convergence and the world trade organization

The 1990s have seen the emergence of convergence in which the use of a common underlying technology has significantly bridged the distance between the telecommuniations, computer and the audiovisual industries. Converged technologies have important ramifications for international trade especially if e-commerce develops rapidly. But existing rules of international trade may act as obstacles to the speedy growth of the converged medium. This article examines the impact of convergence on the various rules and agreements administered by the World Trade Organization (WTO), and vice versa. It concludes that there is a need to review the provisions of some of the rules administered by the WTO to enable the multilateral trading system to deal adequately with convergence and to ensure that benefits are spread widely.