Telecommunications Reform in Samoa The Introduction of Competition Law

Abstract

— Legislative and regulatory reforms in the telecommunications sector of Pacific Small Island Developing States (“SIDS”) stands out from the wider Asia Pacific region. Samoa was the first of the Pacific SIDS to undergo telecommunications reform. With the enactment of Samoa’s first Competition and Consumer Act (2016) (“the Act”), this article presents our preliminary findings from initial evidence exploring the interface between competition law and telecommunications reform in Samoa, following commencement of the Act in 2017, effectively repealing the Fair Trading Act 1998 and the Consumer Information Act 1989. It also seeks to understand the effective approaches to help redress regulatory and legislative compliance issues in the telecommunications sector. Key lessons from this research will be pivotal for the Telecommunications and Competition law makers in both Samoa and the Pacific SIDS. Research in this area will further address this gap in the literature and present credible evidence to build up a knowledge base about the role of competition law in Samoa telecommunications reform whilst contributing to the discourse of competition law and telecommunications reform in the Pacific SIDS region.