BRUSSELS – ETNO, the European Telecommunications Network Operators Association, and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) agreed today to engage on a research project that will advance knowledge in the area of telecoms and IT related business strategy and policy development.

“The new agreement signed today with the London School of Economics and Political Science will enable ETNO to benefit from world class independent academic research on key issues for the future of the sector, such as network investments and the sustainability of the internet model. We are confident that this work will directly contribute to the policy making process and hence, the Digital Agenda for Europe”, says Luigi Gambardella, ETNO Executive Board Chairman.

Dr. Jonathan Liebenau from LSE’s Department of Management said :“We are delighted by the opportunity that this research arrangement with ETNO provides.  It will give us unprecedented access to commercial and policy material, business cases and extensive information exchange with industry leaders.  We will also be able to connect our research with the latest trends in the industry and apply new ideas from the social studies of information and communication technologies.  We are excited that our research will make a direct contribution to the European Union policy-making community.”

Broadband investment, network management and the future of the internet in the face of rapidly increasing data traffic will be among the main topics of research conducted by LSE.

As part of this cooperation agreement, ETNO and LSE will organise regular briefings and workshops on telecoms regulation and publish a white paper on telecoms regulation.

For more information, please contact:

For LSE: Sue Windebank, LSE Senior Press Officer T: + 44 (0) 207 955 7060 E: s.windebank@lse.ac.uk

For ETNO: Thierry Dieu, ETNO Communications Manager Tel:    (32-2) 219 32 42 Fax:  (32-2) 219 64 12 E-mail: dieu@etno.be

About LSE: The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) studies the social sciences in their broadest sense, with an academic profile spanning a wide range of disciplines, from economics, politics and law, to sociology, information systems and accounting and finance.

The School has an outstanding reputation for academic excellence and is one of the most international universities in the world. Its study of social, economic and political problems focuses on the different perspectives and experiences of most countries. From its foundation LSE has aimed to be a laboratory of the social sciences, a place where ideas are developed, analysed, evaluated and disseminated around the globe. Visit http://www.lse.ac.uk for more information.

About ETNO: ETNO’s 40 member companies from 35 European countries represent a significant part of total ICT activity in Europe. They account for an aggregate annual turnover of more than €250 billion and employ over one million people across Europe. ETNO companies are the main drivers of broadband and are committed to its continual growth in Europe.