This paper provides an overview of the process of market liberalization and changes to the regulatory regime that followed the Agreement in September 1999 between the monopoly telephone company, Cable and Wireless Jamaica Limited, and the Government of Jamaica to dismantle the company's monopoly. Efforts by the multi-sectoral regulatory body, the Office of Utilities Regulation, in building institutional capacity and facilitating interconnection between the new entrants and the incumbent are examined. Policy outcomes of the reform measures undertaken to date show that substantial progress has been made in transforming the telecommunications landscape in Jamaica from a monopoly structure to a competitive regime. Amidst the gains, however, are problems such as the financial constraints facing other key regulatory institutions, the Fair Trading Commission and the Spectrum Management Authority, which hinder their ability to discharge their statutory regulatory duties.
