§ Mr. Douglasasked the Prime Minister what information she has as to whether the United States Government have received an assurance from their Japanese counterparts that two licences are to be issued in relation to the development of the second KDD telecommunications network; and whether she has herself received such an assurance from the Japanese Prime Minister or his Ministers.
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§ The Prime MinisterWhen I saw Prime Minister Nakasone at the Venice summit, I discussed the bid by Cable and Wireless, with its IDC partners, to obtain a licence to provide alternative international services in competition with KDD, the existing operator. Mr. Nakasone said that the Japanese Government would be prepared to consider two applications for licences.
§ Mr. Michael Marshallasked the Prime Minister whether the conclusions drawn from Her Majesty's, Government's comparison of British and Japanese practices in the liberalisation of their respective telecommunications industries will affect the attitude of her Administration to future collaborative projects in this field.
§ The Prime MinisterThe Government welcomed the changes in Japanese law in 1985 to permit liberalisation and competition in the field of telecommunications. This followed similar developments in the United Kingdom. The Government hope that the application of Japanese law will enable co-operation to develop in this sector.