Telefónica advocates for a "global alliance" in the 'telco' sector and rejects "abusive positioning"

LLOBREGAT HOSPITAL (BARCELONA), 26 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The president of Telefónica, José María Álvarez-Pallete, has advocated for a "global alliance" in the telecommunications sector to achieve a "sustainable and beneficial" value chain for all actors in the system and has rejected "abusive positioning" , while emphasizing its commitment to a new regulatory framework and the "responsible use of shared resources."

"It is time for a global alliance and fair governance to achieve a sustainable and beneficial value chain for all," said Telefónica's 'first sword' in the opening speech of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024.

"It is time for collaboration, not abusive positioning. It is time to make responsible use of shared resources. It is time for a new regulatory landscape. We need 21st century regulation. It is time to say goodbye to old regulatory models ", has added.

The president of Telefónica has thus appealed to the demand of the main European telecommunications companies regarding the 'fair share', a measure that they request in view of the large investments in networks that will be necessary in the coming years to face the rise of different technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), and that pits the large companies in the sector against the main technology companies, such as Amazon, Meta, Netflix, Google, Apple or Microsoft.

"Currently, six players consume more than 50% of the network capacity. It is essential that we encourage them to make responsible use of network capacity and energy consumption. We have to motivate them to make responsible use of the network," Álvarez-Pallete highlighted in his speech.

The manager has also highlighted that there are currently 47 companies in the telecommunications sector that participate in Open Gateway, the initiative led by the GSMA - the global association of the mobile industry - to open up the potential of the network's capabilities. of telecos in an interoperable and programmable way through open and standardized APIs (application programming interface).

The initiative, launched at last year's MWC, thus has a total of 239 networks that represent around 65% of global mobile connections.

"A year ago we shared a vision for the industry, for the future of our sector, a massive revolution for a new era, the era of Earth Computing, in which networks are becoming proactive and liquid," he stressed.

In this context, he has emphasized that models focused on APIs are already "essential" and has highlighted that six countries (Spain, Brazil, Germany, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and South Africa) have launched their first APIs with the joint commitment of the most relevant operators in each territory.

In addition, he stressed that in 40 networks at least one API has already been commercially launched to address needs such as increasing security, controlling cameras or drones to detect anomalies or improving security to help banks combat fraud. .

"Collaboration embodies the power of what can be done when we come together. And that's what the GSMA is doing. That's Open Gateway. And I'm proud to be a member of the GSMA. Vision and reality merge in a new world of diversity , curiosity, intelligence, innovation, progress, sustainability, well-being and humanity. We are proud of what we have created," stated the president of Telefónica.

The manager has also taken the opportunity to remember that Telefónica turns 100 years old in 2024. "A company only turns one hundred years old if it has the purpose of serving society and adapts to continue achieving it, as is the case of Telefónica. The fact "The fact that several companies in our sector are centuries old is proof of this. We are a relevant sector because we care about people," he remarked.