Competition and social objectives: The case of West German telecommunications

This article discusses the problems which arise if liberalization in telecommunications has to be brought about under strong equity constraints. It is shown that, under West Germany's political framework, the average consumer exerts a much larger influence on telecommunications policy than in, for example, the USa. Distributional concerns therefore play a major role in German telecommunications policy. A strategy is presented which satisfies these equity constraints. The main elements are: (a) to keep the monopoly on the network level; (b) to allow service competition; but (c) only under a regime of ‘harmonized tarrifs’.     

Reducing the number of missing links: Regional cooperation and telecommunications development in southern Africa

This article traces the roots, rationale and mechanics of joint telecommunications planning within the overall economic strategy pursued by the countries of southern Africa. The close links between telecommunications and transportation in the region are highlighted and the details of the region's integrated infrastructural development policies explained. The results achieved to date are assessed. Issues facing the region as the result of current political and economic developments are also discussed, and their likely outcome presented.     

Telecommunications and the UK government

The first article in this series reviewed the nature of the UK Post Office's monopoly, its relations with government and a number of forces for change. Since then (September 1977), the UK government has published: the government's response to the Carter Committee's proposals; an appendix to the Carter Report; and a ‘White Paper’ concerning all nationalized industries. This article reviews the government's response to the Carter Committee against the background of the evidence submitted to the Committee, the government's overall policy towards nationalized industries and the political debate concerning that policy. Finally, subsequent political and union responses to the government's telecommunications policy are reported which may result in considerable change.     

The politics of relevance and the ITU

Ruben Näslund has done the telecommunications community a service by stimulating debate on the issues facing the ITU in the wake of the Nairobi Plenipotentiary Conference. The Nairobi Conference was important for both what was said and resolved and what was unsaid and unresolved. When sovereign nations meet for six weeks there is an interplay of emotions and perceptions which imperceptibly mould policy formulation well after the event. A Plenipotentiary Conference is a political event, however much the engineers, technicians and PTT administrators of the telecommunications community prefer or pretend that is not. The purpose of this article is to examine some of the outstanding ITU issues in light of certain basic facts which structure the interests of member countries.     

Telecommunications privacy and the information society

Determining the appropriate actions to insure telecommunications privacy in the domestic telephone system presents unusually complex and interrelated considerations of law, technology and foreign policy. In this article, the author explores these considerations as they pertain to possible future telecommunications policy options for the government in its relations with the privately owned and operated telecommunications industry in the USA.     

Implementing policy on next-generation broadband networks and implications for equity of access to high speed broadband: A case study of Australia's NBN

Next generation telecommunications infrastructure is expanding and supporting rapid growth of broadband technologies and a digital economy. In this context, digital information and communications technologies (ICTs) are of increasing importance as a means for people to gain access to health or social services, employment opportunities, information and social networks. In this article we draw on our recent case study research to examine the policy (and politics) shaping implementation of Australia's National Broadband Network (NBN) and its likely effects on equity of access to high speed broadband (HSB) services. We monitored NBN policy and implementation from 2015 to 2018 through policy documents, reports, and media. To assess likely effects of NBN policy on implementation and subsequently on equity of access to HSB we: a) applied a framework defining four elements of equity of access; and b) analysed stakeholder views drawn from media articles and 22 interviews with experts on NBN policy including politicians, government staff, and industry representatives. We found that equity considerations competed with political and commercial imperatives during the rollout of the NBN. This resulted in positive and negative consequences for equity of access to HSB, with a change in policy and implementation in 2013 bringing greater risks to equity of access. The case study provides a framework for considering equity in the implementation of next generation telecommunications infrastructure and highlights the importance of considering equity in the evaluation of telecommunications infrastructure.     

Global political economy of technology standardization: A case of the Korean mobile telecommunications market

This paper examines empirical cases of standardization in the Korean mobile market as vehicles for approaching the broader political and institutional context of standardization in telecommunications. A consideration of Korean standardization in the mobile telecommunications market is particularly interesting because it reveals how the state's political interests influence standards decisions, which are primarily driven by market and technological changes in telecommunications. Judged from the social construction of technology perspective which sheds light not only on technology itself but also on political, social and economic interests that surround transformations in technology, this paper highlights power relations among the major actors that have made technology standards decisions in Korea regarding second (2G) and third-generation (3G) mobile telephony. The paper also attempts to show how the Korean government has dealt with the diverse interests of various market actors while pursuing its own policy agenda.     

Mexico's international telecommunications policy: Origins,the WTO dispute,and future challenges

Mexico is by far Latin America's largest trader and the country with the most free trade agreements. Notwithstanding the success of its trade policy, the liberalization of its telecommunications sector was limited and generated a dispute at the WTO. This article offers an overview of Mexico's trade policy, with special emphasis on its policy regarding trade in telecommunications services and the 2002–2004 Mexico–United States dispute over telecommunications at the WTO. The dispute is the first one over trade in telecommunications services at the WTO and has generated interest among many developed and developing countries.     

Politics and economics of telecom liberalization in India

The article describes the ideological background to the more than 40-year monopoly of the Department of Telecommunications over Indian telecommunications. It traces how the monopoly was eased between 1986 and 1991 and then how the government gave up its policy of central planning and control. It describes the adoption of the new National Telecom Policy (NTP) in 1994 and the difficulties of its implementation. In so doing, it highlights the lessons of demonopolization for other developing countries.     

Uncertainty and inertia

The challenge, and justification, of long-term telecommunications planning lies in an acute conflict between uncertainty and inertia. A national telecommunications system faces great economic, social, and political uncertainties, yet it does so handicapped by a degree of inertia which precludes rapid changes of direction. Assessing first the sources of uncertainty and inertia, the author goes on to examine ways in which the two can be reduced or reconciled.     

Telecommunications policy-making in New Zealand during the last two decades

During the last two decades the traditional roles of the major providers of telecommunications services have changed due to internal and external economic, political, social and technological pressures. This paper, using case-study research, describes the ‘change agents’ and formal structures involved in telecommunications policy-making processes, taking note of a move towards, and need for, a coherent national communications policy. It illustrates how decisions have been made and lays the groundwork for a more detailed study of the evolutionary changes in telecommunications policy-making in New Zealand in subsequent years.     

Regional structure and telecommunications planning

The general role of telecommunications in economic development has been recognized, but there remain some important specific issues in matching telecommunications planning to development goals. The author suggests a new approach, based on models relating regional structure to telecommunications demand. Data, which are readily available, on populations in places and rural areas within a region are used to derive a regional structure composed of places and the links between them. These links are found to be very closely related to telecommunications demand. This article suggests that telecommunications and development planners in the Third World should pay particular attention to ensuring that all the links between places in a region are served, and that the models presented here could form the basis for suitable planning criteria.     

Telecommunications/ transportation substitution and energy conservation Part 2

Part 1 of this article reviewed existing research both on attitudes toward telecommunications substitution for travel and on operational experiments with teleconferencing and telecommuting. Part 2 examines major factors influencing substitution, including government policy. It concludes that government policy can significantly facilitate telecommunications substitution for travel and, indeed, the achievement of any real measure of substitution may depend upon proactive government policy. However, this is an unlikely prospect in the current US national policy environment.     

The evolution of telecommunications policy-making: Comparative analysis of China and India

This paper is a comparative analysis of the telecommunications policy-making process in China and India. Adopting an institutionalist perspective and multi-streams framework, the paper analyzes the formal structures, rule-making procedures and interest groups involved in telecommunications policy-making in the two countries, in terms of their evolution over the last two decades. Though the two systems began this period with a somewhat similar ministerial-bureaucratic decision-making model, and faced similar problems of assimilating new interest groups and responding to international pressures, the paper finds that the decision systems in the two countries evolved in significantly different directions. China's telecommunications decision-making is significantly affected by the macro level political rearrangement and is more likely to be non-incremental. On the other hand, confronted by an increasingly litigious environment and a more fractious interest group culture, India represents a somewhat classical textbook case of incremental policy making. Nevertheless, numerous challenges remain in both countries, including institutional capacity and excessive regulatory deference to political authority.     

Models for telecommunications strategy in the LDCs

Telecommunications administrators in the less developed countries are faced with a number of complex strategic policy issues. The author argues that current planning procedures do not provide an adequate aid to decision making. A more sophisticated approach is suggested based on corporate planning models and a prototype model is described in detail. Some sample applications of this model are presented to illustrate the value of the approach to specific problems, including the areas of tariff policy and the growth rate of rural telecommunications.     

Japan's policy on monopoly and competition in telecommunications

Telecommunications policy in Japan is about to undergo a significant change in the field of domestic telecommunications services. A monopolistic policy has long been maintained - monopoly by the government for the first 80 years and monopoly by the NTT, a domestic common carrier, for the past 30 years. Now, however, a policy of competition is required to meet the needs of citizens and companies when confronted with the age of the information society. This article analyses the trend of past, present and future telecommunications policy in Japan in relation to monopoly and competition.     

Reform of telecommunications regulation in Japan and Canada

Despite demographic and political differences, Japan and Canada face many similar challenges in the development of new telecommunications policy. These include interbureaucratic conflict, reorganization initiatives by the telcos and policy development by non-elected officials. Differences include the nature of policy change, the role of economic considerations and decision-making processes. This comparative analysis concludes by suggesting that each country may learn useful lessons with respect to public involvement, local rates, local measured service and the process of regulatory change.     

APEC: steps to harmonising regional telecom policy

In spite of initial pessimistic analysis and observations, APEC has made sustained and collective efforts to overcome huge disparities in political, economic and cultural systems, and has achieved significant results in harmonising telecommunications policy and market liberalisation. This paper analyses how APEC member economies have overcome difficulties and have created unique approaches to establishing consensus and liberalising the telecommunications market in the region. Despite the current economic turmoil, APEC leaders are continuing in their efforts to advance the Asia Pacific Information Society (APIS). This paper also provides some perspectives on further development for the future.