The government of South Africa has issued a draft policy to accelerate network deployment. The legal basis is to be the Electronic Communications Act (ECA), but the policy intrudes into areas of property ownership and the powers of municipalities. Consequently, there would be no legal basis for...

A C21st bill of rights needs to address Internet-related issues such as collection and dissemination of personal data, lawful interception, provision of access, and government-enforced shutdowns. However, the uncertain nature of Internet access means firstly that it ought not to be a right, and...

In January 2012 the Westminster government offered to devolve to the Scottish Parliament the powers necessary to conduct a referendum on the independence of Scotland, with the possibility of repealing the Act of Union of 1707. This could return Great Britain to a Union of the Crowns, with...

The Kingdom of Morocco is located in the North-West Africa. It has been an absolute monarchy for centuries, though a new constitution adopted in 2011 may reduce the powers of the sovereign to a limited extent. The path to reform of telecommunications began in the mid-1990s with a restructuring...

Kenya has gradually descended below Nigeria in the rankings of global corruption by Transparency International. The limited evidence available suggests that the telecommunications sector has been part of that descent. Telecommunications in Kenya looks plausible, with four mobile operators and...

The high value of privatizations, licenses and equipment supply contracts in telecommunications have created opportunities for individuals to solicit and companies to pay bribes. Despite obvious risks in advocating such policies, especially in developing countries with weak or absent...

In the autumn of 2014 the residents of Scotland, but not other parts of the UK, will vote on whether to leave the UK to become a separate state, with a positive vote leading to an independent parliament being elected in 2016. It would remain within the EU and in compliance with its acquis...

Mobile telecommunications has been a considerable success with consumers, yet markets are oligopolies designed by governments and by industry, with many flaws, including limited ability to regulate prices, quality of service and coverage. Markets have been partially opened to competition, with...

In December 2011, prosecutors in the United States of America announced the settlement of cases against Magyar Telekom and Deutsche Telekom in respect of bribery of officials in two countries in the Balkans. In the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) they had obtained a delay in a...