BRUSSELS – Serafino Abate joined the ETNO team as the new Regulatory Affairs Manager from Ofcom, the UK regulator. He will coordinate the work of ETNO and present the association’s position in areas such as economic regulation, spectrum, external trade, research and innovation, as well as tax issues.

“Serafino’s experience of the telecoms sector and of EU regulation implementation, as well as its past experience of cooperation with national regulators and EU institutions, will represent a major asset for ETNO and further strengthen our presence in the EU policy and regulatory debates”, says Daniel Pataki, ETNO Director.

“I am pleased to join ETNO and have the opportunity to work with its members at a crucial stage in Europe’s development of next generation access infrastructure and put my many years of experience as a regulator in Ofcom to good use”, says Serafino Abate, ETNO Regulatory Affairs Manager.

From 2006 to 2012, Serafino Abate was Competition Policy Manager at Ofcom where he has been leading major market reviews in areas such as fixed access, mobile, broadcasting and radio. He has also been advising UK and EU authorities on mergers and acquisitions in the ICT sector, and worked in close cooperation with other European regulators, through the European body of regulators. Serafino has also spent one year as a Principal Advisor on Spectrum Markets for Ofcom.

Prior to joining Ofcom, Serafino worked as a consultant for Ovum both in London and Buenos Aires. He has also been a member of the European Association of Competition Economists and a guest lecturer at the European Institute’s Florence School of Regulation.

Serafino Abate, an Italian national, graduated in Political Economics from Florence University and holds a Master of Science in Economics from the University of Bristol.

For more information, please contact: Thierry Dieu, ETNO Director for Communications and Public Policy Tel: (32-2) 219 32 42 Fax: (32-2) 219 64 12 E-mail: dieu@etno.be

ETNO’s 37 member companies and 12 observers from Europe and beyond represent a significant part of total ICT activity in Europe. They account for an aggregate annual turnover of more than €600 billion and employ over 1.6 million people. ETNO companies are the main drivers of broadband and are committed to its continual growth in Europe.