Moving to competition: New Zealand's innovative regulatory model for the telecommunications marketplace

In previous years, the manner in which countries around the world regulate telecommunications services has undergone rapid change. In many countries, liberalization of telecommunications regulation has occurred, and formerly government-owned PTTs have been privatized. Competition and entry into telecommunications markets has been the goal of these policies with a focus on encouraging more investment and modernization of telecommunications infrastructures. New Zealand was one of the countries which in the late 1980s decided to liberalize its policies and privatize its PTT. Its unique approach to this process is examined, including its decision not to create a regulatory agency to oversee telecommunications markets and its reliance on competition policy to protect consumers.