Liberalisation of telecommunication equipment industry in Spain, 1963-1973

Abstract

In studies of economic history, the telecommunications equipment industry has never managed to occupy the place of a branch whose powerful impact on strategic infrastructure makes it so essential for economic development. To remedy this grievance to some extent, this article explores and explains the substantial changes that took place in the telecommunications industry in Spain during the decade 1963-1973. Such changes are seen in the context of the existing market structure and the transformations which have occurred in the country's macroeconomic framework, characterized by the Francoist development policy. A brief review of the literature leads to the discussion of the problem of national bases of an industry dominated by multinationals. The article adopts the dual perspective of supply and demand with a strong interdisciplinary approach essentially based on primary sources, whether private or public businesses, and general public sources and various newspaper and periodical libraries.