ITU defines an international gateway as any facility through which electronic communications (voice, data and video) can be sent between the domestic networks of one country and another. In practice, the gateways provide links either to an international (often submarine) cable system, or to a satellite through an Earth station. Whether terrestrial or Space-based, their purpose is to aggregate and distribute incoming and outgoing international voice and data traffic.rnBut as well as providing connections, international gateways are also potential bottlenecks that may restrict traffic flows and thus cause artificially high prices. To overcome this, regulatory frameworks are needed that introduce new models of sharing and collocation, and that encourage competition through lowering the barriers to new market entrants.
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