The new telecoms reforms agreed by the EU last month will become law from tomorrow, 19th December 2009. They'll then need to be implemented by all 27 EU Member States (including the UK) within 18 months, which means they'll be in place by the end of June 2011.
We'll see a new Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) established in spring 2010 to help ensure fair competition and consistent regulation. The new laws that'll be introduced across Europe include:
the right to move fixed-line and mobile phone numbers to a new operator ('number portability') within 1 working day,
initial contracts restricted to a maximum 24 months with a 12-month option available,
better consumer information about service quality levels,
fair and impartial procedures regarding internet and telecoms services that respect the presumption of innocence and the right to privacy, and
consumer protection against personal data breaches and spam.
[EU press release]