European Commissioner Viviane Reding contends that European nations should accelerate their transition from analog television broadcasting to digital and institute a secure framework for mobile payments. Speaking in Brussels, Reding outlined her vision for the next five years, emphasizing a series of telecom reform initiatives. "I call on E.U. governments not to wait until 2012, the deadline for the [digital] switchover," she said, noting that the transition promises to free up spectrum for services like mobile broadband. "They should bring these benefits to citizens now."
In addition to a more expansive mobile payments ecosystem, Reding contends that the European Commission should create a simple legal framework to make it easier for consumers to access digital content, as well as open up the digital economy for smaller businesses by means of an EU-based cloud computing system. She also challenged enterprises to make more efficient use of digital technologies to reduce their carbon footprint, advocating executives turn to videoconferencing instead of air travel.
