news2_1 28/02/2014 12:56 Page 5
MONITOR
Cable Europe: Lighter
regulatory regime required
able Europe has welcomed
moves by the European Union to
create an integrated single digital and telecoms market, but warned
that the new legislation should complement and not overturn the existing regulatory framework.
In a statement, Cable Europe noted that
European Heads of States have given their
green light for EU action in support of the digital economy to create an integrated single
digital and telecoms market. “It is the first
time that the digital economy has been
brought to the highest level of European decision making and this is applauded by Cable
Europe,” said executive chairman Matthias
Kurth.
“To support a booming European digital
economy, there is a need for a continuous flow
C
All change at Com
Hem helm
Swedish cable MSO Com
Hem has appointed Anders
Nilsson as CEO and Jon
James as COO. Nilsson
replaces Tomas Franzen,
whose departure was previously
announced.
Nilsson has
significant
experience of
the Swedish
media sector,
having spent
20 years with
the Modern
Times Group,
including as
CEO of the
Swedish Free
and Pay TV and the Online
Business divisions. He joins
from Millicom, the international telecommunications
and media company, where
he was EVP of Commerce and
Services.
James was most recently at
Virgin Media where he led the
company’s Broadband and TV
8 Cable Media
of investments in to underlying broadband
infrastructure. A number of network providers
have emerged over the last fifteen years competing for customers and supplying broadband connectivity to the
benefit of the whole economy at
large,” he observed.
“We are committed investors in
our networks that we upgrade in
anticipation of our customers’
needs. Cable companies have
recently launched 500 Mbps services and further upgrades of the
networks to deliver ultra fast
speeds are yet to come, pushing competitors to
react. The continued growth of 8.4 per cent in
cable broadband subscribers tells us that the
demand for connectivity is healthy – and on an
upward growth trajectory.”
businesses following a period
as group strategy director. He
brings 20 years of experience
in the media and telecoms
industry, both in terms of
operations and strategy.
The appointments of
Nilsson and James mark the
second and third senior
appointments at
Com Hem in less
than a few months,
following Andrew
Barron’s appointment, who joined as
executive chairman
in December 2013
from his position of
COO at Virgin
Media.
Barron described
the pair as “very )