This process culminated in 1998 with the full liberalisation of services and infrastructures. Second, harmonisation of the European market . Common rules are needed to create a unified EU-wide telecoms market. Third, application of EU competition rules to liberalised segments of the telecoms market . The aim is to prevent collusive agreements or abuse of dominant position, and to prevent the creation of dominant positions.
Competition keeps intensifying, leading to lower prices, more choice and better quality of service.
Liberalisation also has a positive impact on incumbent operators, turning them into innovative companies that expand internationally. We have achieved a lot, but much remains to be done to create a level-playing field for all competitors. This is particularly the case in local communications, which are still largely dominated by former monopolies. Furthermore, the EU telecoms market remains fragmented along national lines. This was illustrated by incoherence in the licensing process for third-generation mobile services.