European Telecom CEOs Demand Urgent Digital Reform From EU

CEOs of Europe’s leading mobile operators and manufacturers jointly addressed a letter to the EU’s President, Ursula von der Leyen, urging the European Commission to take more decisive, faster action to restore Europe’s digital and economic competitiveness.

The letter highlights the critical role digital connectivity plays in society and the economy. It stresses that reform of market and regulatory conditions through the upcoming Digital Networks Act (DNA) and merger guidelines review cannot be delayed or diluted.

“Nearly a year has passed since your Commission was formed with the aim of restoring Europe’s competitiveness,” the CEOs write in a joint letter to President von der Leyen.

"Digitalisation and connectivity play a crucial role in this regard... We welcome your very necessary drive for reform, but we fear that when it comes to digital policy, it might be lost to resistance against change.”

The letter warns that Europe’s digital standing has slipped, citing lower economic growth, security vulnerabilities and slowed innovation as consequences of fragmented policies.

“This is why the Digital Networks Act (DNA) is a crucial opportunity. Europe’s sovereignty, security and ability to protect its values rests on the Commission delivering against its promise of serious reform,” the letter states.

The CEOs emphasise that Europe risks losing further ground without a regulatory framework adapted to today’s competitive digital landscape.

The Digital Networks Act: An urgent opportunity for Europe’s digital future

The upcoming Digital Networks Act aims to overhaul the European Union’s telecommunications framework, shifting from the current directive-based system to a regulation applicable directly across all member states.

The Act seeks to address long-standing challenges, including the fragmentation of national markets, inconsistent spectrum management and insufficient support for next-generation digital infrastructure.

It proposes tighter cybersecurity standards and governance for critical infrastructure, such as submarine cables.

The Commission expects the DNA to accelerate fibre network rollout by setting deadlines for legacy network shutdowns and harmonising spectrum authorisation for 5G, 6G and satellite services.

It further aims to simplify reporting and dispute resolution mechanisms between telecom operators and large content providers, moving towards fairer network cost-sharing.

The EU’s telecommunications sector has faced pressure due to over-regulation and a lack of scale, with more than 100 mobile operators across 27 countries limiting investment potential.

The DNA intends to address the issue by supporting greater scale and streamlined regulatory regimes, enabling operators to compete more effectively against global players from the US and Asia.

Industry Leaders Call for Bold Commission Action on Regulation

The letter, co-signed by senior executives such as Timotheus Höttges of Deutsche Telekom, Orange Group's Christel Heydemann, Börje Ekholm from Ericsson, BT's Group's Allison Kirkby and Margherita Della Valle from Vodafone Group, highlights the significant investment European operators have already made.

Since 2015, mobile operators have invested more than €500 billion (US$580 billion) to deploy 5G networks, yet only 2% of Europeans use standalone 5G compared to 25% in the US and over 77% in China.

Without regulatory reform that recognises the link between scale and investment, “Europe’s industrial powerhouses, from automotive to fintech, may soon come to resemble houses of cards without the connectivity to explore, scale and exploit new services,” the CEOs warn.

The coalition stresses that a new regulatory framework should balance competition with the necessary conditions to encourage infrastructure investment, enable the integration of cloud and edge computing and secure high-quality digital networks capable of supporting innovations such as artificial intelligence and Industry 4.0.

They conclude the letter by urging the Commission to take decisive steps.

“Your rallying call to the Commission was a year ago; we are ready to support you and your College so the EU enters 2026 with a clear action plan for accelerating investment in Europe’s digital networks as the key facilitators of growth, security, innovation, resilience and competitiveness in Europe," it reads. “It is an opportunity that simply cannot be missed. Your Commission needs to act on this now.”

Full list of signatories

• Thomas Arnoldner, Deputy-CEO of A1 Telekom Austria Group
• Amel Kovačević, General Manager of BH Telecom
• Allison Kirkby, CEO of BT Group
• Robert Finnegan, Deputy Chairman of CK Hutchison Group Telecom
• Georgios Metzakis, Acting CEO of Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (CYTA)
• Timotheus Höttges, CEO of Deutsche Telekom AG
• Börje Ekholm, President and CEO of Ericsson
• Massimo Sarmi, Chairman and CEO of FiberCop
• Joost Farwerck, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Management of KPN
• Mike Fries, CEO of Liberty Global
• Ana Figueiredo, Chairman and CEO of MEO
• Justin Hotard, President and CEO of, Nokia Corporation
• Christel Heydemann, CEO of Orange Group
• Stijn Bijnens, CEO of Proximus Group

• Christoph Aeschlimann, CEO of Swisscom Ltd
• Michel Jumeau, CEO of TDC NET
• Marc Murtra Millar, Chairman and CEO of Telefónica S.A.
• Vladimir Lučić, CEO of Telekom Srbija
• Benedicte Schilbred Fasmer, President and CEO of Telenor Group
• Pietro Labriola, CEO and General Manager of TIM
• Margherita Della Valle, CEO of Vodafone Group
• Vivek Badrinath, Director General of GSMA
• Alessandro Gropelli, Director General of Connect Europe

The Digital Networks Act’s strategic role in EU Policy

The Digital Networks Act is part of the European Commission’s broader Digital Decade agenda and is considered fundamental to strengthening the EU’s digital sovereignty.

Moving from fragmented national markets towards an integrated single market for connectivity is a core objective.

The act aims to reduce regulatory burdens by up to 50%, streamline authorisation regimes and extend spectrum licence durations to increase investment certainty.

It further addresses asymmetries within the digital value chain by proposing “fair relationship” principles that require large content and cloud providers to negotiate fair prices with telecommunications operators.

They introduce enhanced dispute resolution mechanisms to ensure balanced commercial relations.

Beyond connectivity, the DNA supports adopting advanced network capabilities, such as network slicing and complements initiatives to foster a secure, innovation-friendly ecosystem for digital services across Europe.