International Journal of Communications Law & Policy

REFORMING CHINA'S TELECOMMUNICATIONS LAWS
LESSONS FROM THE AUSTRALIAN EXPERIENCE
By Martyn Taylor

Download the Paper in PDF Format: IJCLP Web-Doc 3-7-2003

Abstract

The paper analyses the process of privatisation of telecommunication services in Australia and makes use of experiences from this process to formulate recommendations for the current process of telecommunication privatisation in China. The author parts from the assumption that China as a dynamically growing economy needs to further improve its telecommunication sector. This sector has been reformed already but more needs to be done. The paper describes the reforms in the telecommunication sector in Australia and China accomplished so far. Both countries have started out with state monopoly telecommunication services provider(s). Then in Australia, the commercial activities of government departments were separated from regulatory and policy-making functions of these departments and further regulatory frameworks were enacted. While the Australian regulation has aimed at increasing competition, the Chinese regulation’s objective so far was rather to promote infrastructure development. The steps of this regulatory process are analysed in more detail in the paper.

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