World Dialogue on Regulation

The objectives of this newly released working paper are two-fold. On the one hand, the paper analyses the process of consolidation that the region is currently experiencing in the mobile market; and on the other, identifies the impact of this market concentration on mobile penetration. The ultimate intention of this analysis is to understand how trends in market structure can impact use of mobiles by low income sectors of the population in Latin America. 

WDR South African partner, the LINK Centre and the NGO Balancing Act have completed a study Assessing consumer activity in the telecoms and Internet sectors in Africa. The study seeks to answer three questions:

1. What consumer activity is happening in the internet and telecoms fields?
2. What impact are different types of consumer activity having upon key stakeholders?
3. How do key stakeholders view consumer activity?

Bridging the digital divide is important. It may not be as important as ensuring safe water for all, or adequate healthcare, in terms of meriting investment of scarce public resources, but it is definitely important enough to merit concerted action to remove the artificial barriers to private supply. This article marshals some evidence to argue that one of the best ways to remove barriers is to improve ICT policy and regulation capacity.

While Africa's mobile telephony markets have enjoyed considerable investment and profits, it is not clear that there is real competition. The high levels of concentration in the markets resulting from the staged introduction of additional operators is generally justified on the grounds of avoiding turmoil in the markets, managing spectrum allocation, and reducing required investment in base stations. This research surveys the key multi-national players on the African continent and argues that regulatory attention now warrants a shift towards a more pro-competitive market environment.

This study is a pilot application of a methodology designed to assess the effect of the regulatory environment on investment in the telecom sector of a country. The authors looked at fixed and mobile telephony services in Peru, between 1993 and 2004, a period during which Peru embarked upon an expansive regulatory reform program for its public services and infrastructure, aimed at liberalizing the market and encouraging private investment to fund the necessary expansion and to cover deficits in service coverage.

This paper establishes the need for a change in the institutional model of the telecom regulators, aiming for more efficient regulations that address citizen's needs, especially the poorest sectors, through an increase in citizen's participation in decisions affecting them.

A draft of a LIRNEasia report by Chanuka Wattegama titled Benchmarking National Telecom Regulatory Authority Websites of the Asia-Pacific Region is now available for download. The report complements earlier LIRNE/WDR benchmarking reports for regulatory authority websites in Africa and Latin America & the Caribbean.

Los sitios web de los entes reguladores nacionales de telecomunicaciones pueden ser un importante vehículo para la diseminación de información, la comunicación y la transparencia. A través de ellos, los ciudadanos y las organizaciones del consumidor pueden obtener información sobre sus derechos y sobre cómo ejercerlos; la industria de la telecomunicación puede acceder a la información sobre estándares, políticas y procedimientos, y los  entes reguladores pueden indicar su voluntad de asumir la responsabilidad, de ser examinados y mostrar su disponibilidad para reportar sobre sus actividades. Un sitio web bien diseñado y completo puede promover una efectiva y eficiente participación de la ciudadanía y la industria.

Un nuevo estudio realizado por la investigadora Amy Mahan, de WDR, compara los sitios web de 18 entes reguladores nacionales de América Latina y el Caribe y concluye que, entre los distintos países, existen grandes variaciones en lo concerniente a la calidad y accesibilidad de la información.