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Quote:

Originally Posted by David-A (Post 21456182)

What is speculative about their business model? Other than the funding and upgrading of the mast networks?

Given the structure of the market (multiple operators in each country, with strong internal competition on the mainstay business, and a valuable revenue stream from roaming) it is clear why market forces would not have achieved a good deal for the consumer without capping, everything was stacked against a roaming specialist operator.

Neelie Kroes (I am proud to say, a countryman of mine) has been quite active within the EU, often opposing the interests of big business. She was, for example, a big opponent of Microsoft several years ago.

IAC, she (http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/kroes/) sees the current telecom (and ICT) situation in Europe as fractured and a problem, not for consumers, but for businesses. In fact, the major reason for the single telecom zone, in her view (http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release...-13-693_en.htm) is part of a larger ICT plan to provide more economic benefits to EU countries.

It is her hope that the single telecom zone, as well as other reforms, will come ASAP, meaning, I believe, 2014.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Palal (Post 21431389)

Just like there should be a single financial system (why do I need a fiscal number in each country?), just like there should be a single visa system (why does each country need to maintain an embassy abroad?), etc.

The union might get to this eventually. The US took a few decades to become a federation. The EU is going that route, but there is quite a bit of opposition, as states are afraid to lose their sovereignty.

Sovereign issues are one thing, but the real issue is jobs. The large banks in the major EU countries each employ hundreds of thousands of people. If the EU totally opened things up for mergers and acquisitions one of the results would be that new multi-national retail banks would naturally not need so many workers. And millions would be out of work across the EU. So it is kind of a social program the way it exists today.

That plus the recent banking crisis shows us that super banks that are "too big to fail" are a very bad thing. So count me amongst the people who think that this will not get done eventually. Not in our lifetimes at least.