OECD Telecommunication country reviews assess a country’s overall market performance and the underlying policy and regulatory framework. They benchmark the results against best practices in the OECD area to develop tailored recommendations on how to improve high-quality connectivity through improvements in policies and the overall legal and regulatory framework.

For example, following the OECD Review of Telecommunication Policy and Regulation in Mexico of 2012, the country overhauled its communication regulatory framework. The 2013 reform created a strong, independent and convergent regulator, the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) and removed restrictions on foreign direct investment in the telecommunication sector. As a result, the competitive environment in this market has changed substantially.

Out of the 31 recommendations set out in the 2012 Review, Mexico implemented 28 of them as testified by the OECD Telecommunication and Broadcasting Review of Mexico 2017. Since 2013 and up to 2022, Mexico added 92 million mobile broadband subscriptions and saw a sharp decline in mobile broadband prices of between 69% and 85%. Many of those newly connected accessed the Internet for the first time.

The OECD has also embarked on regional reviews of connectivity in strategic regions such as Latin America and the Caribbean (the OECD-IDB Broadband Policy Toolkit for LAC) and Southeast Asia. The report Extending Broadband Connectivity in Southeast Asia helps policymakers in the region design the next generation of policies to expand and improve the quality of broadband networks. Building on the principles of the OECD Council Recommendation on Broadband Connectivity, which has been tailored for the first time to a specific region, the report provides insights for future communication policies in Southeast Asia by deep-diving into five countries, namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam. It provides recommendations to foster competition and investment, and bridge the digital divide.