Liberalizing Telecommunications and the Role of the World Trade Organization

Primo Braga, Carlos A.

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: ACCOUNTING;    AGRICULTURE;    CARTEL;    CELLULAR TELEPHONY;    COMMERCIAL PRESENCE;   

RP-ID  :  17127

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

In February 1997, sixty-nine governmentsof high-income and developing countries agreed to liberalizetheir basic telecommunications services under an agreementnegotiated through the World Trade Organization. Mostparticipants in the agreement have subscribed toprocompetitive regulatory principles, including independentregulators, competitive safeguards, measures to ensureinterconnection, universal service obligations, andtransparent and nondiscriminatory practices in licensing.The markets affected by the arrangement represent more than90 percent of the world market for telecommunications. Theauthor reviews the evolution of the agreement and arguesthat the critical issues now are ensuring the quality ofimplementation and setting up a procompetitive regulatory environment.