This is one of the dilemmas facing national policymakers in developing countries, both domestically and at the global level. The regulation of ICTs is heavily influenced by the changing role of government and by business imperatives. This liberalization is also the dominant force in industry. When dealing with ICTs, policymakers are confronted by widely varying cultural and economic values. The computer industry is free-wheeling, entrepreneurial, idiosyncratic, global, and unregulated.
Telecommunications is mostly nationalistic, monopolistic, and highly regulated.
So far, deregulation has been somewhat of a myth. Although there is a strong trend toward the liberalization of ownership and control, this has only come about through more regulation. The role of international organizations is crucial especially in telecommunications, because of the requirement to have standardized or compatible protocols between the two ends of the connection. Otherwise, communication literally cannot take place. The creation of the WTO moved telecommunications from being a distinct sector, dominated by state bodies, to the mainstream of trade.