A hands-on business focus to address the issues that arise when considering a telecommunications investment in markets outside the United States. The myriad issues involved in developing a business plan will be addressed, including estimating revenues and costs, sources of data, network costing issues, and interconnection. Students will be given a thorough theoretical background in economics and regulatory trends in international telecommunications. A framework for assessing the regulatory climate in a target country will be developed and applied with multiple national examples. Different models of national approaches to telecommunications reform and liberalization will be described and critiqued. Special attention will be given to the policy frameworks developed by the European Union, the WTO Reference Paper, and other multilateral organizations such as APEC and the OECS. Students will form multidisciplinary teams addressing marketing, technology, and regulatory affairs, and will be asked to provide to the class a board of directors-level assessment of a potential national opportunity.

This course will introduce the student to the theoretical and practical issues involved in developing a business plan to address an identified market opportunity in telecommunications outside the United States. At the end of the class you will have been exposed to theoretical and computational complexities of developing a business plan suitable for presentation to a potential investor. You will understand the relationships between theoretical and academic concepts and their practical application, some tools for addressing the lack of data, the importance of partner relationships in international ventures, and the financial calculations to determine venture viability. Sources of information will be explored and the need for strategic inference from incomplete and contradictory data will be exercised. The importance of team work will be evident.

Graduate standing or instructor consent.

None.

Spreadsheet software, Internet, and e-mail access. Students will access course materials using CULearn. Go to culearn.colorado.edu for logon information and browser settings.