Governments in a number of countries are concerned about the high surcharges for international mobile roaming and instances of “bill shock”. Russia has used competition law to force down excessive prices. Singapore has introduced consumer protection against bill shock. The USA has consulted...

The high value of privatizations, licenses and equipment supply contracts in telecommunications have created opportunities for individuals to solicit and companies to pay bribes. Despite obvious risks in advocating such policies, especially in developing countries with weak or absent...

Unbundling has been made to work in a number of countries with relatively dense and well developed traditional copper networks. However, the conditions have been exacting, requiring: customisation for the national market, alternative operators willing to enter the market, medium‐term legal...

The purpose of this paper is to review the effectiveness of the various initiatives taken to regulate international mobile roaming over the last decade. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is an analysis of the policies and the measures and their effects on prices and industry dynamics....

Reducing corruption in the telecommunications sector requires licensing reforms. Liberalisation ignored known risks of corruption in both developing countries and in the telecommunications sector, allowing bribery, cronyism and nepotism to enter and to flourish. A discussion of past and present...

The term world class is used in some broadband plans, as a target. Comparisons with other countries are beneficial, though not straightforward, in measuring progress. Claims about improvements to national competitiveness and economic growth are difficult to determine, given that economic rivals...

Corruption has been identified as a significant issue in telecommunications, seen in bribery and nepotism over many years, raising questions as to whether there are comparable problems with the Internet. Complex systems of Internet governance have excluded the issue, failing to put in place any...

The traditional practice of intercepting posts and telegrams was extended to telephony, both wire-tapping and call-logging, at a time of little regard for privacy and with minimal transparency. It was the introduction of competition, particularly non-state operators, that required codification...

Digital technologies are being adopted at a faster pace than previous waves of innovation, and their use is re-shaping administration and business, consumer behaviour and social interactions. They are subject to widely varying regimes, from lightly regulated but heavily standardised global...

A C21st bill of rights needs to address Internet-related issues such as collection and dissemination of personal data, lawful interception, provision of access, and government-enforced shutdowns. However, the uncertain nature of Internet access means firstly that it ought not to be a right, and...