Universal Postal Service in the 21st. Century

Almost like the Holy Grail, the Universal Postal Service is deemed inviolable by many in the global postal fraternity. Numerous postal operators across the world still hold to the position of a single postal territory, to ensure that all postal customers enjoy the right to a hitherto unchallenged universal postal service involving the permanent provision of quality basic postal services at all points in their respective territories, at affordable prices. However, the grim reality is that the postal sector has undergone a significant transformation and the landscape has changed dramatically. Against this backdrop, the goal of maintaining the status quo of a static and traditional universal postal service is increasingly untenable. A dynamic and flexible capacity/market based approach has been developed to overhaul the archaic universal postal service; thereby increasing its relevance, applicability and commercial robustness. In a very real sense, it is ¿high noon¿ for the traditional universal postal service. The proposed capacity/market based approach will facilitate the creation of a vibrant new world order for the universal postal service best suited to the 21st. century.