The Telecom Crisis and beyond

Abstract

The global telecom system has undergone dramatic change under neoliberal globalization. A swift restructuring of the telecom industries, which began in the early 1980s, was possible because governments around the world adopted neoliberal telecom polices, as they confronted intensifying pressure not only from corporations but also directly from international organizations and the US government. Telecom companies, however, have in recent years begun to present symptoms of what appears to be the same life-threatening disease. This in turn has expedited new strategies such as spin-off and/or split-off strategies as well as counter-deregulation. This article examines who set the agenda for telecom policy over the last two decades to analyze a long-term change in the global telecom system. It investigates how transnational corporations were involved in the reshaping of the global telecom system by exploring the consolidation through mergers and acquisitions. It also examines the relationship between national policies and institutions on the one hand and international organizations on the other. Then, it attempts to clarify whether the transformation of the global telecom system has influenced the telecom crisis in recent years, and to find new strategies and/or new business models.