The Agency for Communication Networks and Services of the Republic of Slovenia hereby informs the public that the Director of the Agency, Mr. Marko Mišmaš attended the annual WIK Conference in Brussels. The conference is one of Europe's most important expert platforms, bringing together regulators, representatives of European institutions, industry and academia. It is dedicated to discussing the challenges of digital transformation, the regulation of electronic communications and the future of telecommunications networks.
During the two-day programme, participants discussed current European legislative initiatives such as the Digital Markets Act, the Digital Services Act, the Data Act and preparations for the implementation of the Gigabit Infrastructure Act. Special attention was also paid to the future of mobile markets, the implementation of the European Digital Decade objectives and ensuring the competitiveness of the European digital space in a global environment.
The Agency's Director, Mr. Marko Mišmaš spoke at the panel discussion "Options for regulating access in the fibre environment". The participants focused on the future of access regulation as the European market transitions from traditional copper to modern fibre networks. The panel focused on whether the existing regulatory framework based on the concept of SMP is still appropriate, how to accelerate the de-coupling of copper networks and what the long-term vision for regulation should be in an all-fibre connectivity environment.
The current regulatory framework has enabled sustainable competition and encouraged efficient investment in high-speed connectivity. Ex-ante regulation, both asymmetric and symmetric, remains relevant for the national markets of most Member States going forward, the Agency's Director pointed out. The current framework already allows for deregulation where appropriate and its removal could harm markets. Maintaining predictable access rules supports competition and provides the necessary predictability. However, when it comes to copper switch-off, regulators and policy makers need to work together to ensure that copper switch-off is not only a technical success, but also a social success, where every citizen gets better connectivity.
"Regulators and policy makers must work together to make the switch-off of copper networks not only a technical success, but also a social success, where every citizen will gain better connectivity", stressed Marko Mišmaš on this occasion.
He spoke at the event in a dual role, as Director of the Agency and as the incoming BEREC President for 2026.
