Questionnaires to Assess Services Trade
Policy and Performance

World Bank Research Program on Trade in Services

Long version

An assessment of policy and performance in services is frequently frustrated by the dearth of data. Empirical research has, in turn, been inhibited by the absence of clear guidelines on what data should be (and can be) collected. These templates seek to identify the key variables on which data is needed. They shall form the basis for research undertaken in collaboration with a number of institutions and regional networks.

The template for each sector is divided into three parts:

  • The policysection covers: the conditions of competition in the sector, notably policy restrictions on entry; restrictions on ownership, private and foreign; regulation, including measures to ensure access to the network, and measures to achieve social objectives such as universal access. The emphasis is on policies affecting international trade and investment in services, rather than more general policies affecting the service sector.
  • The market structuresection covers information on the number of firms, their market shares and actual ownership patterns.
  • The sector performancesection covers price and quality measures as well as employment and investment data. The availability of data, particularly over time for a cross-section of countries, should make it possible to examine the relationship between policies and performance, and to identify priorities for reform.

Critical feedback on the templates is welcome.

Telecommunications—Fixed Line Services

Note: Unless specified, please give information for the latest year available and indicate which year. If insufficient space is provided, please attach additional information on separate sheets.

I. Policy Section

A. Market Access

1. Are there policy restrictions on new entry?
Entry by any firm / If yes, total number of firms allowed /
Entry by foreign firms / If yes, number of foreign firms allowed
Local services[1] /  No  Yes /  No  Yes
Long distance /  No  Yes /  No  Yes
International /  No  Yes /  No  Yes
Leased line[2] /  No  Yes /  No  Yes
2. If entry is restricted, what are the reasons provided by the government?
 To give incumbents time to prepare for competition.
 To increase government revenue from privatization or license fees
 Exclusive rights believed necessary to attract (strategic) investment
 Exclusive rights to allow the provision of universal service
 Other: ______
3. Is interconnection to the public switched network allowed in principle?
 No  Yes
4. Are there any restrictions on the provision of basic telecommunication services through networks other than the public switched network?
Cable television network No  Yes
Internet No  Yes
Satellite No  Yes
Other: ______ No  Yes
If yes, please explain the nature of the restrictions:
5. Do market entrants have to use the incumbent carrier’s gateway(s) for international connections?
 No  Yes
6. Is third party resale of lease line capacity permitted?
Domestic No  Yes
International No  Yes
If yes, please specify the designated countries: ______

B. Ownership

7. Is private ownership in the provision of services allowed?
Existing operators / Maximum private equity permitted (%) /
New entrants / Maximum private equity permitted (%)
Local services /  No  Yes /  No  Yes
Long distance /  No  Yes /  No  Yes
International /  No  Yes /  No  Yes
Leased line /  No  Yes /  No  Yes
8. Is foreign ownership in the provision of services allowed?
Existing operators / Maximum foreign equity permitted (%) /
New entrants / Maximum foreign equity permitted (%)
Local services /  No  Yes /  No  Yes
Long distance /  No  Yes /  No  Yes
International /  No  Yes /  No  Yes
Leased line /  No  Yes /  No  Yes
9. Are there any restrictions on companies offering services in more than one market segment (local, long distance, international, leased line)?
 No  Yes
If yes, please explain the nature of these restrictions: ______

C. Regulation

10. Institutional status of sector regulator
a) When was the regulator established? ______
b) Is the sector regulator independent from the incumbent PTO? No  Yes
c) If yes to b), is the regulator independent from the sector ministry? No  Yes
d) How is the sector regulator financed?
License and other fees ___% State budget ___% Other (______): ___%
e) How many technical and economic professionals are employed? ______
11. Please indicate regulatory responsibilities for the following functions:
Licensing / Setting of interconnection rates / Regulation of retail tariffs / Dispute settlement and arbitration / Regulation of cable television
Operator /  /  /  /  / 
Ministry /  /  /  /  / 
Regulator /  /  /  /  / 
Other (specify)
12. How are licenses for fixed line services allocated?
a)If the number of providers is not limited by policy , specify the main conditions new entrants must fulfill.
 Payment of license fee (indicate amount in local currency: ______)
 Other: ______
b)If the number of providers is limited by policy, through what mechanism are licenses
allocated?
 Competitive tender
 Discretionary decision by the licensing authority
 Other:______
c)Do licenses foresee specific network roll-out plans?
 No  Yes
d)Are foreign firms subject to different licensing requirements from domestic firms?
 No Yes
If yes, please specify what additional requirements have to be met by foreign operators:
e)Do licenses grant exclusivity periods?
 No  Yes
If yes, please indicate for the relevant market segments (local, long distance, international, leased line) when the exclusivity period will expire? ______
13. Regulation of network interconnection
a)How are interconnection agreements among carriers determined?
 Private negotiations between parties
 Private negotiations, but general terms determined by regulatory agency
 Detailed terms of interconnection determined by the regulatory agency
 Other: ______
b)Which of the following aspects of interconnection are set by the regulatory agency?
 Technical standards
 Procedures for interconnection
 Time frames for interconnection
 Points of interconnection
 Price of interconnection
 Other: ______
c)Are interconnection agreements required to be made public?
 No  Yes
d)Which of the following interconnection pricing rules are applied in your country?
 Reciprocal pricing[3]
 Unbundling[4]
 Imputation[5]
 Other: ______
14. End-user tariffs
a)How are end-user tariffs determined in your country?
 By market forces (i.e., not regulated)
 Price caps established by the regulator
 Rate of return regulation
 Other: ______
b)Is there a plan to rebalance tariffs in your country?[6]
 No Yes
If yes, please indicate when this plan is scheduled to be completed: ______
15.Public consultation and transparency
a)Which of the following are consulted in advance of regulatory decisions?
 Service providers
 Consumer groups
 User industries
 Other: ______
b)How are laws and regulatory decisions made public?
 Published on the regulator’s website
 Published in an official gazette
 Other: ______
D. Regional Integration Agreements in Fixed Line Services

16. Please indicate if there are any preferential arrangements and/or cooperative arrangements affecting fixed line services, and list the preferential measures.[7]

Name of agreement / Partner country(s) in agreement / Date of entry into force /
Preferential measures

E. Past and Future Changes in Policy

  1. Please indicate major changes in market access policies, ownership rules, and regulation since 1985 1990 as well as changes that are anticipated (e.g., privatization of incumbent operator, introduction of competition, creation of an independent regulatory agency).

Area of policy change (market access, ownership or regulation) / Year of policy change /
Description of policy change

F. Universal Service

18. How does the government define universal service (or universal access)?
19. What are the policy instruments used to pursue the universal service objective?
 Roll-out obligations in services licenses
 Subsidies to operator(s), e.g., from universal service funds or state budgets
 Vouchers for target consumers
 Other: ______
20. On which service suppliers are universal service obligations imposed?
 Incumbent operator
 Private operators offering local services
 Private operators offering long distance and international services
 Other:______

II. Market Structure Section

21. Please list the characteristics of all facilities-based operators providing local services (starting with the incumbent PTO).

Name of firm / Year the firm first offered services / Market share
Market share / Owners of capital and their respective shares (domestic/foreign)

22. Please list the characteristics of all facilities-based operators providing long distance services (starting with the incumbent PTO).

Name of firm / Year the firm first offered services / Market share
Market share / Owners of capital and their respective shares (domestic/foreign)

23. Please list the characteristics of all facilities-based operators providing international services (starting with the incumbent PTO).

Name of firm / Year the firm first offered services / Market share
Market share / Owners of capital and their respective shares (domestic/foreign)

24. Please list the characteristics of all facilities-based operators providing leased line services (starting with the incumbent PTO).

Name of firm / Year the firm first offered services / Market share
Market share / Owners of capital and their respective shares (domestic/foreign)
25. If third party resale of leased-line capacity is permitted, how many resellers are in the market?
Domestic:_____International:_____

III. Performance Indicators Section

A. Employment

26. Main employment indicators (for the years 1990-2000)
How many people are employed in the provision of fixed line services? ______
What share of the total labor force is employed in this sector? ______
What share of workers in this sector is employed by state-owned operators? ______
What share of workers in this sector is employed by foreign-owned operators? ______
What is the annual average wage in this sector?______
If time-series data from 1990 to 2000 is not available, please collect indicators for the years 1990, 1995 and 2000.If time series data on these employment indicators are available, please attach them separately.

B. Investment

27. Investment indicators (for the years 1990-2000)
What is the total amount of investment in fixed line services? ______
What is the total amount of foreign direct investment in this sector? ______
What is the total stock of foreign direct investment in this sector? ______
If time-series data from 1990 to 2000 is not available, please collect indicators for the years 1990, 1995 and 2000.

C. Prices

28. Please indicate the prices of the following services. Where relevant, distinguish between peak and off-peak charges. For a comprehensive assessment of telecommunications performance, it would be extremely useful to have historical data on prices for the various services. If time series data are available, please attach them separately (preferably electronically).If time series data are available, please attach them separately (preferably electronically).

Service / Price (in local currency) / Date / Comments
Installation charges
Monthly rental chargessubscription for business
Monthly subscription for households
3-minute local call
3-minute domestic long distance call between two major cities
3-minute call to neighboring country:neighboring country:______
3-minute call to Tokyo
3-minute call to London
3-minute call to New YorkLondon
Average interconnection charge with main operator of local services
Monthly leased line charges (capacity:______)
D. Quality and Access to Services

29. Please fill in the following indicators of quality and access to services. If time series data are available, please attach them separately (preferably electronically).

Indicator / Value / Date / Comments
Total number of main telephone lines in the country
Number of main telephone lines in rural areas
Number of main telephone lines in urban areas
Number of payphones and/or call centers
Waiting time for installation of basic telephone services
Waiting list for installation of basic telephone services
Percentage of network that is digitized
Percentage of unsuccessful calls
Are callback services available? /  No Yes
If yes, please since when? _____
Percentage of households with access to cable television

Please, provide the name and contact information of the respondent of this questionnaire, or of a specialist from whom we can obtain clarifications if necessary.

Name______

Telephone______

Fax______

E-mail address:______

Telecommunications—Mobile Services

Note: Unless specified, please give information for the latest year available and indicate which year. If insufficient space is provided, please attach additional information on separate sheets.

I. Policy Section

A. Market Access

1. Are there policy restrictions on new entry?[8]
Entry by any firm / If yes, total number of firms allowed /
Entry by foreign firms / If yes, number of foreign firms allowed
Analogue mobile /  No  Yes /  No  Yes
Digital mobile /  No  Yes /  No  Yes
2. If entry is restricted, what are the reasons provided by the government?
 To give incumbents time to prepare for competition
 To increase government revenue from privatization or license fees
 Exclusive rights believed necessary to attract (strategic) investment
 Limited availability of radio frequencies
 Other: ______

B. Ownership

3. Is private ownership in the provision of services allowed?
Existing operators / Maximum private equity permitted (%) /
New entrants / Maximum private equity permitted (%)
Analogue mobile /  No  Yes /  No  Yes
Digital mobile /  No  Yes /  No  Yes
4. Is foreign ownership in the provision of services allowed?
Existing operators / Maximum foreign equity permitted (%) /
New entrants / Maximum foreign equity permitted (%)
Analogue mobile /  No  Yes /  No  Yes
Digital mobile /  No  Yes /  No  Yes

C. Regulation

5. Please indicate regulatory responsibilities for the following functions:
Licensing / Setting of interconnection rates / Regulation of retail tariffs / Dispute settlement and arbitration /
Spectrum Allocation
Operator /  /  /  /  / 
Ministry /  /  /  /  / 
Regulator /  /  /  /  / 
Other (specify)
6. How are licenses for mobile services allocated?
a) If the number of providers is not limited by policy , specify the main conditions new entrants must fulfill.
 Payment of service license fee (indicate amount in local currency: ______)
 Other: ______
b)If the number of operators is limited by policy, through what mechanism are service
licenses allocated?
 Competitive tender
 Discretionary decision by the licensing authority
 Other:______
c)Are foreign firms subject to different licensing requirements from domestic firms?
 No
 YesIf yes, please specify what additional requirements have to be met by foreign
operators:
d)Do licenses foresee specific network roll-out plans?
 No  Yes
e)Do licenses grant exclusivity periods?
 No  Yes
If yes, please indicate for the relevant market segments (digital, analogue) when the
exclusivity period will expire? ______
7. Allocation of radio spectrum
a)If radio frequencies are not awarded with the service license, through what mechanism
are licenses for radio frequencies allocated?
 Auction
 Discretionary decision by the licensing authority
 First come, first served
 Other:______
b)Is there a separate fee for radio frequency licenses?
 No  Yes If yes, please indicate the average fee paid by operators: ______
8. Regulation of network interconnection
a)How are interconnection agreements between mobile and fixed-line carriers determined?
 Private negotiations between parties
 Private negotiations, but general terms determined by regulatory agency
 Detailed terms of interconnection determined by the regulatory agency
 Other: ______
b)How are interconnection agreements among mobile carriers determined?
 Private negotiations between parties
 Private negotiations, but general terms determined by regulatory agency
 Detailed terms of interconnection determined by the regulatory agency
 Other: ______
c)Which of the following aspects of interconnection are set by the regulatory agency?
 Technical standards
 Procedures for interconnection
 Time frames for interconnection
 Points of interconnection
 Price of interconnection
 Other: ______
d)Are interconnection agreements required to be made public?
 No  Yes
e)Which of the following interconnection pricing rules are applied in your country?
 Reciprocal pricing[9]
 Unbundling[10]
 Imputation[11]
 Other: ______
f)Are mobile carriers allowed to charge for incoming mobile calls?
 No Yes
If yes, do mobile carriers actually charge for incoming calls?  No  Yes
9. How are end-user tariffs for mobile services determined in your country?
 By market forces (i.e., not regulated)
 Price caps established by the regulator
 Rate of return regulation
 Other: ______
10.Public consultation and transparency
a)Which of the following are consulted in advance of regulatory decisions?
 Service providers
 Consumer groups
 User industries
 Other: ______
b)How are laws and regulatory decisions made public?
 Published on the regulator’s website
 Published in an official gazette
 Other: ______
D. Regional Integration Agreements in Mobile Services

11. Please indicate if there are any preferential arrangements and/or cooperative arrangements affecting mobile services, and list the preferential measures.[12]

Name of agreement / Partner country(s) in agreement / Date of entry into force /
Preferential measures

E. Past and Future Changes in Policy

12. Please indicate major changes in market access policies, ownership rules, and regulation since 1990, as well as changes that are anticipated8585 (e.g., grant of additional mobile licenses, relaxation of ownership rules).

Area of policy change (market access, ownership or regulation) / Year of policy change /
Description of policy change

II. Market Structure Section

13. Please list the characteristics of all operators providing analogue mobile services.

Name of firm / Year the firm first offered services / Technology / Market share / Owners of capital and their respective shares (domestic/foreign)

14. Please list the characteristics of all operators providing digital mobile services.

Name of firm / Year the firm first offered services / Technology (e.g., GSM, CMDA) / Market share / Owners of capital and their respective shares (domestic/foreign)

III. Performance Indicators Section

A. Employment

15. Main employment indicators (for the years 1990-2000)
How many people are employed in the provision of mobile services? ______
What share of the total labor force is employed in this sector? ______
What share of workers in this sector is employed by state-owned operators? ______
What share of workers in this sector is employed by foreign-owned service providers? ____
What is the annual average wage in this sector?______
If time-series data from 1990 to 2000 is not available, please collect indicators for the years 1990, 1995 and 2000.
If time series data on these employment indicators are available, please attach them separately.

B. Investment

16. Investment indicators (for the years 1990-2000)
What is the total amount of investment in mobile services? ______
What is the total amount of foreign direct investment in this sector? ______
What is the total stock of foreign direct investment in this sector? ______
If time-series data from 1990 to 2000 is not available, please collect indicators for the years 1990, 1995 and 2000.

C. Prices

17. Please indicate the prices of the following services. Where relevant, distinguish between peak and off-peak charges. For a comprehensive assessment of mobile performance, it would be extremely useful to have historical data on prices for the various services. If time series data are available, please attach them separately (preferably electronically).