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By Tony Hallett, 30 November 1999 10:11

NEWS TMA 32 kicked-off in Brighton yesterday with several high-profile users criticising European suppliers of telecoms services for standing in the way of progress. Nick White, head of technology and telecoms at Unilever, and vice chairman of the International Telecoms Users Group (INTUG), lashed-out at what he considers an often uncompetitive market. "We've been promised competition for so many years, but how much have we benefited?" he asked. "Telecoms is unique for withholding developments for regulatory and commercial reasons." He cited under-resourced regulation, government over-taxation; through practices such as wireless spectrum auctions, and age-old arguments over interconnect costs and universal access, as barriers to cost-effective telecommunications services in the UK. In relation to telecoms markets around the world, he asked a largely European audience: "Can we afford the cost - or to be more precise, the price - we are being charged?" One of the solutions he alluded to is the increased usage of ecommerce when buying telecoms services, for example, asking suppliers to bid for your business. Vivienne Peters, American Express Service Europe director of regulatory affairs EMEA, and formerly of the UK Telecoms Users Association and Oftel, agreed ecommerce needs to be embraced. The Internet brings new distribution channels and better network efficiency, she said. Amex spends $1bn annually, or 15 per cent of its total expenses, on its corporate network, and she said the regulatory landscape must provide suppliers and users with what they need to move forward, insisting governments must refrain from over-regulating.