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Prysmian S.p.A.

Prysmian Group

World leader in the industry of high-technology cables and systems for energy and telecommunications, Prysmian provides customers worldwide with superior cable solutions based on state-of-the-art technology and consistent excellence in execution, ultimately delivering sustainable growth and profit

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Anthony Whelan (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen)

19 Oct 2021 · To discuss the role of fibre optic producers in accelerating the EU’s green and digital transition.

Response to Europe’s digital decade: 2030 digital targets

9 Mar 2021

Prysmian believes that the roadmap is appropriate and covers the relevant topics. At a high level the Prysmian would note the primacy of having appropriate infrastructures in place – VHCN in fixed and 5G/6G in mobile. Without appropriate infrastructures in place it becomes impossible to deliver the other aspects being identified in the roadmap. It is also agreed that “The vision must be accompanied by specific instruments to deliver it for the benefit of EU citizens, leaving no territory and no individual behind. Such ambition requires setting concrete digital targets in cooperation with Member States and based on strong principles, and a system to monitor progress towards the objectives of the Digital Decade.” and the Prysmian note that while it is of course necessary for the market and private investors to deliver mass market connectivity – it must also be noted that (a) certain high cost and hard to reach areas in Europe can require public funds to deliver connectivity so that all citizens can avail of the economic but also societal benefits of such connectivity but also (b) that certain Member States, through poor transposition or poor enforcement are getting much poorer outcomes from a network connectivity perspective than other Member States. Prysmian believes that this monitoring exercise can intervene directly in the first instance and highlight concerns about performance in the second. For instance, the benefits of the digital decade will be uneven if one of the large Member States falls behind the others. Other objectives including the greening of the European economy is intrinsically linked to the availability of VHCN networks both fixed and mobile. In the first instance VHCN networks (FTTH/B and 5G) use significantly less energy. The question of measurement is an important one. Prysmian notes with concern the highlighted investment gap frequently cited between Europe and the US in terms of network investment– this is a matter of concern because the Prysmian can see that in terms of VHCN availability, Europe significantly outperforms the US market as a measure of homes passed or homes connected. In mobile, while the US cites greater 5G availability, it is also the case that many European mobile operators outperform their American cousins on the basis of their 4G networks. A good example is the ongoing consultation on the Broadband Cost Reduction Directive (BCRD). A much more effective BCRD should lower the cost of network deployment (it ought to also improve the environmental profile of new network deployment). Measured on ‘investment value’ a good BCRD would lower European cost of deployment and therefore performance if measured as value spent. On the other hand the quality of the fibre put in the network is important. High quality materials are needed to ensure a long lifetime of the network (reducing maintenance and replacement costs). Materials that are reliable, futureproof, cheaper to deploy, safer and sustainable. For example Europe might consider to specify that the fiber must be reduced diameter G657A.2. Also Prysmian believes to build future proof networks: (a) Building a very dense and ubiquitous optical network: install as many as possible fibers in the available space. (b) Optimise the Total Cost of Ownership: reduce the installation costs by using components that are easier and faster to install. (c) Build it in a sustainable way: reduce the carbon footprint of the construction and use less invasive components. (d) Optimise the digital security. (e) Chose components that are of high quality and enable the technology scale-up of the future: Use components that will minimize service disruption, and that are ready for the technological evolution of the next 20 years. As far as the cables and systems are concerned, the European should incentivize the following features: (a) High fiber density in the overall cable cross-section (b) Short transportation distances and (c) Use of recycled raw materials.
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Meeting with Anthony Whelan (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen)

10 Dec 2020 · Innovation in building the correct fibre infrastructures to support 5G and future digital developments; importance of sustainability, energy efficiency, of different fixed and wireless technologiesin setting policy objectives for networks

Meeting with Alina-Stefania Ujupan (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager)

13 Oct 2020 · To discuss European telecoms markets

Meeting with Anthony Whelan (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen)

1 Oct 2020 · EU optical fibre market, fibre networks & sustainability, need to focus on energy-efficient fibre rather than download speed, unfair international trading conditions.