(2004/C 33 E/111)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1377/03

by Jaime Valdivielso de Cué (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(7 April 2003)

Subject:   Deterioration of mobile telephone services

The last 12 months have seen a considerable rise in the number of people using multimedia mobile telephones capable of receiving and sending images and videos and of surfing and downloading internet programmes.

However, mobile telephone transmission networks designed to carry voice signals have not been replaced by UMTS networks appropriate to transmissions of this kind, nor have they been substantially reinforced: in fact, there has been a drastic cutback in investment in the network.

The result is that the networks are so saturated that the general quality of service is falling, a fact which is specifically affecting the launching and reliability of the new multimedia terminals.

What plans does the Commission have to put an end to this situation, and within what time frame?

How are users to be protected from the general deterioration of quality service, which is affecting the new multimedia services in particular?

How are consumers to be compensated for having paid for a service which it then turns out they can scarcely get the benefit of?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(21 May 2003)

The Commission is not aware of a general network saturation or reduction of the quality of mobile services.

As the mobile operators are grappling with the economic slowdown since 2000, and trying to roll out third generation mobile communications (3G) networks and services, new data services are offered via an upgrade of existing access platforms, such as Generalised Packet Radio Service (GPRS). Quite naturally, such innovative services experience initial difficulties (e.g. interoperability) which according to the observation of the Commission operators are addressing with high priority.

It is the Commission's policy to encourage network deployment, including the eEurope Action Plan, where all Member States have been asked to put in place a comprehensive broadband strategy by the end of 2003. In its Communication ‘Electronic Communications: the Road to the Knowledge Economy’ (1), the Commission presented a number of actions addressing both the roll-out of broadband and 3G networks and services. The Commission will report at the end of 2003 on the state of deployment of 3G networks, and provide clarifications on issues of network infrastructure sharing.

In the end, it is for the mobile operators to finance their upgrading of existing, and future, networks, and guarantee the quality of service of their networks. The success of mobile services leads to limited situations of locally high usage density (e.g. in so-called hot spots or at certain times of the day). The availability of the network services is a key feature for operators to compete on. The Commission is therefore confident that the possibility for customers to change a service provider in case of degrading or poor service quality is a strong incentive for operators to upgrade their networks in accordance with the demand and the network load, even more so as the unavailability of services would result in lost revenues.

The Commission has not been made aware of a generalised dissatisfaction of customers concerning the quality of service of 2G services. If the case may be, the question of compensating consumers falls under the contractual relation between the consumer and the service provider.

(1)  COM(2003) 65 final.