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one man, one idea
and three letters...

Cullen International was founded in 1986 by Bernard Cullen, a British communications expert living in Belgium. Prior to creating the company, Bernard had written the very first handbook on data communications for the GPO - now BT - in 1974, had worked as the telecoms manager for Control Data (CDC), and become a sought-after speaker on the Brussels circuit and internationally.

Bernard’s idea was to provide a uniquely independent and neutral monitoring and benchmarking service to a few subscribed clients at a reasonable price. To get this off the ground, he wrote three letters to three contacts at three major global companies, and visited each of them personally. All responded positively and Cullen International was launched.

Initially run from Bernard’s home with his wife Sheila providing administrative support, the client base grew in the 1990s to include most major western telecoms providers, mobile operators and regulators. We now work with over 250 organisations worldwide, and our team is made up of more than 60 regulatory experts and business support staff.

Today, Cullen International is a trusted part of the international regulatory community. We monitor and benchmark regulation across 70 countries, and share our knowledge through our online archives, reports, independent research and studies, and training.

However, we’ve never lost sight of the reason for Bernard’s success at the beginning: his reputation for expertise and honesty. This continues to inform the way we do business today, and reflects the trust that clients have placed in Cullen International.

“ I see our beginning as our future. Clients have trusted us from the beginning because of our expertise, our impartiality, and our ability to understand and deliver what they need to know. ” Jean Cullen - Chairman of the Board

some key dates

1986 Founding of Cullen International
1996 Launch of E-commerce service (now: Digital Economy)
1999 Coverage expansion to Central & Eastern Europe
2007 Launch of Audiovisual Media service
2010 Coverage expansion to Latin America
2011 First public telecoms training
2012 Coverage expansion to Middle East & North Africa
2013 Launch of Postal service
2014 Launch of Competition Law service
2016 Coverage expansion to North America
2017 Launch of the Legislation Navigator
2019 Launch of Americas Radio Spectrum service
2020 Launch of Global Trends service
2022 Launch of State Aid and Sustainability services