Telefonica said it is the only operator so far to join the European Cyber Security Organisation, a newly formed body which aims to improve collaboration on security issues.

ECSO has more than 130 members, including large companies, research centres, business associations, public administrations and users of technology. It was set up in June.

Pedro Pablo Perez Garcia, the operator’s global security managing director and CEO of ElevenPaths, its unit specialising in the development of cyber security solutions, and Cristina Vela, senior adviser at the Telefonica Office in Brussels, will represent the company.

“We have to move on from isolated security solutions focused on asset protection to solutions capable of analysing the information of devices, networks, technological equipment and users, combining it with external intelligence on vulnerabilities, threats and other agents,” said Perez.

The key, he argued, is promoting better trust between industry and governments of member states. Within this, the role of the cPPP is vital, he added.

The cPPP is the contractual Public Private Partnership between the EC and companies in the cyber security sector, which aims to trigger €1.8 billion of research spend into security matters by 2020.

Security and fighting cyber crime has been identified as a key tenet of the EU’s Digital Single Market Strategy.