Category Archives: Policy and Regulation

Europe, European Commission, Neelie Kroes, News & Analysis, Policy and Regulation, regulation

European Commission to reform mobile cloud services regulations – report

The EC is looking to create a level playing field in how telcos and mobile cloud service providers are regulated

The EC is looking to create a level playing field in how telcos and mobile cloud service providers are regulated

The European Commission is considering plans to reform how mobile cloud service providers, also know as Over The Top (OTT) companies, are regulated, according to reports from the FT.

Draft documents unveiled by the commission indicate that initiative to create a level playing field between the telecoms industry, cable operators and mobile cloud services like Whatsapp and Skype has long since been forgotten.

According to the Commission, telcos are currently being forced to compete with OTT services “without being subject to the same regulatory regime”, and that it intends to create a “fair and future-proof regulatory environment for all services”.

One of the main directives of the digital single market proposals advocated by the commission relates to the roll-out of superfast broadband infrastructure across the continent. With traditional revenue streams for telcos, such as calls and messaging, on the decline, operators frequently point the finger at OTT services for enabling free and wide-reaching services.

As a consequence, operators claim a lack of incentive when it comes to investing in overhauling  increasingly depreciated copper network infrastructure, particularly around the last mile.

That said, telcos remain hesitant to give its competitors free access to high-speed broadband infrastructure if it isn’t able to suitably monetise the service, which is where net neutrality enters the picture. Aside from the ongoing debate raging in the US of late, net neutrality formed one of the cornerstones of Neelie Kroes’ digital single market proposals, along with the abolishment of consumer roaming fees.

Last month, Telecoms.com reported that the European Union’s Telecoms Council effectively conceded that a U-turn on its net neutrality ambitions was on the cards. There has yet to be an update on whether the open-letter signed by more than 100 MEPs has convinced the Council to steer clear of paid prioritisation of any kind.

It is believed the commission intends to unveil its new digital single market strategy on the 6th May.

AWS, data privacy, data protection, EU, Infrastructure as a Service, News & Analysis, Policy and Regulation

EU data protection authorities rubber-stamp AWS’ data processing agreement

EU data protection authorities have rubber-stamped AWS' data protection practices

EU data protection authorities have rubber-stamped AWS’ data protection practices

The group of European Union data protection authorities, known as the Article 29 Working Party (WP29), has approved AWS’ Data Processing Agreement, which the company said would help reassure customers it applies high standard of security and privacy in handling their data, whether moved inside or out of the EU.

Amazon said its inclusion of standardised model clauses within its customer contracts, and the WP29’s signoff of its contract, should help give customers more confidence in how it treats their data.

“The security, privacy, and protection of our customer’s data is our number one priority,” said Werner Vogels, chief technology officer, Amazon.

“Providing customers a DPA that has been approved by the EU data protection authorities is another way in which we are giving them assurances that they will receive the highest levels of data protection from AWS. We have spent a lot of time building tools, like security controls and encryption, to give customers the ability to protect their infrastructure and content.”

“We will always strive to provide the highest level of data security for AWS customers in the EU and around the world,” he added.

AWS already boasts a number of highly regulated clients in the US and Europe, and has made strides to appease the security and data-sovereignty-conscious customers. The company has certified to ISO 27001, SOC 1, 2, 3 and PCI DSS Level 1, is approved to provide its services to a number of banks in Europe, and is working with the CIA to build a massive private cloud platform.

More recently AWS added another EU availability zone based in Franfkurt; it operates one in Dublin.

The rubber-stamping seems to have come as welcome news to some European members of parliament, which have for the past few years been actively working on data protection reform in the region.

“The EU has the highest data protection standards in the world and it is very important that European citizens’ data is protected,” said Antanas Guoga, Member of the European Parliament.

“I believe that the Article 29 Working Party decision to approve the data proceeding agreement put forward by Amazon Web Services is a step forward to the right direction. I am pleased to see that AWS puts an emphasis on the protection of European customer data. I hope this decision will also help to drive further innovation in the cloud computing sector across the EU,” Guoga added.