The development of national broadband plans has been used by many countries to join up different areas of governmental and regulatory activities and to set ambitious targets for ubiquitous access to and use of the latest fixed and wireless networks and services. For Scotland this requires...

The third EU Roaming Regulation (531/2012) took effect on July 1, 2012, replacing Regulation 544/2009. Wholesale and retail price caps for voice, SMS and data have been extended and reduced, with new retail caps for data usage. Anti-bill shock remedies now apply outside the EU. Measures to...

South Africa has performed poorly in delivering broadband to its citizens, with very limited access and little effort to boost its adoption. It compares badly to the BRICs and to other comparable nations, while having lost its position as African leader. The African National Congress (ANC)...

Liberia endured military warlords, dictatorships and civil war, before entering a period of post-conflict transition and successful elections. It continues to have significant problems with corruption. Despite these problems, mobile network operators have been able to develop their networks and...

Telecommunications in Bangladesh suffers from endemic and severe corruption, with no indications that actions are being taken to bring it under control. Procurement by the government, for the state-owned incumbent operator and for the operator of the undersea cable, has been subject to...

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...

This paper reviews bribery and corruption cases in the telecommunications sector where they have been violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The Act applies to a very broad class of payments, both in money and in kind, made to officials of foreign governments, including the...

Swaziland is the last remaining absolute monarchy in Africa, though with parallels to Morocco. It faces immense challenges, with a weak economy, a fiscal crisis created by the King and his cronies, plus the highest level of HIV/AIDS infections in Africa. The arrangements for the...

Telecommunications in Thailand have been shaped by Thaksin Shinawatra as CEO of the largest mobile operator. Unlike Indonesia where there was bribery and nepotism, Thaksin created a unique form of governance eliminating politicians as intermediaries becoming both patron and client, creating his...