Mobile phone industry asks EU for helpful laws

The arguments were made at a meeting in Brussels between the European Commission and 18 members of industry group GSM Europe.

Discussions focused on crucial industry issues, such as infrastructure sharing, spectrum management, licence conditions, network rollout, m-commerce, new services and applications, and also on the ways in which the Commission can help support the industry to launch future 3G networks and services.

The wireless industry's leaders said the Commission should:

• Recognise the adverse risk of inappropriate regulation and its over-spill on to new and innovative services, including 3G;
• With respect to environment, health and planning issues, urgently consult with Member States and industry to support the development of 3G services;
• With respect to the take up of mobile commerce, ensure that mobile operators can offer innovative m-commerce services for their subscribers without being hindered by inappropriate financial regulation, that does not take into account the issues specific to the mobile market, such as pre-pay;
• Support and encourage the use of national waivers under the E-money Directive to enable third party pre-paid micropayments; and
• Ensure that all providers of m-commerce services enjoy the same regulatory conditions, i.e. a harmonised implementation of what is known as the country of origin principle.

See: The Recommendations document

News agency Reuters today reports that China may be about to impose the strictest mobile phone radiation standards in the world. A current proposal, if passed, would see handset emission levels being capped at around half the level accepted in most countries. The total cost to handset makers and mobile network operators is being estimated in billions of dollars.