How to leverage 5G and what to do for fairer competition in the sector are some of the topics covered in the new book by Fulvio Sarzana, "Comunicazioni elettroniche europee".
Those who want to deepen their knowledge about 5G and many other challenges for providers can read the book by Fulvio Sarzana, founder and managing partner of Sarzana and Partners Law Firm.
The lawyer and entrepreneur, expert in telecommunications, is co-author with Federico Marini Balestri, of the book "European Electronic Communications. Directive (EU) 2018-1972. 5G, fiber, cybersecurity, competition and user protection".
We reached out to him to get some insights into the book. Here's what he revealed to us.
Why 5G is an Opportunity
The book is addressed to both those who do business in the telecommunications sector, but also to those interested in learning more about certain phenomena and their impact on everyone's life, such as the 5G, one of the topics addressed in the text:
"5G will enable a whole range of services that we do not have today. Thanks to technology, we will be able to fully exploit the potential of the Internet of Things, and at the same time it will be easier to facilitate the digitalization of certain services, such as surgery, and more generally telemedicine," explains Sarzana.
On the health risks of 5G, which has been discussed and is being discussed in the press and on social media, the author says he is not very concerned:
"Italian regulations on emissions are among the strictest in Europe. Our system protects citizens, and health issues will not arise in any way if the power limits currently provided by our laws are maintained."
On competition and Over the Top
Among the topics addressed by the book is also the need to new regulations to be adopted towards the so-called Over the Top:
The issue of the relationship with Over the Top is not comprehensively addressed by the code. We think of all those free services, such as browsers, that are excluded from contractual protections for consumers. This lack of regulations, on one hand, diminishes consumer rights, and on the other hand, creates entry barriers for telecom operators who are required to comply with various regulatory rules.
In addition to completing the regulatory framework, Sarzana discusses the need to reduce operational costs, working on lowering administrative taxes for SMEs in the telecommunications sector:
The burdens should never go beyond what is fair. Only the reduction of costs, such as those for permits, usage licenses…, will lead to a real increase in sector competition. In addition to a simplification,
less bureaucracy means more services and more competition».
The lever of diversification
At the end of the interview, Sarzana makes an appeal to small telecom operators, to take advantage of new technological developments and use them to diversify their services:
"Small and medium operators have the advantage, compared to top players, of knowing the needs of citizens and territories. And they should use this knowledge to create new services, leveraging new technologies, such as Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and blockchain», concludes Sarzana.
