LIST OF
ISSUES TO CONSIDER
A.
Technical issues
A1.
How stable is the definition of 3G mobile? How can the remaining
‘standardization’ issues relating to 3G be resolved?
A2.
What are the technical issues generating concerns over a smooth
migration of 2G to 2.5G to 3G mobile services? What measures can be
adopted to resolve these problems?
A3.
In what ways do technical issues affect the licensing process? To
what extent should there be flexibility for licensed operators to choose
their preferred technical platform to deliver 3G wireless services?
B.
The demand for 3G services
B1. Will
the absence of a single global technology affect the speed of 3G roll-out?
Will regional-national markets for hardware and applications/services
develop? If so, will this have any effect on the deployment of 3G in small
and low-income economies?
B2. How
big is the market for 3G likely to become and do these forecasts justify
the high prices paid for 3G licences and network roll-out? (For example,
to what extent does the experience with NTT DoCoMo’s
i-mode service provide evidence of market demand and will
this apply also outside Japan?)
B3. Market
take-up of 3G mobile Internet will obviously depend on attractive pricing
which in turn depends on flexible billing systems. What sort of pricing
packages are likely to appeal to different types of consumers?
B4. Are
the costs of deploying 3G likely to be an impediment to roll-out? Under
what conditions should cost sharing be permitted/encouraged?
B5. To
what extent have delays in the introduction of 3G services been a major
problem? Are delays only to be expected (since delays in the introduction
of new technologies are common)?
C.
Licensing policies
C1.
What are the relative advantages of auctions and beauty contests?
Is it feasible to construct a ‘hybrid’ approach that optimises the
advantages of each?
C2.
What broad principles should guide 3G licensing (e.g.,
transparency, non-discrimination, efficient resource allocation etc…)?
C3.
How might the special circumstances prevailing in developing
countries be recognised in 3G licensing?
C4.
What sort of obligations might be placed on 3G licensees (e.g,
network deployment, social obligations, environmental obligations etc)?
How should possible delays in deployment be handled by regulators?
C5.
Do the potential gains of infrastructure sharing exceed its costs?
What conditions should be met in order to help ensure that the gains of
infrastructure sharing are maximised and costs minimised?
C6.
Should spectrum trading be permitted? Under what conditions?
C7.
How should radio spectrum left unused after the first round of
issuing 3G licences be dealt with? What
factors should determine the organization of subsequent licensing rounds
(e.g. in order to assign the additional radio spectrum identified at
WRC-2000 for IMT-2000 applications; additional spectrum will be needed
between 2005 and 2010 to accommodate the expected increase of the 3G
traffic)?
C8.
Should national and international roaming be part of a 3G licence
condition or left to market conditions? What further regulatory safeguards
are necessary to ensure terms and conditions that allow effective and
affordable roaming?
C9.
Given that is quite likely that existing incumbent carriers will
gain control of licenses to be granted, should one or more of those
license be reserved for new entrants? If yes, under what conditions?
D.
Enhancing the competitive landscape
D1.
What regulatory provision should be made for resale of 3G services
and network capacity?
D2.
Should access by Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) to 3G
networks be inscribed as a license condition (as in Hong Kong) or left to
the market?
D3. Under
what conditions should infrastructure sharing be permitted/encouraged?
D4.
What are the implications of 3G mobile Internet for interconnection
arrangements? Is this an area for regulatory intervention?
D5.
In what ways will the different usage patterns engendered by the
use of 3G mobile handsets for voice, information retrieval, as well as
messaging require changes from today’s regime for interconnection
arrangements, for instance to accommodate “always on” connections?
D6.
What characteristics in the licensing of 3G mobile operators are
likely to contribute to a reduction in interconnection rates and retail
tariffs?
E.
Globalising 3G and the role of international agencies
E1.
What measures can be adopted to address impediments to
international roaming?
E2.
What measures can be adopted to facilitate the global circulation
of IMT-2000 terminals?
E3.
In what areas would closer international co-ordination help in
resolving the regulatory and economic issues raised by 3G mobile services?
What roles are international agencies/organisations playing? What roles
should they be playing?
E4.
What role, if any, should the ITU play in regard to the regulatory
and economic issues raised by 3G mobile service?
E5.
Is there a role for the ITU in efforts to resolve 3G issues of an
international nature, including interconnection disputes, roaming, and
global circulation of 3G terminals?
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