As the telecom industry continues to take on a global nature while moving toward deploying next-generation technologies, companies both here and abroad are in more contact than ever with diverse standards and government regulation.

That evolving reality, with a particular spotlight on China, was the focus of a panel discussion held by the Telecommunication Industry Association at NXTcomm on Tuesday.

Moderated by Grant Seiffert, president of the TIA, the panel brought together regulatory, vendor and service provider figures, including Hao Weimin, vice chairman of the China Association of Communications Enterprises; Greg Shea, president of the U.S. Information Technology Office in Beijing; Bob Crow, vice president of industry, government and university relations for Research in Motion; David Young, director of Internet and technology policy for Verizon; and Bill Olsen, a fellow in the technical staff for Motorola.

Seiffert said both the U.S. and worldwide telecom industries are continuing to grow, particularly in the broadband and wireless segments. But continued expansion brings companies in contact with varied political and regulatory environments. The TIA, for its, part works to help companies navigate this maze.

“While every regime is different, we can advocate for a light-touch regulatory policy,” he said. “No vendor wants to be left behind simply because he didn’t keep up with the rate of innovation.”

China, whose own telecom industry was initially galvanized by hardware vendors such as Huawei and ZTE, is now seeing its service providers follow in that wake with many, such as China Netcom, opening offices in other countries. But as technologies and networks evolve, Chinese companies must continue to evolve in their dealings with the tighter business regulations of their government.

“We must be able to change the philosophy of our business and of our networks to the new environment,” said How.

American companies aren’t immune from the need to take a new look at their operations as they continue to go global, either. RIM’s Crow said his company studies how their devices are in different cultures and conducts cultural sensitivity training for staff.

“We as North Americans must not assume that the apps and the devices we sell aren’t necessarily the kind of apps and devices that will translate well in other markets,” he said.

All companies must work closely with regulatory bodies, said Motorola’s Olsen. He said he would like to see worldwide sets of standards in areas such as wireless and in environmental benchmarks to help smooth companies’ expansion outside their borders.
“It’s important to have converged standards that harmonious across different markets,” he said.