Current international trade rules relevant to telecommunications services

TL;DRAbstract

This paper describes current WTO rules concerning telecommunications services. It includes an explanation of the structure of the GATS, its Annex on Telecommunications, and the Agreement on Basic Telecommunication Services. As discussed in the previous chapter, the latter reflects the commitments of sixty-nine countries that agreed to open their markets to foreign basic telecommunication services and to foreign suppliers of these services. It also contains additional rules which are linked to these commitments and are assembled under the so-called ‘Reference Paper’. The GATT is relevant in relation to equipment and terminals used to convey and receive telecommunications signals. This, however, constitutes a different line of trade, which is discussed in Chapter 9 of this book. he GATS, similarly to the GATT, aims at protecting equality of competitive opportunities for companies in domestic markets regardless of their origin and the origin of their services. It aims at facilitating prog

Chat with Paper

AI Agents for this Paper