European Telecommunications Liberalisation

This book examines the process and consequences of telecommunications liberalization in the context of an ever closer European Union. The creation of a single market for telecommunications and of a wider European single market mirror one another. Telecommunications are also something of a test case for the privatization process, as this sector has traditionally been a state monopoly. The volume approaches the European experience from three angles; the politics of regulation and the process of liberalization in the EU (including case studies of the UK, France, and Germany); and increasing global economic interdependence makes international comparisons essential. It compares the EU experience with that of the Czech Republic, Israel and Thailand and examines the consequences of technology and continuous innovation.