Telecommunications provides one of the most well-developed examples of the growth
of neo-liberalism. The sector is interesting since the contrast between its pre neoliberal
and post neo-liberal characteristics is particularly stark. This paper explores the
impacts of neo-liberalism in European telecommunications, placing particular focus
on the EU institutional context. It considers the conseqences of neo-liberalism as
ideology, on the one hand, and practice, on the other. It finds that, ideologically, neoliberalism
has become deeply pervasive in European telecommunications and for its
advocates can be regarded as a highly successful project spanning almost 30 years. In
terms of practice, the paper argues that the pursuit of neo-liberalism has been less
successful. In particular, competition has proven complex and difficult to create and
there are concerns over the ability of the neo-liberal model to provide sufficient
investment to deliver new Next Generation Networks. However, these deficiencies
tend to be under-played due to the ideological and rhetorical success of the neo-liberal
project in telecommunications.
