STANDARDS, TRADE AND COMPETITION IN THE EMERGING GLOBAL INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE ENVIRONMENT

Decentralized construction of the Global Information Infrastructure (G II) is substituting market-driven, 'de facto' standards and voluntary agreements on standards for technical compatibility, in place of the e ngineering decisions once made by public (and quasi-public) telecommun ications network operators. Due to strategic economic behaviours on th e part of private businesses and national governments, the goal of a f ully interoperable GII remains elusive. The Internet does not offer an entirely credible alternative model, as the standards that have facil itated its explosive growth also are contributing to serious congestio n problems, and the solutions proposed point to the Internet's re-inte gration into the public switched telecommunications network. Technical standards will shape the GII's implications for international trade a nd competition, and thus raise important, but inadequately recognized issues for regulation, competition and trade policy. Copyright (C) 199 6 Elsevier Science Ltd