Forum on the Future of the Telecommunications Industries

The theme of this group of papers is how the extraordinary technological changes in communications will affect market structure and competition; and the consequent needs for regulation or other government intervention. Few words are needed to introduce a subject of such evident interest to IEP readers, or to introduce such prominent authors of the three papers we include in this series. Martin Cave (University of Warwick), Luigi Prosperetti (University of Milan), and Chris Doyle (University of Warwick) write on the development of wireless and wire-based networks in Europe, and how they are likely to affect telecommunications industry competition and the need for European Union regulatory reform. The contribution by Gerald Faulhaber (University of Pennsylvania) is about how the transition to wireless systems is forcing a choice between alternative spectrum allocation regimes, with a primary focus on US policy. Eli Noam (Columbia University) writes about boom-bust cycles in telecommunications, how concentration levels in these industries are likely to evolve, and the policy options that are entailed. Submissions to the forum were invited, based on the author's previous contributions to the field. We are grateful for exemplary service by anonymous referees of each of the papers.