The CEOs of Europe’s big four telcos, Vodafone, Telefonica, Orange and Deutsche Telekom, joined forces in a MWC 2024 keynote – calling for substantial regulatory change and relaxation across Europe. That may seem like the latest chapter in a perennial saga, but this time the four seem almost more desperate in their pleas, arguing that capital markets were running out of patience over funding their respective 5G roll outs. Their argument is that, without change, Europe would fall further behind major markets such as the USA, China, Japan, South Korea, and even potentially India, over not just the basic roll out but enhancement of networks with the latest AI related capabilities. We have heard such calls frequently before, including at…