Telecom investment in the EU started to grow again in 2012, despite a continued fall in revenues, according to the European Commission\'s latest report on the state of the industry and implementation of the EU regulatory framework, Telecompaper.com reported on July 22, 2014. Revenues fell 3.3 percent to EUR 323.6 billion ($ 435, 56 billion) in 2012 from EUR 334.7 billion in 2011, according to the latest figures available. Investment, excluding spectrum fees, rose 1.4 percent in 2012 to EUR 42.1 billion, after a rise of 6.9 percent in 2011. The strongest growth was in the UK (78.6%) and Ireland (92.1%).

Only seven EU states saw telecom revenue growth in 2012, most in Eastern Europe, while the other 21 experienced drops of 0.1 percent (Croatia) to 15.1 percent (Latvia).

The report highlighted the drop in mobile revenues in the EU since 2011, compared to strong growth over the same period in the US.

The report also confirmed that the EU is lagging behind the US in the roll-out of LTE networks, with only one EU state with 100 percent 4G coverage - Sweden. This may be due in part due to delays in releasing the 800 MHz band for mobile services.

In addition to an overview of the EU\'s progress, the report includes individual reports on the state of affairs in each EU country.