Regulation of the telecommunications environment touches every aspect of our lives, enabling a more inclusive, liberated society and stimulating economic growth. Intelligent regulation based upon a detailed knowledge of best practice, current and emerging technology and markets can stimulate economic growth and assist in the delivery of the needs of the citizen and consumer.

• Socio-economic growth – Telecommunications and the ICT sector in general are seen as one of the prime stimuli in improving social well being of a nation and a key driver in economic growth

• Time to Market – with technology becoming more complex and evolving quicker than ever, the time to market for the introduction of new technologies and services is being constrained by regulatory barriers, access to spectrum and incumbent service providers

• Technology convergence – consumer devices are converging into single mobile handheld devices, offering everything from television, email, telephony and computer services

• Operator Convergence – consumers are now being offered a multitude of telecommunications services from one brand, often termed the ‘triple or quadruple play’, which through bundling simplifies billing, builds a brand and consumer base

• Spectrum availability – radio spectrum availability for a particular service is constrained mainly due to demand for a scarce resource, incumbent licence holders and licence technology or service constraints

• Interoperability – consumers expect to use wireless technology and be able connect to services globally