Patrícia Silva Gonçalves elected to the BEREC Mini-Board

Patrícia Silva Gonçalves, the member of ANACOM's Board of Directors, was elected to the Mini-Board of the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) for 2024, as Vice-Chair.

The overarching objectives of the Mini-Board are to support the Chair of BEREC in fulfilling his duties, to discuss emerging issues in the telecommunications markets and to ensure the implementation of the work programme.

56th BEREC plenary meeting

The election for the Mini-Board took place during the 56th BEREC plenary meeting, which was held in Funchal (Madeira) on 5 and 6 October 2023. ANACOM was represented by the member of the Board of Directors, Patrícia Silva Gonçalves, by Pedro Ferreira and Rita Silva from the Foreign Affairs and Development Office, with the participation of Margarida Santos, co-chair of EWG Digital Markets of BEREC.

Patrícia Silva Gonçalves and Laure de La Raudière, Chair of the French regulator (ARCEP), were both elected Vice-Chairs of the Mini-Board, Robert Mourik, from the Irish regulator (ComReg), was elected Chair in 2025 and Vice-Chair in 2024 and 2026, succeeding Kostas Masselos (Greece), who will remain Vice-Chair in 2024. The non-voting participants representative elected to the 2024 Mini-board is Hrafnkell Gíslason, from the Icelandic regulator (ECOI). BEREC's Chair for 2024 will be Tonko Obuljen, Chair of the Croatian regulator (HAKOM), who was elected to the position by the BoR on 6 October 2022.

The representatives of the regulators also had the opportunity to discuss the reports on the implementation of the Open Internet regulation, the outcome of the public consultation on the BEREC guidelines for very high capacity networks and the sustainability indicators for electronic communications networks and services, among other matters. In addition, the plenary meeting laid the ground for future work by approving the public consultation of BEREC's work programme for 2024.

Regarding the Management Board (MB), the Co-Chairs of the Communications Expert Networking Group (ENG) shared information on the BEREC 2023 Communications Plan projects and the Chair of the BEREC Office Advisory Group (BAG) reported on the group's recent activities, briefly presenting the documents discussed by the BAG at its last meeting on 7 September 2023, along with the BAG's opinion on them. The procedure for appointing the new Director of the BEREC Office was also briefly mentioned.

The next BEREC Plenary Meeting is scheduled for 6 to 8 December 2023, in Poland.

Also on 6 October 2023, the 3rd IRG (Independent Regulators Group) General Assembly was held. A variety of topics were discussed and the most recent regulatory and political changes in the digital and telecommunications sectors examined.

In addition, members were elected to the IRG Board 2024 and the 2024 budget and multi-year financing structure were approved.

The Assembly also presented the events under the initiative IRG Capacity Building planned for 2023 and the IRG's proposed work programme for 2024. The next IRG General Assembly, to be held in Poland, is scheduled for 8 December 2023.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of ANACOM, João Cadete de Matos, speaks at the BEREC plenary meeting.

Patrícia Silva Gonçalves, member of ANACOM's Board of Directors (in the centre of the picture) elected as Vice-Chair
of the Mini-Board of BEREC.

ANACOM delegation at the 56th BEREC plenary meeting.

Quadrilateral summit - BEREC, EMERG, Regulatel, EaPeReg

The quadrilateral summit - BEREC, EMERG, Regulatel, EaPeReg - took place on 4 October 2023.

The debate centred on the challenges of international connectivity, bringing together members of BEREC, the Eastern Partnership Electronic Communications Regulators Network (EaPeReg), the Euro-Mediterranean Regulators Group (EMERG) and the Latin American Forum of Telecommunications Regulators (REGULATEL). The summit was also attended by representatives of the European Commission, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the US regulator (Federal Communications Commission - FCC).

The opening session was attended by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of ANACOM, João Cadete de Matos, as well as the Chairs of BEREC and REGULATEL.

During the summit, regulators discussed and shared experiences on future trends and challenges in the ever-changing landscape of international connectivity. More specifically, the debate focused on the ongoing need to effectively combine legal, technical and financial aspects, emphasising the importance of adopting a multi-stakeholder approach.

On the part of ANACOM, we highlight the participation of Filipe Prista Lucas, Head of the Access to the Market and Digital Gateway Team, from the Directorate-General for Information and Innovation, currently the leading drafter of an ongoing project to draw up a report on the regulatory framework for international connectivity of the BEREC Regulatory Framework Working Group whose preliminary conclusions were presented at the end of the panel on "Stories from around the world: use cases to achieve connectivity by satellite and submarine cables" and are expected to be published for consultation in December.

Taking into account the significance of submarine cable networks and satellite systems in establishing a sustainable digital future for all end-users, the regulators acknowledged that the electronic communications sector is experiencing significant transformations. These changes stem not only from technological advancements enabling increased interconnectivity but also from rising demands for extensive network capacity, broader coverage, high-speed connectivity, and a high-quality user experience - elements that are essential for building a globally connected digital society. In this context, different aspects and experiences of the role of satellites and submarine cables in achieving reliable, high-speed, redundant and global connectivity were discussed.

On BEREC's side, NCEC (the Ukrainian electronic communications authority) emphasized the crucial role of connectivity in emergency situations, especially in the context of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and highlighted the vital importance of the resilience and stability of electronic communications networks in ensuring people stay connected during times of crisis. BEREC recognised the NCEC's exemplary contribution in this field.

In conclusion to the summit discussion, regulators committed to collaborative efforts aimed at enhancing international connectivity using submarine cables and satellite systems, reiterating the crucial role of these technologies in fostering and implementing favourable and competitive conditions for the robust development of high-capacity networks aimed at ensuring reliable, accessible, and widespread connectivity across geographical borders, for both end-users and the industry. In this context, the summit presented a unique and valuable opportunity, uniting regulators from various geographical areas in a commitment to collaborate on research, innovation, and regulatory initiatives within their respective areas.

Presentation by Filipe Prista Lucas (ANACOM), as speaker, on panel 1 on "Stories from around the world:
use cases to achieve connectivity by satellite and submarine cables".

Participants at the BEREC-EaPeReg-EMERG-REGULATEL quadrilateral biennial summit

BEREC-EaPeReg-EMERG-REGULATEL quadrilateral biennial summit on 04.10.2023, in Funchal.

On the sidelines of these meetings, there was also a high-level bilateral meeting between ANACOM and its counterparts in Ukraine and Brazil, as well as bilateral technical meetings between ANACOM and its counterparts in Armenia and Georgia, as well as with the Chair of the EaPeReg.

ANACOM also had the opportunity to sign a bilateral cooperation agreementhttps://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=1757695with the National Commission for State Regulation of Electronic Communications, Radio Spectrum and Provision of Postal Services of Ukraine.

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