illustrate areas of potential collaboration in the interest of sustainability and the achievement of development goals.5.3.9.3 Collaboration to enable availability of big data “Big data” continues to transform the way we live and work, altering the relationships between government, citizens, businesses, and consumers. Public policy can set a platform for the public and private sectors to maximize the benefits of big data while minimizing its risks. Ideally, public policy should identify opportunities for big data to grow economies and promote the development of scalable, replicable and commercially sustainable mobile applications and services. However, it has not been possible to seize such opportunities in some countries due to policy gaps. For example, in some countries, meteorological departments have blocked MNOs from using private weather information, reinforcing government monopolies on this type of information. This kind of barrier hinders the uptake and value propositions of some commercial services and apps, including for agriculture solutions.67 Regulators could consider partnering to unlock opportunities with development potential and to leverage the widespread use and availability of mobile networks and services.5.3.9.4 Collaboration to enable protection of intellectual property rights In the digital economy, copyright law continues to perform the critical function of encouraging new creative work. But it also has a wider impact, playing a significant role in fostering innovation.68 The impact of copyright is therefore now much wider than the creative industry alone. Digital technologies, the companies that exploit them and the business models they facilitate are all potentially impacted by copyright.Endemic copyright infringement facilitated by broadband infrastructure has drawn the MNOs and Internet communities into a debate on intellectual property rights (IPRs). The film, music, software, publishing and television industries are putting pressure on communication regulators to more actively address copyright infringement by companies and consumers. Yet, at the same time, regulators must encourage investment and service innovation within the digital economy.69 The ICT sector regulator needs to ensure that there is a balanced, proportionate and robust mechanism for players in the digital economy to flourish, so that societal benefits can be realized.IPR issues commonly fall outside the mandate of the ICT regulator. Pursuing partnerships with IP regulators will be mutually beneficial in efforts to encourage development of relevant digital content and in fostering an open and competitive digital environment.5.3.9.5 Collaboration for optimal taxation MNOs are significant contributors to national economies, and they do stimulate activities in the wider economy, further boosting GDP. A range of taxes are levied on MNOs and consumers, such as excise duties on mobile handsets, sales taxes on airtime usage, and revenue share levies on mobile operators. These taxes contribute to a high tax burden, which can prevent consumer take-up of mobile services, discourage consumer usage and hinder investment in networks and services.According to the ITU, although telecommunication/ICT sector tax revenues play an important role in supporting national public services, this role must be weighed against the potentially adverse effects that over-taxation can bring to the growth of the telecommunication/ICT sector, broadband penetration, and national economic growth.70 In this regard, the European Commission High Level Expert Group on Taxation of the Digital Economy has examined the best ways of taxing the digital economy in the EU, weighing both the benefits and risks of various approaches.71 Adoption of an optimal taxation policy that balances government revenue needs, socio-economic development goals and international competitiveness is imperative. The impact of both direct and indirect taxation on the ICT sector remains a continuing concern for governments, businesses and consumers alike. Affordability and access to mobile services are vital, so regulators should play a key role on sector taxation matters to amplify the positive impacts from adjustment of tax rates.In Kenya, the removal of a 16 per cent value-added tax (VAT) on mobile phone handsets in June 2009 140 Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2016