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To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2009.09.012 Byline: Farid Gasmi (a), Laura Recuero Virto (b) Keywords: Telecommunications; reforms; institutional risk; financial constraints; developing countries Abstract: This paper has two related objectives. First, it seeks to identify the key determinants of some policies that have been at the heart of the reforms of the telecommunications industry in developing countries, namely, liberalization, privatization, and the (re)structuring of regulation. Second, it attempts to estimate the extent to which these policies have translated into actual deployment of telecommunications infrastructure. This simultaneous investigation is conducted by means of an econometric analysis of a 1985-1999 time-series-cross-sectional database on 86 developing countries. Sectoral as well as institutional and financial factors are found to be important determinants of the actual reforms implemented. We uncover a positive relationship between the decision to introduce competition in the digital cellular segment and the growth of the fixed-line segment, suggesting that these two segments have benefited from each other. We also find that countries facing increasing institutional risk and financial constraints are more likely to introduce competition in the digital cellular segment and to privatize the fixed-line incumbent, these policies being economically attractive to both investors and governments. In turn, these policies are those that enhance the deployment of fixed-line infrastructure. In contrast, competition in the analogue cellular segment and the creation of a separate regulator seem to be relatively less attractive policies as they are found to be less likely to be introduced in countries facing increasing institutional risk and budget constraints. Their impact on fixed network deployment is found to be negative or non significant. Author Affiliation: (a) Toulouse School of Economics (ARQADE & IDEI), Universite Toulouse 1 Capitole, France (b) Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, France Article History: Received 19 July 2008; Revised 26 September 2009; Accepted 30 September 2009 Article Note: (footnote) [star] An earlier version of this paper was presented at the ASSET meeting, Padua, Italy, November 2007, the ADRES meeting, Toulouse, France, January 2008, the meeting of the Royal Economic Society, University College of London, UK, January 2008, and the ISNIE meeting, Toronto, Canada, June 2008. We thank participants to these events for useful comments. We are indebted to E. Auriol, L.H. Gutierrez, R. McNary, R. Rathindran, S. Wallsten, and L.C. Xu for their help in the construction of the database used in this paper, and to D. Filmer for providing some software. We thank T. Magnac, M. Traore, the editor of this journal, and two anonymous referees for useful comments. Supplemental material to this paper is available from the authors upon request. All remaining errors are ours only, however.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2008.12.005 Byline: Philip N. Howard Keywords: digital divide; internet; mobile phones; policy reform; time-series cross-sectional analysis; developing countries Abstract: How do telecommunications policies influence technology adoption? Has regulatory reform helped mitigate or exacerbate the digital divide? We examine the effects of four policy reform strategies on a country's share of internet bandwidth, internet hosts, internet users, personal computers, and mobile phones. We argue that the best policy environment for the telecommunications sector is one maintained by an independent regulator that is not above representing the public interest or entering into public private partnerships to develop national information infrastructure. Holding other factors constant, privatizing the national telecommunications operator only has a few demonstrable effects, and the effects are mixed. Liberalizing the market for consumer communications services and separating the telecommunications regulator from direct control by the executive branch of government are, for the most part, constructive policies for encouraging technology adoption. Yet over time, too little public policy oversight usually has a negative impact on technology adoption. Regulatory independence mitigates against the digital divide, but regulatory withdrawal exacerbates it. Our findings offer greater coverage than prior research, and emerge from a time-series cross-sectional study of multiple technology indicators in 154 countries during the period 1990-2007. Author Affiliation: University of Washington, United States Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, United States Article History: Accepted 22 December 2008

What do citizens need from the media, and how should this be regulated? Western democracies are witnessing a changing regulatory regime, from 'command-and-control' government to discursive, multistakeholder governance. In the United Kingdom, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) is required to further the interests of citizens and consumers, which it does in part by aligning them as the citizen-consumer. What is meant by this term, and whether it captures the needs of citizens or subordinates them to those of consumers, has been contested by civil society groups as well as occasioning some soul-searching within the regulator. By triangulating a discursive analysis of the Communications Act 2003, key actor interviews with the regulator and civil society bodies, and focus groups among the public, the authors seek to understand how these terms ('citizen,' 'consumer,' and 'citizen-consumer') are used to promote stakeholder interests in the media and communications sector, not always to the benefit of citizens. Keywords: citizen interests; consumer representation; media and communications regulation; civil society; public understanding of regulation

A study is conducted on regulatory interventions in telecommunications markets to emphasize on the merits of investments in network assets.

A study is conducted on a regulatory frame implemented by European Union to analyze the importance of long term investments in electronic communications sector.

Canada, South Korea, Netherlands and Sweden have seeked to create a regulatory environment for an effective competition in communication. A survey of these four countries was conducted to identity the lead markets converging in communication service.

A first national private telecommunications industry Ombudsman (TIO) is introduced in 1993 by Australia. The role of TIO as a mechanism for dispute resolution and as an industry regulator is examined.