In particular it recognized the merits of the market over central planning and instead of using the SOE as an appendage of the state it sought to promote competition between the SOEs and the introduction of private enterprise alongside the SOEs.

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When the UK's competition watchdog last examined the state of the UK grocery market, it said that no one player should have a market share of more than 25%.

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Existing telecom operators expressed concern that a state-funded player in the market could distort competition and damage the growth of services.

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This is not to say that market forces and a largely hands-off Internet policy have delivered the ideal state of competition.

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Such a market requires policing, for instance of state aid to companies, curbs on migration or the application of competition rules.

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Opening the market to foreign competition offers a good excuse to eliminate the restrictions on out-of-state companies that exist due to state licensing laws.

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