The initiatives in the telecommunication sector show how reforms that succeed in increasing competition in previously sheltered sectors considerably enhance productivity and lower prices. As network industries provide inputs to the rest of the economy, this may also increase the rate at which the economy can grow without creating inflationary pressure.
Nevertheless, an important unfinished agenda remains to be tackled in almost all network industries. In order to reap the full economic benefits, it is important that reforms in network industries are accompanied by an appropriate regulatory framework which ensures non-discriminatory access to the bottleneck infrastructure and more generally, a "level playing field" for all market participants.