BRUSSELS: European Union lawmakers and member states have clinched an informal deal on a law that enables incumbent telecoms operators to be deregulated if they co-invest with rivals, several sources told Reuters. One of the carrots held out to telecoms operators was that of lighter-touch regulation if they co-invested with rivals in new networks. The draft deal defines co-investment models as "co-ownership of network assets or long-term risk sharing through co-financing or through purchase agreements." "If you are trying to finance a risky investment, purchase commitments of a certain type ... can move the cursor in terms of de-risking the investment," said one person who negotiated the compromise. The Parliament had initially baulked at the inclusion of purchase agreements as co-investment types, fearing this could harm competition, but gave way when stricter conditions were set on what types of purchase agreements could benefit from softer regulation.

Source: Economic Times May 28, 2018 10:39 UTC