iii We are now entering a new era of communications. The future of the digital world is happening now. ITU stands fully prepared to support its membership to lead and open the door to a wealth of possibilities. I am pleased to present the 15th annual edition of Trends in Telecommunication Reform. This year’s Trends report seeks to advance the global discussion of ICTs by focusing on how the benefits of an increasingly digital world can best be made available to users around the world in a way that gives users access to the most advanced services, provides businesses with appropriate incentives for innovation and ensures that policy-makers have the right tools to evaluate how well policies fostering digital inclusion are being implemented. Thus, the theme of this year’s Trends report is: “Getting ready for the digital economy.” But are we ready? As broadband services become more widespread around the world, and as new applications and services are developed to serve new needs and challenge existing business models, the issues confronting ICT regulators and policy-makers are becoming more complex. Today, services can be provided by a variety of competitors irrespective of location—some may be local, but others may provide services from beyond a country’s borders. As a result, new or updated regulatory approaches will be needed to ensure not only that innovation continues to flourish, but that consumers—and their data—remain protected. Although each country is unique, there are common lessons that can be learned.To support policy-makers and regulators in getting ready for an increasingly digital society and economy, this Trends report analyses how the changes that are taking place in the digital ecosystem are impacting both individual consumers and businesses and society at large. It explores the implications of these changes for national ICT policy and legal/regulatory frameworks, and discusses how policy-makers and regulators can address the new challenges raised by the digital economy in a smart, efficient and effective way. The report addresses range of issues that span the full range of ICT policy-making, and delves into some important, but challenging, questions. As ICT networks and services constitute the bedrock of the digital economy, why is competition important and how can barriers to competition be reduced? How can spectrum policy be updated to balance the growing demand for broadband spectrum with increasingly crowded spectrum allocations; can changes to licensing and more spectrum sharing help? How can the power of Big Data best be harnessed, while ensuring that appropriate regulations exist to protect consumers and their data? What can policy-makers, regulators and industry do to ensure that digital consumers are protected? How can the data that the digital ecosystem now produces in vast quantities impact business models and what implications does this have for the digital economy overall? Finally, how can the implementation of broadband plans and strategies be appropriately monitored? How to gauge success and identify areas for improvement? To answer those questions, this edition draws up from discussion papers presented at the ITU Global Symposium for Regulators, held in 2014, in Bahrain.The International Telecommunication Union is dedicated to helping regulators and policy-makers around the world navigate the Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2015 Foreword