Privatizing Poland's Telecom Industry: Opportunities & Challenges in the New Economy & e-Business

As it entered the 21st century, the Polish government faced the dilemma of how to develop an optimal telecom structure and related services. For decades, the government owned and operated a national telecom monopoly, but in the late 1990s they gradually allowed the entry of some competitors, many of whom brought new technologies. The government had undertaken a major privatization program, and it faced the question of whether, and how, it should privatize; yet privatization would have to be accompanied by ongoing regulation in order to ensure that managerial decisions were made in the interests of the nation, as a whole. This challenge of continual government intervention could reduce the attractiveness of acquiring the government-owned agency, in spite of its market dominance. Students will have the opportunity to: analyze the telecommunications industry in Poland; determine the technological changes that will impact the future of telecommunications throughout the world and the Polish telecom industry; examine the current regulatory environment in the Polish telecommunication market; evaluate the current state of, and the opportunities in, e-business in Poland and the rest of Europe; and, develop a comprehensive action plan for a joint venture partner.