Vodafone Group

Vodafone welcomes the Commission's ambition to enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of the European digital landscape through simplifying and streamlining digital regulation, via the Digital Omnibus proposal. Resilient and modern connectivity infrastructure, underpinned by strong, safe networks, is a fundamental enabler of this boost for Europe's digital future.

Vodafone welcomes the opportunity to provide comments to the European Commission in the context of its forthcoming Digital Simplification package (Digital Omnibus) building on our responses to the public consultations on the Data Union Strategy, Apply AI Strategy and review of the Cybersecurity Act, as well as our various contributions in anticipation of the Digital Networks Act.

The review of EU Public Procurement directives is an opportunity to use the EUs considerable public sector purchasing power (c. 2-2.5 trillion Euros per year) to drive forward EU strategic security, social and economic policy objectives. Vodafone supports giving greater weight to non-price criteria in bid assessments (especially network and information security and sovereignty).

Vodafone welcomes the European Commissions proposal to establish a harmonised framework for the award of the 2 GHz Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) band. A clear, predictable and investment-friendly regulatory framework is essential to accelerate deployment, support innovation and strengthen the EUs strategic autonomy in satellite communications.

Vodafones response sets out where we support the Commissions proposal for a Digital Networks Act, while also identifying specific areas that should be further developed to strengthen the framework through the legislative process. We recognise the proposal as an important step towards reducing fragmentation, improving legal certainty and supporting investment in Europes digital infrastructure.

To unlock the full potential of the EUs digital single market for its citizens, a comprehensive and ambitious modernisation of the EUs telecoms regulations is essential. The DNA should stimulate innovation, investment and harmonisation across the EU.

Use of open source based products improves vendor diversity and can contribute to European digital sovereignty in multiple ways. For most public sector and sovereignty sensitive organisations this means commercially provided services based on open source. CIOs need a way to evaluate the sovereignty benefits of open source-based solutions.

Vodafone welcome the opportunity to respond to the European Commission Roadmap Inception Impact Assessment (IIA) on the proposal for a legal act of the European Parliament and council laying down the requirements for AI to operate within the single market.

Vodafone welcomes the opportunity to comment on the revision of the Cyber Security Act and sees this exercise as an opportunity to drive forward much needed simplification of cybersecurity regulation impacting the digital services sector. We support a much larger role for ENISA in simplifying rules of the currently fragmented and overly complex cybersecurity landscape.

Addictive platform design features such as autoplay, constant scroll and algorithmic recommender systems are driving societal harms, in particular for children, for example through excessive screen time, dissemination of harmful material, radicalisation and extremism.

Vodafone welcomes the publication of the Inception Impact Assessment on the EU Data Act and strongly support the key objectives of this file to harness the power of data to achieve the objectives of the European Green Deal, EU Recovery Plan and Digital Decade. If we get this right, enhanced sharing and reuse of data could unlock significant economic and societal benefits for Europe.

Vodafone calls for a Connectivity Union to secure Europe's digital ambitions.The EU faces a unique set of challenges for its digital ambitions: i) a large investment gap jeopardising the EU's digital transformation, ii) the lack of a Single Market and the associated scale benefits - due to the fragmentation of rules between Member States and within different parts of the digital ecosystem, iii) an innovation by…

Vodafone welcomes the publication of the Data Governance Act. As set out in our response to the overall EU Data Strategy, Vodafone wholeheartedly supports the objective of the European Commission to encourage data sharing and reuse and thereby unlock the latent value of data. Our detailed comments are attached.

Vodafone welcome the publication of the European Commission Roadmap Inception Impact Assessment on the legislative framework for the governance of common European data spaces. As set out in our response to the EU Data Strategy, Vodafone wholeheartedly supports the objective of the European Commission to encourage data sharing and reuse and thereby unlock the latent value of data.

Vodafone welcomes the publication of the European Commission roadmap/Inception Impact Assessment: Ex ante regulatory instrument for large online platforms with significant network effects acting as gate-keepers in the European Union’s internal market.

Vodafone welcomes the European Commissions initiative to create a Quantum Act and supports the ambition to position Europe as a global leader in quantum technologies. The Quantum Act is highly relevant for the connectivity sector, as quantum technologies will underpin the next generation of secure, high-capacity communications networks.

Vodafone welcomes the European Commission’s attempt to achieve a higher level of harmonisation and consistency with other legal instruments in its revised Directive on Security of Network and Information Systems (NIS2). Full feedback in the accompanying attachment.

The EUs Digital Decade vision and its 2030 targets are essential for Europes digital transformation. While these goals are ambitious and set the benchmark for progress, robust and targeted support for the telecoms sector is crucial. Current barriers, including regulatory complexity and a persistent digital skills gap, risk leaving Europe behind globally.

Vodafone welcomes the Commissions initiative to streamline defence and sensitive security procurement and to enable agile joint purchasing while strengthening the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB). Done right, simplification can reduce time to contract, open opportunities for innovative EU suppliers (including SMEs), and improve interoperability across borders.

Vodafone welcomes the ambition and aspirations set out in the Commission’s proposed ‘Path to the Digital Decade’ plan, which will help translate the EUʼs digital ambitions for 2030, into action. We attach a short feedback contribution to the Policy Programme proposal.

• Data from European telecommunication companies’ networks can provide valuable insights to assist governments in times of crisis • We wish to help authorities to better predict the impact of public policy decisions and thereby improve the delivery of public services across the Single Market • We wish to work on a reasonable and legitimate framework that is key to protect and empower citizens, and governments Please…

We welcome the ECs efforts to review its competition framework. Europe needs a shift in competition policy that enables European companies to innovate, invest, scale up and improve competitiveness (as per Draghi and the Competitiveness Compass). But the guidelines review is not enough. A comprehensive review of the merger framework is needed, including the Merger Regulation and Remedies Notice.

Vodafone welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Commissions work on strengthening the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base and improving the functioning of the Defence Single Market. As a major provider of secure electronic communications networks and services across Europe, Vodafone operates critical digital infrastructure that is increasingly relevant to defence, security, and resilience…