VIDEO INTERVIEW: Anne Bouverot, director general of the GSMA, spoke to Mobile World Live about the challenges facing Europe’s mobile industry, including consolidation, investment and 5G.

According to Bouverot, consolidation is much needed in Europe, especially given that the region has over 100 operators, compared to just three in China and four major carriers in the US.

She believes the European Commission needs to have a “balanced assessment of consolidation and mergers taking into account consumer benefits such as quality of service and price – but not only price.”

“In the past we have looked too much at lower consumer pricing and not enough on investment, and the risk with such a way of looking at things is we end up with Europe covered in 3G, with no 4G. If we want more capacity, coverage and innovation, we definitely need investment,” she added.

She also said the digital and mobile sector is a key priority when it comes to investment for the European Commission and Parliament and discussed the two generation defining requirements of 5G – ultra low latency and fast download speeds.

The full video of the interview can be watched here.