The Digital Networks Act: Building the connectivity infrastructure Europe needs for AI

Europe’s AI ambitions depend on the underlying infrastructure that will make them possible. AI fundamentally changes what we need from our networks. Can a hospital, a factory or a public administration actually use AI technologies securely and reliably? That’s where the real benefits of AI will make a difference.

The Digital Networks Act (DNA) is set to play a fundamental role in defining how Europe builds its AI-ready infrastructure. While the Commission proposal and the draft report from the Parliament’s Rapporteur, Michał Kobosko, provide necessary openings for investment, they also introduce regulatory risks that could decouple policy intent from the practical realities of modern digital deployment.

To secure Europe’s competitiveness and its role in the global AI race, there are three central aspects that require a strong policy stance: preventing unnecessary regulatory burdens, scaling infrastructure for AI, and modernising connectivity.

Clearly defining the scope of the DNA to avoid unnecessary regulatory burdens

The DNA must clearly distinguish between telecommunications infrastructure and the digital services that run over it. Policymakers should avoid extending obligations designed for telecom networks to enterprise applications, content delivery services or AI simply because they rely on connectivity. Doing so risks adding compliance costs without delivering the expected benefits for users.

This distinction matters for European businesses and public services. Business-to-business (B2B) services support industrial and public-sector digitisation and require a proportionate regulatory approach that reflects their functions, customers and performance needs. For example, a hospital using Webex for video consultations relies on both an internet connection and a collaboration application. The connectivity provider delivers network access; Webex enables the consultation through video, messaging and document sharing. These are complementary functions, and the obligations on each provider should reflect the service it actually delivers.

Policymakers should clearly define the scope of the DNA. Unnecessary requirements risk slowing modernisation and diverting resources from better services.
Diane Mievis

Policy makers should clearly define the scope of the DNA and ensure that enterprise digital services are not automatically subject to obligations designed for providers of public telecom networks. Unnecessary requirements risk slowing modernisation and diverting resources from better services.

In parallel, EU negotiators should pay attention to further simplifying the telecoms rulebook and removing outdated obligations, enabling operators to invest and grow across Europe. Both objectives serve the same purpose: making it easier to swiftly deploy and use the digital infrastructure Europe needs.

Scaling Europe’s AI infrastructure

Rapporteur Kobosko identifies that connectivity, computing, and AI no longer operate as independent domains. They form a single, integrated ecosystem. This shift aligns with real-world observations and expertise. This also means that Europe’s AI ambitions require more than just access to networks. They require secure data-centre connectivity and high-capacity wireless infrastructure.

However, the current proposal and draft amendments stop short of providing the actual investment incentives needed to move from ambition to deployment. While the focus on resilience-driven funding is welcome, this approach must be broadened, tying ambitions to the ongoing negotiations on the future multiannual framework (MFF), especially the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF). Resilience alone does not equal performance. AI does not just need any network; it requires massive throughput and ultra-low latency to move vast datasets between compute nodes and the edge.

To move from ambition to deployment, funding must shift from merely maintaining stability to actively incentivising the high-capacity foundations, such as fibre, optical transport, and edge compute, that make high-performance AI physically possible. Secure infrastructure deployment is not a passive outcome of policy. It is the result of focused incentives that account for the full connectivity landscape.

Effectively modernising and securing connectivity

For 6G, satellites and next-generation connectivity to be effective, they must evolve alongside a robust, unlicensed wireless ecosystem. The current draft shows promise in recognising that licensed and unlicensed spectrum (such as Wi-Fi) must be treated as complementary technologies.

For 6G, satellites and next-generation connectivity to be effective, they must evolve alongside a robust, unlicensed wireless ecosystem.
Diane Mievis

Prioritising Wi-Fi spectrum needs alongside 6G development is essential. A technology-neutral stance is exactly what European industry needs to deploy complex AI applications, such as real-time robotics or data-heavy health tech.

Furthermore, integrating supply chain and lifecycle security into the infrastructure conversation is vital, provided these measures are supported by consistent enforcement. Security can never be a “bolt-on” after deployment or a “once-and-done” job. It must be embedded into the entire infrastructure lifecycle. A single piece of outdated hardware can become the weak point that undermines an entire hospital network.

To mitigate this, Europe must effectively incentivise the replacement of legacy technology by linking funding eligibility to modern standards. This also means incorporating strong resilience criteria in mergers guidelines, new indicators on security of critical infrastructure in the revised targets of the Digital Decade, and a coherent approach across Europe’s cybersecurity landscape.

A clear path forward for European connectivity

The DNA is an opportunity to make it easier to build, modernise and use the networks Europe needs. Getting it right means reducing fragmentation, removing outdated obligations, and ensuring that the rules reflect the services being delivered.

Policy makers’ priorities should be practical: enabling better businesses and public services to adopt AI securely and reliably, supported by investment across fiber, mobile, Wi-Fi and cloud. We stand ready to work with policy makers and industry to make that possible.