Functional separation: experiences from telecommunications and other infrastructure based industries

For many years the relationship between fixed incumbents and new entrants has been fraught with difficulties. Over the years has been sought to resolve these difficulties, with functional separation, the focus of this special issue, being the latest one. The implementation of functional separation in the UK in late 2005 and the vocal support of the former Information Society Commissioner Reding in the European Union have highlighted separation as a regulatory tool, and encouraged discussion of its appropriateness elsewhere in Europe and farther afield.