Pallete: "The 'telcos' are the most deflationary sector in Europe" | Technology
The president of Telefónica, José María Alvarez-Pallete, has today demanded regulatory changes that allow the sustainability of the industry. In the inaugural speech of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) of Barcelona, the executive said that telecommunications is the most deflationary sector in Europe. In addition, he has called on European governments to distribute the spectrum rationally and for longer.
In this sense, Pallete has expressed his desire that the new European Commission and Parliament, as well as the new governments that come out of the polls, make the establishment of a fair regulatory framework for all a priority.
"Our sector has become a essential part of people's lives what makes us a very relevant sector ", said Pallete, who has defended the fundamental role that connectivity plays in the new data economy when traffic on networks will grow exponentially with the explosion of new technologies and services. "All these services will be possible thanks to the telecommunications infrastructure propping up the digital world. The technology is amazing but the connectivity is impressive, "he explained.
With respect to regulation, the president of Telefónica has raised whether anywhere in the theory of competition it is said that a mobile operator is necessary for every million inhabitants in Europe. In this case, it has indicated that a new and more courageous regulatory framework is necessary for the upcoming deployment of 5G networks that will require large investments by operators.
The executive has also referred to one of the issues that he has most dealt with in recent years: the transparent use of data by the sector and society. In his opinion, data can be a powerful source of social welfare, insisting that in the new data economy, people need confidence, know how to use the data they generate and be able to exercise control over them.
In addition, Álvarez-Pallete called for a new digital constitution that defines the fundamental rights of citizens in the digital world. "We believe that the use of data should be transparent and guided by firm values and ethics," he said.
Pallete has presented the first data portability specification among operators: Data Portability Cooperation. The executive recalled that it is a working group led by the GSMA and that integrate large European telecommunications operators such as Deutsche Telekom, Orange and Telefonica. The group, established a year ago, collaborates in the definition of a common standard of data portability that facilitates that users can take their data, as it is contemplated in the new European Regulation of Data Protection (GDPR for its acronym in English) which came into force in May of last year.
The executive explained that the members of the group agree that this process of portability should safeguard the privacy and security of personal data while guaranteeing users control over them. But at the same time, it must allow companies to take advantage of the potential provided by the future data economy while always respecting the rights of citizens over their data.
Finally, the president of Telefónica stressed that there is no better country than Spain to host the MWC or better city than Barcelona. In the midst of the political tensions that are returning to live in Catalonia, the director has praised the Ciudad Condal as a world center of technology and innovation and as the best prepared to face the technological future. "Telefónica is firmly committed to turning this city into a European center in the field of fifth-generation technology," he said.
