In 2002, new European Directives changed the way the electronic communications sector operated creating an entirely new regulatory framework. They were to be implemented in each Member State by 2003. Now that the new regime is settling down, this work provides practical guidance on the Directives package, and deciphers the complex puzzle of how they fit together. It both explains the new regime and addresses its practical implementation, looking at how it has been implemented in each Member State and assessing the decisions of individual national regulators. This work: makes a complex regime understandable, clearly explaining the Directives, the principles on which they are based and their interaction; sets out the obligations imposed on telecommunications operators by the regime; shows how the Directives are being applied and are working in practice; highlights the different ways each Member State is implementing the new regime; brings together in one source decisions of the key regulators and court rulings on the new regime from across Europe; examines the regime's transitional arrangements; and provides an overview comparing the different regulatory regimes in Member States and the various obligations now imposed on operators under the new regime.