As described in the WTO's Introductory Regulatory Initiatives in Services (1999):

"Regulatory disciplines specific to telecommunications services are primarily found in the GATS Annex on Telecommunications, which applies to all WTO Members, and in the 'Reference Paper' on regulatory principles (dated 24 April, 1996) drawn up in the WTO Negotiating Group on Basic Telecommunications...

"The core obligations of the Telecommunications Annex are contained in paragraph 5, entitled 'Access to and use of Public Telecommunications Transport Networks and Services' (essentially regarding basic telecommunications that are required, explicitly or in effect, to be made generally available to the public). Paragraph 4 of the Annex obliges governments to ensure the transparency of 'information on conditions affecting access to and use of' basic public telecommunications. Regarding technical standards, paragraph 7(a) of the Annex states, 'Members recognize the importance of international standards for global compatibility in inter-operability of telecommunication networks and services and undertake to promote such standards through the work of relevant international bodies, including the International Telecommunication Union and the International Organization for Standardization.'

"The Reference Paper, which was voluntarily added to Members' schedules as part of the telecommunications negotiations which concluded in February 1997, contains provisions regarding competitive safeguards, interconnection arrangements, universal service obligations, licensing criteria, regulatory independence and the allocation of scarce resources. In many cases, these provisions draw upon the principles laid out in GATS Article VI:4 (i.e. paragraphs (a)-(c)), and add greater specificity or, in some instances, may expand upon the existing coverage and scope of GATS Article VI: As of the February 1997 negotiating deadline, 63 of the 69 governments submitting schedules included commitments on regulatory disciplines, with 57 of these committing to the Reference Paper in whole or with a few modifications."

The telecommunications sector is part of the Internet's infrastructure.