asia pacific economic cooperation - internationalization of industrial science and technology

telecom as fundamental enabler of business and social interaction;
competition and customer focus overtaking regulatory control and service monopolies as drivers of industry evolution;
new forms of competition;
intensive revision and realignment of regulatory structures to produce a market driven industry:
globalization of telecom services industry;
"Commodization" of bandwidth;
an uncertain environment for investment in the industry;
continuing pressure on operating costs, efficiency and productivity; and,
new factors determining the market images of service providers.

fewer barriers to entry in many national markets, giving rise to a global market for equipment;
strong growth in the world market for equipment;
shifting balance between price and performance considerations in buyers' purchasing decisions;
further consolidation and rationalization;
shorter product development time lines and product life cycles;
mixed opportunities for manufacturing telecom products in Canada; and,
focus on helping customers to address their market opportunities as a means of competitive differentiation.

Change Driver	Expected Outcome
Rate of regulatory revision	Fundamental changes in regulatory structure in short-term, accompanied by slower rate of introduction of open competition. The expected outcome is somewhere between "rapid regulatory revision" and "managed transition" to a new regulatory framework.
International business orientation of telecom services companies	International focus of telecom services providers will increase, given that domestic market is expected to become more competitive and pressures on profitability will continue.