WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONS/C/W/110/Add.3
15 June 1999
(99-2399)
Council for Trade in Services
Special Session on Telecommunications ServicesOriginal:  English
COMMUNICATION FROM THE ITU
Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT):  Description of Assistance
in the Regulatory Domain
Addendum
A. BACKGROUND
1. In 1994, the ITU held two major Conferences, the first World Telecommunication
Development Conference (WTDC, Buenos Aires) and the Kyoto Plenipotentiary Conference. Both
Conferences devoted much attention to the rapi dly evolving telecommunication environment, in
particular the restructuring of the telecommunication sector (e.g., separation of operational and
regulatory functions; corporatization and privatization of operators; and liberalization of various
market segments).
2. To respond to the changing environment, the WTDC established a Programme on Policies,
Strategies, and Financing. This Programme was subsequently endorsed by the Plenipotentiary
Conference as part of the Development Sector’s work programme for the 1995-1998 period. The
purpose of the Programme was, inter alia, to develop models and guidelines in the policy and
regulatory domain “conducive to accelerated and balanced development of telecommunication
systems worldwide”. In that four year period, more  than forty countries received direct assistance
from the Programme.
3. Reforms have continued to progress at an even greater rate in the second half of the 1990’s,
due in large part to the introduction of new technologies and services, new players and the emergence
of the WTO’s comprehensive multilateral trade framework.
4. ITU/BDT has been successful in providing support and guidance to its membership through
publications such as the African Green Paper, Arab Book, and Americas Blue Book . These three
policy papers, which were elaborated and adopted by their respective regions, are intended to serve as
a tool to assist countries in facing the many challenges encountered in reforming the
telecommunication sector.  In addition, the annual World Telecommunication Development Report ,
the regional indicator publications, and Trends in Telecommunication Reform  reports provide detailed
analysis of trends in the telecommunication sector.
5. We have seen through the work of the Policies, Strategies, and Financing Programme and the
various meetings of the ITU-D Study Group 1 Question 2/1, “Telecommunication policies and their
repercussions at the level of institutional, regulatory and operational aspects of services” , that there
is no single recipe for success and that many complex issues remain to be resolved in the area of
regulation. Specifically, the Study Group participants have made it clear that reports, studies anddocuments alone are not sufficient in preparing countri es for the reform process. There is also a needS/C/W/110/Add.3
Page 2
to have a type of forum to exchange opinions and experiences with others that have undergone
restructuring.
B. PROGRAMME 1 REFORM , LEGISLATION AND REGULATION OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS
6. In light of these tremendous changes in the sector and the urgent need for solutions, the
second World Telecommunication Development Conference decided to establish a programme
dedicated specifically to the areas of reform, legislation, and regulation. The purpose of this
Programme is to assist countries in the preparation and implementation of sector reform. This entails
the elaboration of national telecommunication policies, the establishment of autonomous regulatory
bodies, the drafting of new or modified legislat ion, and the designing of optimal institutional
structures, etc.
7. The programme explores various questions such as: how to staff a new regulator? how to train
these staff? how to finance the regulator to ensure independence? what functions to give the
regulator? how to enforce decisions, license new operators, manage scarce resources?
8. The programme is structured along five main action lines.
1. Studies and Reports
9. The purpose of this action is to prepare tools in the area of regulation for use by decision-
makers.
Activities -
• Publish the report Trends in Telecommunication Reform  on an annual basis, highlighting trends on
a global and regional basis, and using information gathered in the Telecommunication Regulatory
Library. The 1999 report will focus on regulating digital convergence.
• Prepare and disseminate Manuals and Guidelines on regulation, including models for regulatory
bodies, scope and authority of the regulator, licensing procedures, interconnection, universal
service, regulation of Global Systems, etc. (Manuals and Guidelines will be validated in training
courses.) This is done in coordination with many of the regulatory Questions in Study Group 1.
• Conduct case studies of different models or approaches undertaken in the reform process
identifying advantages and disadvantages.
2. Workshops/Seminars
10. A series of workshops/seminars for regulators are being organized in order to provide a forum
for the exchange of opinions, views and experiences among countries on specific areas/concerns inregulation. These workshops/seminars are carried out on a regional/sub-regional basis, and to the
extent possible in collaboration with regional/subregional telecommunication organizations.
11. The most recent workshop was carried out in Botswana for regulators in English-speaking
Africa. The final report and documents of the Workshop as well as information on future workshops
can be found on http://www7.itu.int/treg.S/C/W/110/Add.3
Page 3
3. Telecommunication Regulatory Library
12. The purpose of this item if to establish an electronic library which includes key regulatory
information as well as basic laws/legislation of all ITU member states. This consists of documenting
national telecommunication policies and regulations through the dissemination of the ITU/BDT
annual regulatory survey; enhancing the ITU/BDT Regulatory Database; and expanding the ITU/BDTRegulators Web. The web site presently includes links to regulators that have web sites; contact
information for all regulators; basic regulatory information on all countries; access to basic
telecommunication laws for more than 70 countries; studies and reports on key issues of regulation.
BDT also intends to assist those regulators that do not have web sites to create them.
4. Training
13. No reform can be successful without the appropriate human resources. There is a scarcity of
experienced human resources in government to develop and implement public policy objectives forthe telecommunication sector and a similar absence of experienced human resources to staff newly
formed regulatory organizations. Without these basic resources, the implementation of even the most
basic of reform programmes and the application of guidelines is a difficult challenge.
14. The purpose of this action is to prepare relevant training for regulators in developing
countries. Training materials are based on the Manuals and Guidelines elaborated in the programmeand the study groups, and using both traditional and electronic means.
5. National Regulatory Assistance
15. The purpose of this action is to provide direct assistance, upon request, to developing
countries in the area of regulation. ITU/BDT would endeavour to use its own in-house expertise when
possible.
16. Activities include, among others, providing short term assistance to countries in:
• drafting the national telecommunication policy and strategies and setting up a national consultative
mechanism;
• introducing or modifying the relevant legislation to facilitate the reform implementation; and
• establishing a regulatory body, assisting in implementing the ITU Guidelines in the establishment
of a regulatory body, or making the established Regulatory Body functional, etc.
For more details on this programme and other activities of the Development Sector, please consulthttp://web.itu.ch/ITU-D/index.html.
You can find the outcome of the 1998 World Te lecommunications Development Conference under
http://web.itu.ch/ITU-D/vap.pdf.
For information on the BDT’s 1999 operation plan
__________