The Ordinance brings together into law the relevantant telecommunications-related EU directives. Another Ordinance is due to be finalised which will establish a Gibraltar Telecommunications Regulatory Authority. This body, together with the relevant minister, will have a statutory duty to ensure "fair and effective competition" in the commercial operation of telecommunications networks and the provision of telecom services in, from or through Gibraltar.

Currently in Gibraltar the government has a 50 per cent stake in Gibraltar Nynex Communications (NYNEX), which is now part of Verizon Communications, and the same stake in Gibraltar Telecommunications International (GIBTEL), which has British Telecom as its other shareholder. Nynex caters for the domestic telephone service and Gibtel for international services. The Gibraltar government had tried to merge the two companies, with Verizon selling its stake in Nynex to BT. But this deal has unravelled, and the Government made clear recently that it is now for one company to take over the other. Either way, the Government ends up with 50% of what is still a monopoly.

There is the real chance, however, of outside players coming into the field who could instigate change in Gibraltar's telecommunications networks. Vodafone is just one of the names which could express an interest. Together with the newly-passed Telecommunications Ordinance 2000, this will undoubtedly serve to boost Gibraltar as an attractive centre for offshore e-commerce.

Gibraltar is vying with the likes of Bermuda and Jersey to entice companies to establish e-businesses. It is so far doing a good job. Lowtax.net, the publisher of Tax-news.com, has been closely tracking the evolution of offshore e-commerce and is pleased to announce that Gibraltar is the subject of the first of a series of Special Reports on selected jurisdictions where e-commerce is taking off in a big way. The Lowtax.net Gibraltar E-Commerce Special Report, published today, is a detailed and highly practical resource for those thinking of setting up an e-commerce operation on the Rock.

Lowtax.net's team of experienced writers and editors has worked with ten of the top professional and IT firms in Gibraltar to produce the 100-page report, centering upon two in-depth case studies - one established company and one start-up - as they plan and implement a strategy for their Gibraltar e-commerce businesses.

With an effective Q & A format, the report covers the complexities of setting up offshore and asks the basic questions: How easy is it? How helpful is the Government? And how efficient is the business infrastructure in Gibraltar?

The professionals who have contributed to Lowtax.net's Special Report also discuss all the issues an aspiring offshore e-businesses will need to consider, such as structure and taxation, website hosting and technology, recruitment, payment processing and merchant accounts.

After the practicalities of establishing an e-commerce presence in Gibraltar, the two case study firms are revisted one year on to assess exactly how they have fared and whether it was worthwhile to set up in Gibraltar.

The Lowtax.net Gibraltar E-Commerce Special Report is available in hard copy or electronically as an online resource, a downloadable Word file or a downloadable pdf file.