European Union Places Full Internet Access High on its Agenda

As of 20/09/2010, European Commission has adopted couple of complementary measures to facilitate the roll out and take up of fast and and ultra-fast broadband in EU . The aim of the measures is to provide regulatory certainty , to encourage investment in in high and ultra high speed networks and to ensure that spectrum is available for wireless broadband. The measures aim to help the EU realise the commitments in the digital agenda for Europe to give every European access to basic broadband by 2013 and fast and ultrafst broadband by 2020. Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission for the Digital Agenda said "Fast broadband is digital oxygen, essential for Europe's prosperity and well-being. These measures will help to ensure that Europeans get the first-class internet they expect and deserve,so that they can access the content and services they want".
On average, 94% of Europeans had high-speed broadband access by the end of 2009, but that proportion fell to 80% in rural areas.
The Commission believes that fast and ultra-fast broadband could revolutionise people's lives in the same way that railways did 100 years ago, with applications not just for jobs and businesses, but for health and education as well.
This measure is in response of the Asian competition that benefits of much higher speed internet connection and which puts at disadvantage the European Business and customers..
For example, only 1% of consumers in Europe have a high-speed fibre connection in their homes compared to 12% of Japanese and 15% of South Koreans.
The Commission estimates that between €180 and €270 billion of investment is needed in order to meet the 2020 broadband targets.
However, a recent study shows that, assuming a constant adoption rate up to 2015, broadband development will help create around 1 million jobs in Europe and a broadband-related growth of economic activity of € 850 billion between 2006 and 2015.
The impact on European industry is clearly positive: apart from civil work for networks which has a direct impact on local employment, sales of network equipment will also benefit global European suppliers (like Siemens, Ericsson, Nokia, Alcatel-Lucent), as well as telecoms or satellite operators. And areas with advanced broadband connections will see an increase in demand for products and services.

Sources :
http://ec.europa.eu/
http://www.cellular-news.com