Further institutional steps by the State to reduce the cost of investments by telecommunications providers and completely abolish the special fee on pay-TV and mobile are considered necessary by the general director of the Greek Mobile Operators Association, George Stefanopoulos.
Although he acknowledges the progress that has been made, Stefanopoulos in his interview with “N” referred to the above – as well as to the need to harmonize the country with international limits on electromagnetic emissions from antenna systems – in order for Greece to move to the next level of technological progress.
The general director of the Association also referred to how the telecommunications market is affected by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and more generally to the challenges regarding modern technologies at the European Union level.
Asked about his estimates on the course of the telecoms market and the challenges for Greece, he replied: The progress that has been made is significant, as the investments of providers in fiber optic and 5G networks ensure the achievement of the Digital Decade goals by 2030. Especially in relation to 5G networks, Greece is, for the first time in the last 2-3 years, in the top ten countries in Europe in terms of quality indicators (DESI indicators and OOKLA measurements).
The Greek government has recognized the strategic importance of fiber optics and 5G and this choice is expected to be the sufficient and necessary condition that will lead the country to the next level of technological progress and to the further improvement of digital services for businesses and citizens.
The development of digital tools for the licensing of antenna systems, fiber optic routes and successful initiatives to boost demand for broadband services (e.g. gigabit voucher) are some of the steps that have been taken.
Also, a milestone is the creation of the digital information system e-transit of the Ministry of Digital Governance in collaboration with the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE), which covers all stages of the start-up of new fiber optic routes.
Asked how the telecommunications market was affected by Artificial Intelligence, he said: Machine learning and AI technologies have existed in Telecommunications for decades, they are nothing new.
However, today Artificial Intelligence concerns every information system and its upgrade as well as all areas in which mobile communications providers operate, from design to the creation of new ecosystems.
Today, special importance must be given to communications and connectivity networks, in terms of implementing services based on the new digital reality. That is, on the one hand, the ability to serve additional traffic at a local and territorial level and on the other hand, the management of cybersecurity issues in the EU.
Specifically, I am referring to the monitoring of malicious practices on the Internet to limit and suppress fraud practices or other practices of misinformation and information management in a malicious manner.
Networks will be crucial because the routing of traffic that will result from the use of AI software will be implemented on them. And it is a given that the demand for Data will have a constantly increasing trend, however, it is not yet certain that network infrastructures will be able to satisfy this demand.
In reply to a question about the challenges for European telecommunications companies, he said that “we are in a new era in international relations in which the geopolitical approach has a dominant position. International relations and alliances between countries are being reexamined and traditional alliances are being tested.”
At the recent MWC (Mobile World Congress) conference, which was held in Barcelona (March 3-6) with the main message “Putting Europe back in the fast lane”, Artificial Intelligence was at the center of discussions as a major challenge for telecommunications service providers and as a necessary condition for the development of networks in Europe.
Telecommunications providers need AI and Artificial Intelligence needs telecommunications networks. At the same time, they are positioning themselves as solution providers for data security and in this context, Europe must act quickly in order to strengthen its competitiveness.
The development of AI is an opportunity for Europe to achieve not only the promotion of innovation but also the optimization of network efficiency, data security and the best service for users.
The digital future will not wait for us, it is a continuous race and it is important for Europe to lead this race.
It is necessary to accelerate the implementation of the new regulatory framework in the European Union, which includes the new European law on data and the regulation of markets more broadly, in the logic of the proposals and the roadmap proposed in the report “The Future of Europe’s Competitiveness” (September 2024), by the former governor of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi and the corresponding one by the former Prime Minister of Italy, Enrico Letta (“Much more than a market”, April 2024).
Simplifying regulations, reducing reporting on ESG issues and bureaucracy, reducing licensing and taxation costs, as well as strengthening innovation funding for the development of digital services, are critical parameters for the Europe of the future.
