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BRUSSELS – The European Commission issued a proposal to revise the EU’s RoHS Directive.

The proposal is expected to enter into force at the end of 2011 and links future assessment of substances under RoHS to the principles behind the EU’s REACH chemicals policy. It does not add any new substances to the restrictions list.

However, the proposal is said to fall short of achieving scientific and regulatory consistency, according to the European Brominated Flame Retardant Industry Panel. The proposal contradicts the EU’s existing chemicals policy by restricting use of the flame retardant Deca-BDE, despite an EU risk assessment concluding there is no need for any such restriction, says EBFRIP.

EBFRIP looks to the parliament and council to address this inconsistency during their consideration of the proposal in 2009 and 2010.

BOONTON, NJ – The worldwide telecommunications industry is expected to continue expanding during the next five years, as continuing growth of wireless services in emerging markets offsets the spending slowdown in the advanced economies, says Insight Research Corp.

Overall telecommunications services revenues are expected to grow at a compounded rate of nearly 10.3% during the next few years, reaching $2.7 trillion by 2013, says the firm.

“Wireless makes the strongest showing, while wireline follows a distant second. Nearly all of the growth in both sectors is expected to occur in broadband services, with wireless broadband service revenues expected to grow at a compounded rate of more than 70% over the forecast period, while wireline broadband services grow at under 10% over the same forecast horizon,” said president Robert Rosenberg.