Challenges and Solutions for Advancement of LawmakingProcess in Iran's Telecommunications Industry in Light of Criteria Prescribed by International Telecommunication Union

Iran’s telecommunication regulatory body may well serve to frame and implement an executive legal framework to govern the activities and relations of public and private sector in a sense that suitable grounds for smooth activities of private sector is put in to place and the requisites for privatization, liberalization and a fair competition in its various sectors are duly attained. Telecommunication sector in Iran is one of the leading markets for it enjoys a specialized regulatory body. Given its important position, the said regulatory body should enjoy such efficiency in a sense that competitiveness may be maximized in the said market. International Telecommunication Union has set forth principles, norms and objectives for such regulatory bodies. The said norms and principles require the regulatory body to be well-balanced and stable, to stay sufficiently trained, to maintain optimum level of authority and to be prompt, impartial, independent and transparent. This paper seeks to investigate the current status and the organization of the said body with reference to the said norms, criteria and principles set forth by ITU as to work out the advantages and the pitfalls and to propose solutions for challenges faced in advancing and improving competitiveness in telecommunication market in Iran.