory framework to drive investments in broadband,” he says.

About 50 government representatives and regulators from 25 countries will attend the seminar. Also attending are representatives from the Swedish government, which will  take over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union next month. “I think their participation has helped to increase the attractiveness of the event because there is curiosity about Sweden’s plans for the EU presidency, starting the week after the seminar,” Pehrsson says. “Hopefully, the Swedish presidency will be able to move the agenda forward when it comes to conditions for broadband deployment in Europe.”

Issues to be discussed include the latest developments in mobile broadband, as well as infrastructure sharing as a possible model to achieve broadband for all.

Participants from countries in Asia, Africa and Latin & North America will also attend. “They are interested in hearing Ericsson’s perspective on this issue,” Pehrsson says. “They know we are a global leader in telecoms and have a lot to contribute in this area.”