Trends in Communications Sector Reform and Regulation for the?Digital?Economy

This course explores the transformative trends shaping the transition to digital economies. It highlights the relevance of regulation in key sectors from telecoms and broadcasting to e-commerce, smart cities and digital government.

Course Overview

This month-long online course is instructor-led and provided by the LINK Centre in partnership with the ITU Academy. Participants will examine emerging technologies, innovation ecosystems, and their regulatory implications, while developing practical skills such as regulatory impact assessment and strategic foresight. Through interactive sessions and group exercises, the course connects global trends to local contexts, equipping regulatory professionals to design effective, future-oriented regulatory strategies that drive digital innovation and growth.

The course will enhance your understanding of advancing policy, legal and regulatory trends in telecoms, in smart environments, in the transition to digital audio-visual media, in digitally enabled business, in competition regulation, and in trade facilitation that enables the African and global digital economy.

This course is aimed at:

• Regulatory professionals, regulatory researchers, decision-makers and professionals active in policy- and law-making, in particular those working in national and local government policy units, those working in national and regional regulatory authorities, those engaged in legal drafting, and those responsible for parliamentary oversight
• Professionals active in the broad electronic communications sector (e.g., regulatory departments of mobile operators), lawyers, consultants, journalists, union officials, and representatives of NGOs involved in the broad sector

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Actively discuss the changes in the nature of the policy, legal and regulatory landscape, in the context of the transition to digital economies and smart cities/industries
• Identify the policy and regulatory issues relevant to their institutions and the evolving electronic communications sector and digital economy in their respective countries
• Examine some of the specific features of telecoms, broadcast/audio-visual media, smart post and other smart environment regulation
• Critically analyse ideas pertaining to digital innovation, digital transformation, competition and regulatory innovation
• Engage in the extensive reading required for policy and regulatory leadership

Nokhanyo Yolwa, LINK Centre Short Course and Degree Coordinator
nokhanyo.yolwa@wits.ac.za,  tel: +27-11-717-4193

Course Convenor

Dr. Ntsibane Ntlatlapa, LINK Centre Associate Professor
ntsibane.ntlatlapa@wits.ac.za  cc: nokhanyo.yolwa@wits.ac.za  

Application for Registration

To apply for registration, please create an account with the ITU Academy and apply via this online form.