Telecoms Europe debate

Reform proposals for telecoms in the EU have been debated by the European Parliament.

A vote on the proposals is planned for later in September, which could see changes like quicker mobile number porting, better data protection and the mandatory notification of security breaches - where operators will be obliged to inform customers if their personal data has been compromised.

The European Commission (EC) intends for the proposals to reinforce investment and competition, as well as creating a single EU market for telecoms.

It is hoped this will encourage both innovative cross-border services and fibre-broadband uptake.

"I applaud the Parliament's moves to encourage infrastructure competition on these 'next generation access' networks by proactively promoting the sharing of the ducts that house the new fibres and encouraging risk sharing of new facilities," said Viviane Reding, the EC telecoms commissioner.

"These efforts are welcome and are in line with a recommendation that I am currently preparing to give guidance for national regulators on these issues."

The EC first recommended changing the existing rules - which have been in place since 2003 - in November 2007.