From a first generation with highly regulated state-owned monopolies, to a second wave of privatizations, opening up of markets and the creation of separate regulatory bodies aiming, then to a third phase with focus on competition and the expansion of mandates, the ICT industry is currently shaping the fourth generation of regulators. This generation requires adaptability to an industry that not only grows exponentially but goes through constant innovations, causing radical changes in both business scenarios and consumer behavior.
Spectrum managers, banking regulators and telephone network operators amongst many other industry players are facing the challenges of exponential growth in demand for the various ICT services. For instance, the chart below shows the steep growth of the 'apps' market (a total of 50% growth from the previous year) as well as an increased demand for data traffic over the past years, which puts additional strain on networks and pushes operators and regulators to find viable solutions to offload mobile traffic. TRENDS Special Edition is about meeting these and many other challenges of the converged ICT sector, providing different approaches and potential actions to ensure that regulators can swiftly adapt to this rapidly and consistently changing environment.
Source: based on data from ITU, Gartner, Cisco VNI, Telegeography and IDC
