Our experience – Media and communications
Change and convergence in the world of fixed and mobile telecommunications, as well as broadcasting and IP networks is rapid and frequently unpredictable. Business models that were once successful become out of date and old strategies may no longer be applicable. We work with clients by asking them informed questions, and devising and facilitating the process by which they can find successful new strategies. We recognise that the challenges clients face might be about culture, people and succession as much as they are technological, commercial or regulatory.
Ways in which we work in the sector
- Business and regulatory strategy
- We advised a UK client on the development of the regulatory framework for telecoms in the context of Ofcom’s Strategic Review. Our advice identified the importance of information and communications technology (ICT) innovation for economic growth; the need to modify the prevailing approach to regulation to tap into gains from telecom innovation; and of quantifying the benefits from a regulatory approach that ensured equivalence of access. Our client published our papers and presented others to Ofcom. Subsequently, Ofcom introduced major changes to the regulatory framework to deliver real equivalence of access, including operational separation of BT’s access network from the rest of BT.
- Public and regulatory policy
- We provided advice to a leading Middle Eastern telecommunications regulator on whether or not local loop unbundling was desirable. This involved meeting key industry participants, undertaking an economic analysis of the broadband market, identifying problems with existing regulatory remedies and an assessment of the options for improving outcomes.
- Stakeholder engagement
- We assisted a UK client in its relations with the regulator and stakeholders during the development of the regulatory regime to deal with investment in a next generation access network. This involved an extensive range of internal workshops, meetings with the regulator and external stakeholders and the publication and presentation of papers at conferences.
- Board services
- We undertook board development with and advised the newly appointed Chief Executive and the Regulation Director of an EU telecoms network on its regulatory strategy and a range of issues in the context of retail and wholesale price reviews. Major issues had arisen that were partly due to poor relationships and inadequate dialogue about the impact of certain key issues in the reviews. We contributed to a tri-partite dialogue between the company, the telecoms regulator and the national government and assisted with the effective presentation of key submissions.
- Performance and value
- We undertook a cost-benefit analysis for a major European regulator on the net benefits of a proposal to register providers of premium rate telephony services. This involved meeting a broad range of industry and consumer stakeholders, developing an economic framework for identifying and evaluating costs and benefits, gathering data on the sector and the costs and benefits of the registration service and reporting on our findings.