Convergence in Information and Communication Technology : Strategic and Regulatory Considerations
This book is a compilation of two recently completed works on the convergence of information and communication technology (ICT) (Singh and Raja 2008, 2009). Since then, convergence, the eroding of boundaries among previously separate ICT services,...
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| Format: | Publication |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank
2012
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| Online Access: | http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000333037_20100304234634 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/2417 |
| Summary: | This book is a compilation of two
recently completed works on the convergence of information
and communication technology (ICT) (Singh and Raja 2008,
2009). Since then, convergence, the eroding of boundaries
among previously separate ICT services, networks, and
business practices, has accelerated and deepened. At the
time these reports were written, convergence was already a
reality and was picking up pace in low-income countries, as
in the rest of the world. Now, as this introduction
summarizes, broadband networks are reaching deeper into
previously unserved areas. The growing number of people
connected to broadband networks are consuming, sharing, and
creating new multimedia content and applications. And they
are doing this on handheld and portable devices that are
less costly and do more than before. All sorts of users,
governments, businesses, individuals, and ICT firms, are
looking to cut costs while capturing greater value. Taken
together, these trends indicate that convergence is set to
accelerate even through the ongoing global economic
downturn. Countries that enable convergence through
appropriate policy and regulatory responses will realize
significant benefits in terms of expanded access, lower
prices, and greater competition. Chapter two of this book
focuses on the strategic implications of convergence and
possible policy responses. Chapter three focuses on emerging
regulatory practices facilitating multiple plays, or the
provision of multiple services, such as voice telephony,
broadcasting, and Internet access, by one operator over a
single communications network, typically telephone or cable
television but increasingly mobile and fixed wireless
networks. The book concludes by presenting several
best-practice principles for regulatory responses to
multiple plays and, to some extent, to convergence more
generally. Indeed, the main task for regulators is to remove
artificial barriers and restrictions that are remnants of
legacy regulation, thus clearing the way for market forces
to play out, promoting the public interest, and leading to
the realization of a range of benefits for users. |
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