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EU telecoms regulation
歐盟電信規(guī)制
Kroes control
克洛伊持大局
The digital commissioner proposes a single market to speed up Europe
數(shù)字委員會(huì)提出單一市場來加速歐洲電信網(wǎng)絡(luò)
EUROPE wasn't always a digital laggard.
歐洲也不總是一個(gè)數(shù)字界落后者，
Its telecoms operators were far quicker than America's to build 3G mobile-telecoms networks.
就拿建立3G手機(jī)電信網(wǎng)絡(luò)來說，歐洲的電信營業(yè)商比美國的要快很多，
Nokia once made the world's coolest mobile phones.
且諾基亞也曾生產(chǎn)過世界最酷的手機(jī)。
But the old continent has fallen behind. Only a quarter of the European Union's people have access to new 4G networks, according to the European Commission.
只是古老的歐洲大陸還是落后了。據(jù)歐委會(huì)信息，歐盟內(nèi)僅有四分之一國民能使用4G網(wǎng)絡(luò)。
In America a single company, Verizon, reaches nine out of ten.
而美國的威瑞森電信，其電信網(wǎng)絡(luò)的覆蓋率達(dá)到十分之九。
South Korea's broadband speeds leave Europe standing.
韓國的寬帶速度也遠(yuǎn)超歐洲。
Apple and Samsung make today's palmfuls of desire.
蘋果，三星促使了今天人們對(duì)于網(wǎng)速的渴求。
Neelie Kroes, the commissioner overseeing Europe's digital agenda, thinks crisper connectivity would be a boon not just for the EU's telecoms industry and its consumers but for the union's entire economy, from transport to health care.
歐洲的數(shù)字議程由歐委會(huì)委員尼莉葉·克洛伊監(jiān)管著，她認(rèn)為較弱的連接不僅對(duì)歐盟電信行業(yè)和其使用者有好處，整個(gè)歐盟的經(jīng)濟(jì)，從運(yùn)輸?shù)结t(yī)療都能受益。
On September 11th Ms Kroes published a plan, in the shape of a draft regulation, to bring Europe up to speed.
9月11日，克洛伊女士以草案形式擬出一項(xiàng)提議來加速歐洲電信網(wǎng)絡(luò)，
The regulation is subject to approval by both the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers.
并得到了歐洲議會(huì)和部長理事會(huì)的認(rèn)可。
Ms Kroes proposes a single market in an industry that still runs on national lines.
克洛伊女士提議以服務(wù)國內(nèi)線路為主，在通信行業(yè)內(nèi)實(shí)行單一市場。
Plenty of operators serve several EU countries.
在歐洲，大量的電信運(yùn)行商同時(shí)為幾個(gè)歐盟國家服務(wù)，
But none operates in more than half of the 28 states, each of which has its own regulator and rules.
但是對(duì)于歐盟里，擁有自己規(guī)章制度的28個(gè)國家，沒有哪一個(gè)運(yùn)行商的客戶國超過一半。
The prices that network owners may charge competitors to rent copper wires vary by a factor of three.
網(wǎng)絡(luò)持有者對(duì)競爭者們網(wǎng)線收費(fèi)價(jià)格的變動(dòng)受三個(gè)因素的影響，
Spectrum prices for 4G vary by a factor of 50.
4G的光譜價(jià)格的變動(dòng)因素增加到4倍，
Retail prices differ widely too.
零售價(jià)格也大不相同。
Europeans pay extra to make calls to other EU countries or to use their phones abroad.
歐洲人打垮國電話或者在國外使用手機(jī)都會(huì)被收取額外費(fèi)用。
Many travellers turn off data roaming to avoid being stung.
許多游客會(huì)選擇關(guān)閉漫游以避免額外收費(fèi)。
The commissioner wants to make it easier for telecoms operators to enter new markets.
克洛伊希望能讓電信運(yùn)營商進(jìn)入新的市場變得簡單一點(diǎn)，
A license in one country should be good in all.
一個(gè)國家的許可證也能夠在他國通用。
Future allocations of spectrum should be standardised,to make a pan-European business easier to plan.
將來光譜的配給應(yīng)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)化，以使泛歐洲商業(yè)能簡單計(jì)劃，
Regulators should also facilitate sharing and trading of spectrum.
而監(jiān)管者也需幫助光譜的分享和交易。
But the idea is not to favour entry regardless of all else.
但是這個(gè)構(gòu)想不是偏好某一項(xiàng)而不顧其他。
To encourage investment in fast fibre-optic broadband,Ms Kroes recommends stabilising the prices that incumbent operators can charge entrants for renting older, slower copper wires.
為了鼓勵(lì)在以光導(dǎo)纖維為主體的快速寬帶的投資，克洛伊女士建議增加現(xiàn)有運(yùn)行商對(duì)新入網(wǎng)者在租用更老，更慢網(wǎng)線的費(fèi)用。
If fees are too low, entrants will undercut the whizzy new networks.
如果費(fèi)用過低，新入網(wǎng)者就會(huì)減少使用新網(wǎng)絡(luò)的人。
For consumers, the most eye-catching proposal is to scrap roaming fees, as Ms Kroes has long wanted to do.
對(duì)使用者而言，提議中最吸引眼球的就是免掉漫游費(fèi)，這也是克洛伊女士一直希望看到的。
Operators will be encouraged to allow them to roam like at home—paying nothing extra for data or calls when they are abroad.
運(yùn)營商受到鼓勵(lì)，允許那些游客像在國內(nèi)一樣使用網(wǎng)絡(luò)，不會(huì)因?yàn)槁位蛘呖鐕娫挾欢嗍召M(fèi)。
Companies with such deals will escape another rule, obliging them to let customers use another provider when they travel.
而采取了本項(xiàng)提議的公司也免除了另外一項(xiàng)制度，即使用者在旅游時(shí)不必更換運(yùn)營商。
Calls from home to other EU countries will be charged at domestic rates.
跨國電話也將按國內(nèi)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)收費(fèi)。
Ms Kroes also says she will protect net neutrality.
克洛伊女士還表示，她會(huì)保護(hù)網(wǎng)絡(luò)中立，
By this she means banning operators from blocking services, as some mobile firms do to internet voice calls, for example.
也就是說，禁止運(yùn)營商妨礙服務(wù)，就像有些手機(jī)公司對(duì)網(wǎng)絡(luò)語音通話所做的。
But she will allow operators to charge more for better service, such as higher speed.
但是對(duì)于更好地服務(wù)，運(yùn)營商可以收取更高費(fèi)用，例如，更快的網(wǎng)速。
This is also a thorny subject in America:
這也是美國電訊通信的一大痛：
lawyers for Verizon and the Federal Communications Commission, a regulator, had a preliminary skirmish in court this week.
本周，威瑞森電信的律師代表跟監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)，聯(lián)邦通信委員會(huì)在法庭發(fā)生小爭執(zhí)。
Consumers will doubtless be delighted at not having to fork out for checking e-mail or consulting online maps whenever they cross a border.
毫無疑問，使用者會(huì)很開心，無論什么時(shí)候出國查收e-mail或者翻閱網(wǎng)絡(luò)地圖，也不用付費(fèi)了。
Mobile operators are grumbling at that. Incumbent broadband firms should like the copper-price idea.
移動(dòng)運(yùn)營商卻是對(duì)此有些牢騷，而現(xiàn)有的寬帶公司應(yīng)該是喜歡銅線方案的。
Ms Kroes is right that Europe's telecoms markets are too fragmented.
對(duì)于歐洲電訊通信行業(yè)的碎片性，克洛伊女士的觀點(diǎn)很正確，
But pan-European licensing may not help much.
但是泛歐洲許可證并不能起很大作用。
Most operators and analysts think that mergers inside borders are a likelier route.
大部分運(yùn)營商和分析家認(rèn)為，更有可能實(shí)行國內(nèi)合并這一方案。
Several deals have been agreed or mooted in recent months, notably in Germany where, if regulators allow Telefónica of Spain to buy Dutch-owned e-Plus, the number of mobile operators will be reduced from four to three.
近幾個(gè)月來，一些觀點(diǎn)已經(jīng)獲得同意或者提出了，尤其是在德國，如果德國的監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)允許西班牙電信購買荷蘭持有的e,那么移動(dòng)運(yùn)營商的數(shù)目會(huì)有4減少到3。
In more concentrated markets Europe's operators would probably be more profitable.
在更加集中的市場，歐洲的運(yùn)營商很可能獲利，
That, they argue, would give them the incentive to build the infrastructure Europe's politicians demand.
有人分析說，這是因?yàn)樵谶@樣的市場氛圍里，運(yùn)營商會(huì)更加有動(dòng)力去建立基礎(chǔ)的歐洲政治家們的需求。
The snag is that this might mean higher prices, too: Americans may have faster networks, but they pay a lot more.
但問題是，這也意味著更高價(jià)格。美國人能擁有更快的網(wǎng)絡(luò)，但是他們支付的也更多，
On that, Europe's regulators are likely to be much less keen.
歐洲監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)不太可能喜歡這種方式。
