Audiovisual and telecommunications services - A review of definitions under WTO law

This paper aims at reviewing the definitions given to the concept of telecommunications and audio-visual services in WTO instruments. In a first section, I will identify the instruments which contain useful information to address the issue. I will then analyse the content of the definitions (second section). In the third section, I will attempt to confront these definitions with developments in the markets. The issue is indeed to determine whether the definitions that may be found do correspond with the trend that is currently unfolding, and lead to a new information society industry where boundaries between traditional sectors (telecom, audio-visual, information) fade away.