ket might be supplied by a different breed of suppliers having more to do with high tech appliances, mass market and retailing capacities than with engineering-type operations. This in turn is likely to require norms, certification processes, and regulatory oversight in order both to protect the consumers and to make sure the potential risks are understood and efficiently allocated. INFRASTRUCTURE TO 2030: TELECOM, LAND TRANSPORT, WATER AND ELECTRICITY - ISBN 92-64-02398-4 © OECD 2006 1. A CROSS-SECTORAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF GLOBAL INFRASTRUCTURES TO 2030 A further indirect consequence of more widespread decentralised systems could be to shift funding needs from large operators to the end users or local suppliers. One result could be that investment volumes become atomised and handled on a day-to-day basis by a myriad of financial operators. Hence, business might move away from the structured financing departments of banks towards credit retailing departments (in the case of residential users) or leasing departments. The end result could be to reduce the overall burden of financing infrastructure by dividing the risks and spreading the transaction costs. From the standpoint of efficiency gains, productivity and overall life cycle costs, it is too early to assume that cost/benefit analysis would militate in favour of decentralised systems as is often advocated by interest groups and non-governmental organisations (Gulli, 2006). Indeed, there is strong evidence that concentration is increasing within several sectors (telecom, road transport, electricity). Moreover, if economies of scope are significant as suggested in previous section, concentration across sectors is likely to increase as well. However, underlying trends and pressures are undoubtedly creating room for smaller-scale systems. It is impossible at this stage to predict which share of the market will see demand peak, or when. In this field policy matters, and incentives are already in place in some OECD countries - e.g. for windmills and us