Berec, which represents the EU’s national regulators, called for a sharper definition of telecoms services in an era where there is a blurry line with OTT offerings.

The EU body argues “the definition of ECS [Electronic Communication Services] should be clarified and/or reconsidered in order to ensure that it keeps pace with current technological development, that it is future proof and is still the correct foundation that determines which services are regulated under the ECN/S framework.”

The comments, which come from a report on OTT adopted by Berec, indicate the current EU regulatory framework is not clear on what is covered, with interpretation left to national regulators.

The situation becomes more important as OTT services evolve which, Berec predicts, will make ECS definition more difficult to interpret. A lack of clarity means different conclusions can de drawn about whether an OTT service is in the framework or not.

Some existing services, such as OTT voice that can make outgoing and receive incoming calls from the public network, fall under the definition more easily than emerging services.

The EU body also adopted a report on enabling the Internet of Things (IoT). Both the OTT and IoT reports followed consultation in late 2015. Both will serve as Berec inputs into the EC’s review of the regulatory framework for electronic communication.

In addition, Berec adopted guidance for regulators and operators on the new international roaming rules introduced last year, as well as an analysis of the wholesale roaming market.