Proposed Digital Networks Act and Chips Act 2.0 Target EU Tech Sovereignty
The European Commission’s proposal is aiming to unlock continental scale, accelerate fiber transition, and restrict high-risk suppliers.
BARCELONA, March 4, 2026 — The European Commission’s proposed Digital Networks Act would create a unified regulatory framework for telecommunications across the European Union, aiming to reduce fragmentation and scale infrastructure investment across the bloc, a senior commission official said Tuesday at the Mobile World Congress here.
Broadband Breakfast
Henna Virkkunen, executive vice president technology sovereignty, security and democracy at the European Commission, said the legislation was designed to complete Europe’s digital single market by replacing nationally fragmented telecom rules with a single rulebook. The commission is the executive arm of the European Union.
As a member of the European Commission, Virkkunen is one of 27 members of the commission. She is Finland’s representative to the body (each EU member state has one member on the European executive), and effectively responsible for technology and telecom policy.
The proposal would introduce a “single passport” authorization system allowing providers to operate across EU member states under one regulatory framework, reducing administrative barriers that currently limit cross-border expansion. It would also seek to harmonize spectrum management, which today varies by country in licensing terms, timing, and technical conditions.
Virkkunen said those differences in authorization regimes and spectrum assignments have constrained scale and slowed deployment of advanced networks. The new framework aims to align those systems to accelerate investment in next-generation fixed, mobile, and satellite infrastructure.
The legislation would also establish an EU-level authorization regime for satellite networks with harmonized spectrum access and update fixed-network rules to support the transition from legacy copper lines to fiber-based systems.
Resilience and de-risking
Virkkunen linked the Digital Networks Act to a broader resilience strategy following recent cyber incidents and geopolitical disruptions affecting European connectivity infrastructure.
Under a revised Cybersecurity Act and an accompanying EU Preparedness Plan, the Commission would introduce mandatory de-risking requirements for key information and communications technology assets – including core network equipment, cloud systems, and data center hardware - across mobile, fixed, and satellite networks.
The framework would include restrictions on high-risk suppliers from countries identified as posing cybersecurity concerns, along with a streamlined certification regime intended to ensure products meet common security standards before deployment.
Tech sovereignty package
The Digital Networks Act is part of a broader Tech Sovereignty Package organized around four priorities: Semiconductors, cloud infrastructure, open-source software, and quantum technologies.
A proposed Chips Act 2.0 would aim to strengthen semiconductor supply chains, address workforce gaps, and support long-term manufacturing investment within the EU. A forthcoming Cloud and AI Development Act would expand data center capacity to handle artificial intelligence workloads and large-scale digital services.
An updated open source strategy would focus on reinforcing software independence, while a Quantum Act expected later this year would support research and deployment in quantum computing and secure communications.
Fragmented national implementation and regulatory “gold-plating” have constrained economies of scale within the European Union, and the new measures aim to ease those bottlenecks.
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