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ON THIS PAGE: Current commitments/exemptions Current negotiations Applicable trade rules Recent events Additional information Links |
home > trade topics > services > sector-by-sector > telecommunications services |
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SERVICES: SECTOR BY SECTOR Telecommunications services Telecommunications services are a global market worth over US$ 1.5 trillion in revenue. Mobile services account for roughly 40 per cent of this, while mobile subscribers worldwide currently outnumber the use of fixed telephone lines by more than two to one. Over the past decade, the market has witnessed far-reaching changes, with the introduction of competition into a sector that was once principally a monopoly. |
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Current commitments and exemptions back to top A total of 108 WTO members have made commitments to facilitate trade in telecommunications services. This includes the establishment of new telecoms companies, foreign direct investment in existing companies and cross-border transmission of telecoms services. Out of this total, 99 members have committed to extend competition in basic telecommunications (e.g. fixed and mobile telephony, real-time data transmission, and the sale of leased-circuit capacity). In addition, 82 WTO members have committed to the regulatory principles spelled out in the “Reference Paper”, a blueprint for sector reform that largely reflects “best practice” in telecoms regulation. > List of all current telecommunications commitments and exemptions See also: Services database
Current negotiations back to top Telecommunications, like other services, are included in the services negotiations, which began in January 2000. In the current Doha Round of negotiations, additional market opening as well as the binding of recent reforms (i.e. a commitment not to increase a rate of duty beyond an agreed level) in telecommunications is the objective of many of the negotiating requests made by WTO members to their trading partners. As of July 2008, 39 governments had made offers to improve their existing commitments or to commit for the first time in the telecommunications sector. At the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference (December 2005), a new sector-specific negotiating mechanism was mandated by the trade ministers. Negotiating objectives outlined by WTO members in the Chairman's note to the Trade Negotiations Committee include:
Plurilateral negotiations have followed, with progress reported regularly to the Special Session of the Council for Trade in Services. Throughout the negotiations, individual members or groups of members have submitted proposals or other statements outlining their positions and objectives on various issues arising in the negotiations.
Applicable trade rules back to top The trade rules that apply to telecommunications services include the framework articles of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), which contain the principles for trade in all services. In addition, the GATS also contains an Annex on telecommunications. This provides guarantees for reasonable access to and use of public telecommunications, in a given market, by suppliers of all services benefiting from commitments scheduled by the member concerned. Another key element — the Reference Paper — is a set of regulatory principles that is legally binding for those WTO governments which have committed to it by appending the document, in whole or in part, to their schedules of commitments. Recent events back to top
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| > Consult the Guide to downloading files. | Additional information back to top
Some useful links and other resources back to top Links to other international organizations or associations that deal with telecommunications and related services:
Links to selected reports or studies of interest to trade in telecommunications and related services:
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