Telecommunications and Internet Policy

The OECD (www.oecd.org/sti/telecom) reviews telecommunications and Internet policy, promotes exchange of experience among OECD members and reviews developments in information infrastructure (regulatory reform, convergence of telecommunication, Internet, cable television and broadcasting networks). The OECD broadband portal provides access to a range of broadband-related statistics gathered by the OECD (http://www.oecd.org/sti/ict/broadband).

What's new

OECD proposes roadmap for the future of the Internet economy

18-Jun-2008

The Seoul Declaration came at the close of the OECD Ministerial Meeting on the Future of the Internet Economy, held in Seoul, Korea, on 17-18 June 2008. Participants agreed on the need for governments to work closely with business, civil society and technical experts on policies that promote competition, empower and protect consumers, and expand Internet access and use worldwide.

Enhancing competition in telecommunications: protecting and empowering consumers

17-Jun-2008

Improving the ability of consumers to choose between competing suppliers is important for well functioning markets.  This report examines how to increase market flexibility for consumers in communication services, and improve access to information.

OECD report on communications convergence and impact on competition

05-Jun-2008

OECD has just issued a new report on convergence and next generation networks and their potential impact on policies and regulations.  The report addresses issues of competition in the new fibre environment, convergence of video, voice and data services, the rapid growth of new technologies, such as HDTV and mobile television, and the related demand for spectrum, as well as new possible "divides" between urban and rural areas created by the uneven development of high-speed fibre networks.

Policy brief: The future of the Internet economy

06-Jun-2008

Major changes are affecting the scope and scale of the Internet. As a result, the Internet is increasingly high on the policy agenda in many OECD and non-OECD countries. This policy brief reviews likely future developments in the Internet economy and how policy-makers can help the Internet to adapt to evolving requirements caused by convergence, continue to drive innovation, and be trustworthy.

OECD and YouTube launch “Future of the Internet” initiative

29-May-2008

“How can the Internet make the world a better place?” This is the question OECD is asking the public on YouTube, the leading online video community, at www.youtube.com/futureinternet.

OECD updates broadband portal with December 2007 data

19-May-2008

Broadband subscriptions reached 235 million in December 2008, equivalent to 20 subscribers per 100 inhabitants. Denmark, the Netherlands and Iceland continue to lead the OECD in broadband penetration.

OECD broadband up 18% in 2007 but new report says more could be done

19-May-2008

New OECD statistics show strong broadband growth and a progressive upgrade to fibre-optic connections. A new report based on the broadband strategies of all 30 OECD countries highlights innovative policies and areas of weakness. 

Internet address space: economic considerations in the management of IPv4 and in the deployment of IPv6

15-May-2008

With nearly 85% of all available Internet addresses already in use, experts believe that, if current trends continue, Internet addresses will run out by 2011. What next? Will the Internet be able to scale to connect billions of people and devices to the Internet? This new report focuses on possible scenarios and on the need to deploy the newer version of the Internet Protocol, IP version 6 (IPv6).

OECD Workshop on Fibre Investment and Policy Challenges (Stavanger, Norway)

from 10-Apr-2008 to 11-Apr-2008

The aim of this workshop was to examine fibre investment across the OECD and look for best practices across a range of investment scenarios. Participants' presentations are now available.

Developments in fibre technologies and investment

04-Apr-2008

Users' bandwidth demands continue to increase over time and this is leading Internet service providers and telecommunication operators to find ways to meet these growing network capacity requirements. Operators have spent the previous 20 years extending fibre backbones out to local main distribution frames but now many are working on pushing fibre ever closer to end-users in order to improve capacity. This paper provides an overview of developments in optical fibre communication technology and investment.

Public rights of way for fibre deployment to the home

04-Apr-2008

Fibre network deployments in the last mile are viewed as a key technology for communications access in the high-speed broadband market providing capacity that is symmetric and can support multiple play services. One factor which can slow the pace of fibre investment in the local loop is the cost associated with legal and regulatory procedures in obtaining permits for access to streets, roads, and other public lands as well as barriers to access existing ducts. 

Changing television markets

09-Jan-2008

By changing the distribution model for video content, television delivered over Internet Protocol (IPTV) is increasing pressure for a review of broadcast regulatory frameworks so as not to stifle innovation and the diffusion of new services. This paper examines current market trends and regulation for IPTV and also provides information on developments in the provision of IPTV service in a number of OECD countries.

OECD launches new broadband portal

06-Nov-2007

This portal provides a wide range of broadband indicators on penetration rates, usage, geography, prices, speeds and services. For example, the 221 million broadband subscribers in the OECD area spend an average of USD 49 per month for broadband and receive an average advertised connection of 13.7 megabits per second. The portal can be found at www.oecd.org/sti/ict/broadband.

OECD countries take new approach to fostering innovation, says OECD report

25-Oct-2007

More and more OECD governments are giving firms tax breaks to drive innovation while cutting their direct spending on business research and development (R&D), and are also encouraging public research organisations to commercialise their inventions, according to a new OECD report.

Catching up in broadband: What will it take?

26-Sep-2007

Can governments elevate their broadband performance rankings? This paper aims to identify the factors that are significant in driving broadband penetration.

Telecoms advances throw up new challenges for operators, says OECD

12-Jul-2007

Telecommunications investment continues to rise and consumers are generally paying less for more and better services across the OECD area but technology developments are presenting new challenges to telecoms operators, according to a new OECD report.

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