As an expert in finances, what was your impression of the submitted project proposals?
In general, I would say it was surprisingly easy to reach a consensus on the finalists amongst jury members. So, I believe that quality really shines through and is recognised fairly quickly. Then, I would note that quite a few projects are driven by personal engagement with regard to implementation, coordination, convincing authorities and marketing. So you can have very impressive results with regard to community-type projects. But we have also seen a larger number of larger scale projects which are run for profit.
How do you see this going forward?
I firmly believe that the quality of business models will improve further in the future. This relates to learning curve effects in all areas but - maybe most importantly - to strong demand trends. Broadband has become a cross-sector theme and is no longer seen as a "triple-play"-type story. This will attract even more interest from various stakeholders, last but not least financial investors.
What do you expect on the EU level?
The objective to manage the transition to Gigabit networks (i.e., networks that can deliver a minimum of 100 Mbps and are upgradeable to Gigabit speeds) clearly points to the right direction. We need to see how this will translate in proper legislation and regulation, so that especially wholesale-only business models can thrive. This is especially true for rural areas which should not be left behind. We now see potential additions to the policy toolbox. In this context it is essential to infrastructure competition is always the superior model to drive network investments, but this is an unsuitable approach in rural areas where de-risked wholesale-only networks seem to be the way forward.
About Thomas Langer
Thomas Langer founded Langer Consulting in August 2012. Since then, he has provided consultancy services to the FTTH Council Europe and other institutions. Previously, Thomas was Head of the WestLB Tech & Telco Equity Research team at WestLB. He was a top 3 ranked European analyst for technology hardware in 2009 and 2011 by Starmine. During his time at university he worked as a consultant for Kienbaum Unternehmensberatung. Thomas holds a degree in Business Administration („Dipl.-Kfm “) from the University of Cologne and a Master in Accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics. He is a Certified European Financial Analyst (CEFA) and Infrastructure Investment-Advisor (EBS/BAI).
The European Broadband Awards 2016
More than 60 projects have applied for the European Broadband Award 2016. The finalists are announced on the Broadband Europe website. The winners of the European Broadband Awards 2016 (one per category) will be announced and awarded by Günther Oettinger, Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, on 14th November at the Award Ceremony of the "B-DAY: Going Giga" conference. Please register and consult the agenda of the event for further details.