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The article discusses the potential impact of international trade law on global mobile communications roaming charges as of September 2013, focusing on telecommunications firms such as Telecom NZ, text messaging (SMS) rates, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The World Trade Organization, most-favoured- nation (MFN) status, and a December 2012 International Telecommunications Union conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates are examined.

Recently, ideas about "rights" to Internet access or connectivity have received growing recognition from governments, legal institutions, and other political actors in several countries, including New Zealand. Despite this emerging political and legal recognition, there are few, if any, systematic studies exploring such ideas. This paper aims to change this. First, it offers a theoretical exploration of the idea of a "right" to Internet access, including the different versions of such rights talk. Secondly, it examines whether there is any legal basis for such rights claims in New Zealand and ultimately argues that section 14 of the New Zealand Bill of Rights offers a legal basis for a certain kind of right to Internet connectivity, as well as a legal basis to claim wider access - via the Internet or other mediums - to government information. Some concrete implications, both legal and political, of these findings are also explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the developments in the telecommunications sector in New Zealand. It cites the strategy launched by Telecom in its international data roaming service that reduces costs for travellers using smartphones and other mobile devices abroad. The opinion of Telecom chief executive officer (CEO) Simon Moutter on their new approach is cited.