It is reported that Laos does not mandate accounting separation for operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecom market. However, there has been an obligation of functional separation since 2014.

Art. 36 of the Law on Telecommunication mandates the following activities to be approved by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications or relevant ministries: i) adjusting its radio frequency spectrum, telecommunication equipment, and networks into the radio frequency spectrum, telecommunication equipment, and networks of other telecommunication service providers; ii) Increasing or decreasing service prices, and iii) using telecommunication resources and import telecommunication equipment. Although there is a new telecom law in effect since 2022, the text is not available in English. Moreover, reports indicate an apparent reluctance to grant licences to foreign telecom operators.

According to Art. 2 of the Decision on Telecommunication Business Operating License No. 221/MPT, a Telecommunication Business Operating License provides the right and legal certification to individuals or juridical persons who operate telecommunication businesses in accordance with the laws of Lao PDR. Pursuant the Art. 10, individuals, legal entities, and organisations, both domestic and international, aiming to conduct a telecommunication business must provide a complete set of application documents and submit them to the responsible office as stipulated in the law on investment promotion and other relevant regulations. Registration criteria for the business license for telecommunication services, as stated in Art. 11, include: i) having adequate financial resources; ii) having staff with the relevant knowledge, capability, and experience; iii) buildings, vehicles, and equipment for supporting telecommunications-related work; iv) making the full payment of related fees and service charges; and v) preparing the full set of required documents.
In addition, Art. 12 states that some documents are required, including a feasibility study and a technical plan.

Laos has appended the World Trade Organization (WTO) Telecom Reference Paper to its schedule of commitments.

Laos has established a telecommunications authority known as the Lao Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (LTRA). However, it has been reported that the entity's decision-making process lacks full independence from government influence. The LTRA operates as a subsidiary structure within the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, holding a status equivalent to that of a department and functioning as a think tank to support the Ministry in overseeing telecommunications regulatory activities. The Director General of the LTRA is directly accountable to the Minister of Post and Telecommunications, as well as the supervising Vice Minister, for the organisation’s performance, including its successes and shortcomings.

The Law on Electronic Data Protection specifies that the delivery or transfer of data must be performed as follows:
- with the consent of the data subject and guarantee that the transferee can protect such data;
- with the encryption of important information, such as financial, accounting, and investment data and with the electronic certificate issued by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunication (Art. 25);
- without forging the source of data sent or transferred;
- that the transfer must be in accordance with the agreement of the transferee and transferor; and
- that the transfer must be stopped upon refusal by the transferee.
The transfer of private data outside of Lao PDR is subject to the express consent of the data subject and compliance with the law (Art. 17).

Laos has not joined any agreement with binding commitments to open transfers of data across borders. Art. 12.15 of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) recognises that each party may maintain its own regulatory requirements governing cross‑border transfers of information by electronic means and stipulates that such transfers shall not be restricted when undertaken for the conduct of business by a covered person; however, the article simultaneously allows parties to adopt or maintain any measures they themselves deem necessary to achieve a legitimate public policy objective, as well as any measures necessary to protect essential security interests, with the parties expressly affirming that the determination of such necessity lies solely with the implementing party and that such measures shall not be subject to dispute. It is reported that this formulation enables the parties to preserve their domestic data‑control regime under the rubric of national security without risking inter‑state disputes, and that the relative weakness of Chapter 12 renders its provisions largely ineffectual in facilitating the liberalisation of cross‑border data flows, particularly because the clause entrusting necessity assessments to the implementing party effectively permits any measure to be characterised as legitimate at that party’s discretion.

Laos does not maintain a comprehensive, overarching legal regime governing all forms of personal data; rather, it adopts a sectoral approach to regulation. Data protection in Laos is principally regulated through sector-specific legislation, most notably the Law on Electronic Data Protection and its implementing regulations. The existing legal framework is narrowly focused on data privacy in the context of digital or electronic data, without extending to non-electronic forms of information. Under the Law on Electronic Data Protection, the Ministry of Technology and Communications is designated as the competent authority responsible for matters relating to the protection of electronic data.

Laos has a clear regime of copyright exceptions that follows fair use, which enables the lawful use of copyrighted work by others without obtaining permission. Art. 115 of the Law on Intellectual Property Rights lists exceptions that include: the quotation of a publicly available work, provided that it conforms to the principles of fair use and the scope of the quotation is justified for the intended purpose; the use of literary or artistic works to illustrate publications, broadcasts or recordings for educational or scientific research purposes; the translation of literary works into Braille or other characters for visually impaired persons is a permitted use of copyrighted material; among others.

Weak enforcement of existing legislation is reported to exacerbate challenges such as intellectual property theft, thereby undermining confidence in the digital ecosystem. In Laos, intellectual property protection remains at a nascent stage of development, with no recorded instances to date of successful enforcement actions against operators engaged in digital piracy. Rights holders continue to identify concerns relating to entities based in Laos that distribute pirated content both domestically and to neighbouring territories. The most prominent example is reported to be LaoSAT, a government-affiliated entity, which is said to continue broadcasting unauthorised content from various rights holders, primarily via satellite transmission.

Laos has not adopted the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty.

Laos has not adopted the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty.

Lao PDR is a signatory of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Information Technology Agreement (ITA) of 1996 and its 2015 expansion (ITA II).

Art. 9 of the Decree of the Prime Minister on Government Procurement of Goods, Construction, Maintenance and Services No. 03/PM stipulates that the use of the national budget for the procurement of foreign goods is not authorised if such goods can be produced locally at equal quality. The regulation also states that local firms are given priority in public procurements of goods, works, and services financed in full with domestic funds. Local firms that are not affiliated with foreign firms and that supply goods, works, and services of equal quality to local firms are given preferential rights in competitive bidding.