Fibre networks will only be built in the UK with a more "certain" relationship between telecoms firms and the EU watchdog, it has been claimed.
Fibre broadband networks will only come about through an improved relationship between telecoms firms and EU regulators, O2 has warned.
According to the firm, the new super-fast services can only be built by O2 in the UK if there is more "certainty" to Europe-wide communications law, City AM reports.
Offering connection speeds of up to 100Mbps, fibre broadband offers vastly superior technology to the copper-wire or cable broadband connections currently used in the UK, which average at around 3Mbps. However, the cost of the new networks needed to carry the services - which would run into the tens of billions - has thus far prevented them from being built.
Matthew Key, chief executive of O2's parent company Telefonica Europe, commented: "There needs to be a degree of certainty in regulation - then we can invest more. As chief executive, I'm not going to write a cheque for billions if I don't know what the regulatory environment is going to be in three years."
The remarks were made at a time in which O2 and other telecoms firms are facing cuts to inter-network operator fees for mobile phones. These reductions have been demanded by the regulator, and have been strongly resisted by the network providers.
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