Telecommunications Liberalisation in Japan and Germany under GATS

Abstract

This paper argues that through a comparison of the liberalisation process currently being undertaken in German and Japan in the telecommunications sector, that a similar process of convergence in the telecommunications policy is taking place. This convergence is resulting in the abolishment of both carrier and price regulations, the establishment of rules for interconnectivity and the advent of a universal service. Moreover, this process of convergence suggests that certain clauses found in GATS, in particular those found in the “Reference Paper of the Fourth Protocol and Specific Commitments”, are playing an important role in the guidelines for the deregulation process of the telecommunications sector in both countries.