Mobile Wireless Performance in the EU and the US: Implications for Policy

Abstract

As recently as five years ago, markets for mobile wireless services in Europe were performing on par with, or even better than, markets in the United States. Today, there is broad agreement that the EU has fallen behind in at least some dimensions, especially with respect to the deployment of next generation LTE networks. We assess the divergence in performance, analyze its causes, and suggest policy changes that would improve the performance of mobile wireless markets going forward. These include regulatory harmonization of spectrum management, achieving efficient levels of consolidation, and promoting investment and innovation through a focus on dynamic competition.

Keywords: spectrum management, performance, ecosystem, dynamic competition, wireless markets

JEL Classification: L01, L05, L04