Universal service has been an implicit telecommunication policy objective in most countries. In the last decade, a growing number of governments have made their universal service policies more explicit - going so far, in some cases, as to design their entire market structures based partially on the ability of those market structures to deliver universal services or, at least universal access. The liberalization of telecommunications markets through the introduction of competition is changing the way countries approach universal service and universal access policies. This is due, in part, to the fact that services are being provisioned at a more rapid pace, prices are falling and new and innovative services are being introduced.