The prospects of cost savings, increasedmarket share, and other competitive advantages are promptingmore, and more utilities to cross traditional industrylines, and offer services in several sectors. The notereviews the changes occurred during the last two decades,when deregulation, and private sector development raised thequality, and expansion of utility services, opportunitiesenhanced by technological developments, particularly in thefield of information, and communications technology, allconducive to a multi-utility strategy. Horizontalintegration of infrastructure services occurred both at thewholesale, and retail (distribution) levels: energycompanies at the wholesale level are seeking to leveragetrading skills between the gas, and electricity sectors;and, at the retail level, multi-utility strategies havetaken the form of either leveraging the physicalinfrastructure as a conduit for a range of services, or areintegrating separate utilities under the same corporateumbrella. Thus integration of physical networks, of service,and corporate, although not yet clearly defined, will striveto capture the potential advantages of offering two, or moreutility service. However, even if integration makes sense,certainly unforeseen policy, and regulatory implicationswill need to respond and safeguard public interests, withoutstifling innovation.
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