Spire Research and Consulting was appointed by the U.S. Chambers of Commerce to quantify the global economic impact of countries liberalizing the acceptance of cross-border Information and Communications Technology (ICT) services. The study was carried out in Brazil, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, Turkey, Nigeria, Vietnam and the European Union. The U.S. Chambers of Commerce published the results of this study on their corporate website.

Spire’s study aimed to assess the economic impact of global liberalization of cross-border ICT services. The study concluded that a positive policy environment will assist in creating opportunities for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, revenues, new jobs and businesses.

To conduct this study, Spire studied regulatory issues and other barriers applicable to cross-border ICT services, as well as interviewing ICT industry participants.

Spire examined the impact of an open policy and regulatory environment for ICT services on both customers and service providers. The study found that liberalizing cross-border ICT services would generate cost savings, stimulate new business to boost jobs as well as lead to economic growth across countries.

However, major market inhibitors observed included a lack of trust in cross-border IT vendors, communication barriers due to language and culture as well as a lack of awareness of offshore services.

It was found that most users had a preference for local service providers, in some cases due to limited availability of broadband internet.