[cooperation-wg] BEREC seeking input on "Very High Capacity Networks”

Dear colleagues,

The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) has announced that it will launch the public consultation on the definition of "Very High Capacity Networks" earlier than planned. The consultation will be launched during a public debriefing, which will be held on 10 March in Brussels.

This work is related to the implementation of the new European Electronic Communications Code (EECC), which introduces the concept of "Very High Capacity Networks" (VHCNs) in relation to the use of fiber optic networks and connectivity via mobile networks.

The EU Directive 2018/1972, in article 82, instructs BEREC to issue a set of guidelines for the criteria that a network should fulfill to be classified as a VHCN, including in terms of down and uplink bandwidth, resilience, error-related parameters, and latency. This definition will then be used in other aspects of the directive, for example with respect to the building and licensing of those networks by commercial operators as well as in relation to public/private partnerships and co-investment options.

At this stage, the RIPE NCC does not plan to contribute to this consultation process, but we encourage you to evaluate whether you wish to contribute on your behalf. Of course, if there is community consensus within this group, we could submit a response in our role as secretariat on behalf of the RIPE community. Feel free to comment publicly on this list if you wish to share your views.

Please note that we recently contributed to a similar consultation on guidelines regarding the definition of adequate broadband access service, making the case that IPv6 should be an integral part of any Internet access service. You can find the text, along with the RIPE NCC’s other contributions to open consultations, on our website:
https://www.ripe.net/participate/internet-governance/multi-stakeholder-engagement/ripe-ncc-contributions-to-external-consultations/

More information on the upcoming consultation and public debriefing event are available on BEREC's website at:
https://www.berec.europa.eu/eng/news_and_publications/whats_new/6542-new-timeline-for-the-public-consultation-on-the-draft-berec-guidelines-on-very-high-capacity-networks

Please let us know if you have any questions or comments. 

Best regards,

Marco Hogewoning
RIPE NCC