EU opens in-depth review of Swedish network access plan

On 29 October, the European Commission opened an in-depth investigation into Sweden’s proposed regulation of fixed-location wholesale network access. Hungarian network operators and infrastructure investors may find the reasoning instructive; we infer no change in Hungarian internet prices from the Swedish case.

According to the Commission’s announcement, Swedish regulator PTS assessed 63 local markets using a selection threshold of more than 5000 single-dwelling-unit connections. EU concerns include the exclusion of smaller markets and the justification of obligations. The draft cannot be adopted during the investigation; no final adverse ruling has been made.

For readers, the central distinction is between physical network availability and actual choice between providers. Even with many connections, the terms on which a competitor can access infrastructure remain a separate question. A numerical threshold is therefore only one element of market description: entry opportunities and the proportionality of obligations together make a regulatory plan meaningful.

Our article on the digital rulebook concerns a different EU process, while the supplier-switching proposal presents an interested organisation’s ideas. In the Swedish case, the next developments to watch are the Commission’s findings and any revised national draft; these will clarify which obligations remain.

For an investment plan, a separate sensitivity question is how network-use revenue may change with access conditions. Assessing that requires documentation for the specific local market.