The principle focus here will be regulatory.  Whilst cost-effective, reliable, and scalable communications are one of the essential precursors of production efficiencies for the oil & gas sector, exploration and extraction of these essential economic resources often take place where the policy and regulatory environments that permit access to, and use of, some or all communications platforms – such as satellite, terrestrial wireless (e.g. WiFi and WiMax) – is unfavourable and littered with obstacles.  The session panellists will explore how the economic and industrial strengths of the oil & gas sector can be used to influence the policy development of governments and the rule-making posture of relevant administrations to secure more open and transparent regulatory and licensing regimes.  Examples of current licensing experiences and practices around the region will also be explored, as will the latest regional developments in the licensing and spectrum allocation processes of terrestrial Broadband Wireless Access, particularly as they may impact on satellite bandwidth availability.