Demand and investment climate determine broadband investments

March 4, 2013

“EETT is committed to the competitive development of the Greek telecommunications market”,
stated Dr. Leonidas Kanellos, President of the Hellenic Regulatory Authority and the Body of
European Regulators (BEREC) during the inauguration of the first Greek Pavilion at the Mobile World
Congress 2013. As he stated during the conference, held last week in Barcelona, Spain “it should be
well-noted that the high-tech applications are considered to be a primary sector of Greece’s
economy, along with agriculture, shipping and tourism. Thus, we should strongly support it as a
significant driver for the economic recovery not only for Greece but for Europe, in general.”

During meetings with the Vice-President of the European Commission and European Commissioner
for Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes, GSMA Chairman, Franco Bernab?, and the founder of the MIT Media
Lab, Professor Nicholas Negroponte, Dr. L. Kanellos noted that “achieving a challenging balance
between attracting investments and increasing competition is crucial for the development of Next
Generation Access Networks.”

Dr. L. Kanellos added that “beyond a flexible regulatory framework, there are other factors
that affect investments such as market and sector attractiveness, the demand for new services and
expected return on investment.”

BEREC and the European Commission are already working in this direction as they prepare a
draft recommendation on the imposing of regulatory obligations of non-discrimination treatment and
cost accounting practices for European providers. The view of BEREC on the draft recommendation
will be finalized at the Plenary Meeting to be held in Slovenia within this week.