Over the past few years, an increasing convergence can be observed between international and Indian initiatives towards cashlessness, often involving a broad range of actors and influences. Despite this convergence, it is also clear that the conceptualization and implementation, or goals and outcomes of cashlessness can vary considerably, which indicates the need for a closer look at the Indian case

This study empirically investigates characteristics that influence the use of paid content streaming, or over-the-top (OTT) media services. We surveyed paid OTT service users from seven countries—Britain, China, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and the United States— to examine the effects of user demographics and values on paid OTT usage as well as the different user characteristics that affect

As an over-the-top (OTT) and non-subscription-based video-on-demand media service, mobile short-form video application (e.g., TikTok or Douyin) is a free video-sharing social networking service (SNS) distributing short-form video content to smartphones, smart TVs, and tablets. This study investigates the roles of gratifications-sought, narcissism, and personality traits in TikTok engagement behaviors

There is a vast literature that examines the determinants of the gender digital gap in developing countries, and puts forth policy recommendations to mitigate it. However, few studies examine how gender differences in labor force participation and employment patterns affect ICT adoption in general, or Internet use in particular. This matters because employment and the types of jobs that men and women

Over several years, locally-initiated and operated Internet infrastructure projects have attempted to provide online connectivity and simultaneously achieve various social goals. Many generations of do-it-yourself network efforts that are either wireless, such as community mesh networks, or wired, such as fiber cooperatives, exist, but in the United States scaled developments have been stalled for

This paper analyses the deployment of high-speed broadband networks in the European Union (EU). Its aim is to assess the investment required to meet the targets set by the European Commission (EC) for 2025, within the framework of the European Gigabit Society (EGS). This plan aims to ensure the availability and take-up of very high-capacity fixed and wireless networks, in both urban and rural areas

Unlocking spectrum from inefficient, inflexible uses assigned mostly prior to the 1990s to a more efficient, flexible-use model is a key challenge for the Federal Communications Commission. This paper focuses on transitions of spectrum use and looks at how the FCC attempted to minimize transaction and holdout costs while also facilitating competition among service providers. The FCC's recent Broadcast

Over recent decades, information and communication technology (ICT) has had a profound impact on the economy and on society more broadly. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of ICT on socio-economic development in China by considering spatial effects. To understand the overall influence of ICT on socio-economic development, the study used principal component analysis (PCA) to establish

This study examines the economic, technological and cultural implications of Netflix in Thailand on local content industries and regulators. It also explores industry and regulatory responses to Netflix's emergence in a small market like Thailand. The study finds Netflix has markedly affected the industries' value chain but with contrasting impacts for broadcasting and film. Broadcasters have migrated

Information and communications technology (ICT) and digital technologies are being actively used for education, and the ICT-enabled education market continues to grow. The recent COVID-19 pandemic situation is undoubtedly very stressful, because all teaching and learning activities have been forced to move online. This is an international comparative study examining the effects of 21st century skills

This study investigated how investment in the industry of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) has been interlocked with the GDP growth of South Korea. Based on seasonally-adjusted quarterly time-series data for the period between 1999 and 2016 available from the Korea Statistical Information Service, a Vector Error Correction model was applied for the analysis. The results revealed that

In the last few years, digital constitutionalism has emerged as a novel, alternative, Internet Governance approach aiming at ordering and limiting the exercise of power by both states and private operators, as well as at promoting people's control over digital technology development. Although digital constitutionalism is encountering growing popularity, the prevalent non-binding nature of its initiatives

Search engines and over-the-top (OTT) services, which provide Internet media content, have become increasingly important as Internet usage and the number of websites have spread worldwide. This study examined 1) how Internet proliferation in a given country affects the market shares of domestic and global search engine companies, and 2) how search engine shares in domestic markets affect the global

The Broadband Technology Opportunities Program's Public Computer Center (BTOP PCC) grants were awarded to public libraries to increase broadband access for the public. Libraries funded by the BTOP PCC grants improved computers and broadband facilities and offered training programs to help library patrons acquire computer and Internet skills. This study uses data on the BTOP PCC grants and public library

The recent boom of the services sector, especially in developing countries, coincides with the rise of digital technologies. While the former might be attributed to the latter, empirical analysis of this relationship is still limited. This paper fills this gap by examining the effect of digital infrastructure on services sector employment. Employing a panel data comprising 45 Sub-Saharan Africa countries

The global video-on-demand (VOD) market is experiencing drastic change due to the rise of over-the-top (OTT) services such as Netflix and YouTube. Traditional Pay TV service providers such as internet protocol television (IPTV) operators and cable TV providers are making efforts to cope with such changes. One of the ways for such providers to remain competitive is to use the proper service models of

The Digital India initiative is a sweeping set of reformative policies and programs set by the Indian government to bring communications technology to the masses in an effort to bridge the digital divide in the country and equalize underlying economic conditions among Indian citizens. The government has met these challenges by setting forth a series of initiatives that involve the foundation of new

Data and connectivity platforms play a crucial role in the digitalization of different sectors of our society. In complex industrial multi-stakeholder ecosystem contexts connectivity and data platforms are increasingly becoming converged, and private, vertical-specific local 5G networks are emerging. For this context, we depict and analyze alternative configurations for converging connectivity and

In recent years, significant attention has been directed toward the fifth generation of wireless broadband connectivity known as ‘5G’, currently being deployed by Mobile Network Operators. Surprisingly, there has been considerably less attention paid to ‘Wi-Fi 6’, the new IEEE 802.1ax standard in the family of Wireless Local Area Network technologies with features targeting private, edge-networks.

We examine how the Coronavirus pandemic affected consumer valuation of digital services. Governments responded to the pandemic with various forms of lockdowns and social distancing, leading to increased dependence on digital services for work, social engagement, and leisure activities. We identify consumer valuations through surveys where respondents express their reservation prices for digital services

This study examines linkages between information and communication technology (ICT) dynamics, inequality and poverty in order to establish critical masses of poverty and inequality that should not be exceeded in order for ICT dynamics to promote gender inclusive education in 57 developing countries for the period 2012–2016. Poverty is measured with the poverty headcount ratio at national poverty lines

Within the growing literature on broadband development, much research has focused on infrastructure competition and spatial effects driving investment incentives in broadband provision. However, less attention has been paid to the geographical factors explaining very high capacity fibre based network rollout. The purpose of this paper is to examine these geographical effects of rollout of these networks

The liberalization of the telecommunications sector in Togo aimed at ensuring access to a better quality of telecommunication services at affordable prices to everyone. While the liberalization policy has increased competition in the sector and reduced significantly telecommunication services prices charged to costumers, statistics on the access and use of telecommunication services in Togo reveal

While macro-level volume growth in India's move towards cashless payment systems is captured relentlessly, most often what gets ignored is a realization that everyday financial transactional practices are socially and culturally embedded in the local contexts. This paper drawn from an anthropological ethnography explores how people use and hierarchically order different payment systems in their everyday

Patents, standards and their combination, standard-essential patents (SEPs), are important in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, in particular in mobile communication. We argue that SEPs are relevant in macroeconomic development and estimate the effect of a country's SEP portfolio on its value-added trade in global ICT value chains (GVC). We find that SEPs retain a higher share

We evaluate the impact of mobile operator mergers on the unit price of data and voice by using country-level observations on retail revenue for data, cellular data traffic, retail revenue for voice, and outgoing voice minutes. Using a difference-in-differences estimation strategy, we estimate the effect of operator merger by comparing the difference between the non-merging countries and the merging

Due to the impact of COVID-19, it is important now more than ever to analyze the relationship between the improvement in digitization and the flow of remittances in order to fill the void that has come as a result of stay at home and quarantine orders. Using a comprehensive measure of digitization that encompasses the commonly used proxies of financial technology (Fintech) and employing a System Generalized

Sufficient access to and utilization of broadband is an ongoing concern for rural economic development. Using a rural region in Northern New York (USA), we consider the investment and operational costs of a broadband cooperative and determine service prices for which it is financially viable. Service prices need to increase 75%–131%, depending on grant restrictions, relative to existing market prices

Disparities in broadband access and use reduce the economic and social benefits of digital technology. Consequently, many countries are searching for effective solutions to narrow digital divides. This paper proposes a framework that can help to design more effective policies for the expansion of broadband. Building on research on the drivers of broadband investment, the model assists in delineating

While both broadband itself and its speed are becoming increasingly important in all spheres of society, the high cost of providing broadband as a universal service at high speed still raises a fundamental question: Is the introduction of the universal service obligation (USO) necessary? Therefore, the introduction of universal broadband service at 100 Mbps in Korea in 2020 could be a meaningful case

Understanding how consumers make tariff choices is a central issue in telecommunications. The object of the current paper is to investigate whether consumers use a particular heuristic thinking, i.e., salience-based decision making, in mobile plan choices. Using a unique panel data of mobile plan choices from a major telecommunication operator in China, we document evidence that consumer’s mobile plan

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have a tremendous potential to enhance individual, business, and government efficiency and improve general quality of life. However, the role of ICTs has brought with it numerous legal and regulatory challenges as well as an exacerbating criminal enterprise through cybercrime. Despite this, the evidence on the role of ICTs in improving the quality of

This study assesses the relevance of mobile phone technology in complementing gender inclusive education (i.e. primary, secondary and tertiary) to promote public accountability (i.e. involving horizontal, vertical and diagonal accountability dynamics). The study utilizes the generalized method of moments (GMM) technique to establish the empirical evidence based on 48 Sub-Saharan African countries for

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between high-speed fibre broadband access and establishment dynamics at the municipality level. Special emphasis is placed on micro as well as on small and medium-sized establishments in contracting areas. Data cover information on 290 municipalities in Sweden for the period 2010–2018. Results of Fixed Effects and Spatial Durbin model estimations

This article will explore the use of an innovative approach to a public-private partnership (PPP) to spur the deployment of broadband and create more resilient telecommunications networks in Puerto Rico. Such a partnership is a critical ingredient of the plan for rebuilding the telecommunications sector of Puerto Rico after the island was devastated by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017. The

This work examines the informational lobbying prior to the proposal drafting by the European Commission on the wholesale roaming regulation through the lens of the framework of political market. We employ a mixed approach that combines topic modelling, multivariate regression, and qualitative text analysis based on the textual replies to the public consultation launched by the Commission prior to the

As of the end of 2019, 46.4% of the world's population does not have regular access to the Internet. Bringing the more than 3.5 billion individuals still unconnected online is the primary goal for multiple international organizations, including the ITU and the UN Broadband Commission. Two important barriers that restrict connectivity are the lack of infrastructure and affordability. To address these

In mobile telecommunications, numerous formal and quasi-formal standard setting organizations (SSOs) exist that are dedicated to technology standardization. Yet, hundreds of more or less informal industry consortia have been established that also deal with technical standards. Some of these aim to develop standards themselves – and thus compete with existing, formal standard setting organizations –

Korean pop music, commonly referred to as “K-pop,” is a genre that is gaining significant visibility and attention from global listeners. Among various factors that contribute to K-pop's global appeal, this study focuses on social media, particularly online video platforms. Video platforms are important as they enable artists to communicate directly with fans through live videos and encourage grassroots

The use of ad blocking software has risen sharply with online advertising and is recognized as challenging the survival of the ad supported web. However, the effects of ad blocking on consumer behavior have been studied scarcely. This paper uses propensity score matching techniques on a longitudinal survey of 4411 Internet users in Spain to show that ad blocking has a causal positive effect on their

An accurate prediction of the timing of a country's introduction of a new generation of mobile telephony benefits numerous agents including suppliers of network and consumer equipment, regulators, and network planners. We consider the estimation and prediction of the time interval between the international introduction of a generation of mobile telephony and its introduction into a specific country

Internet service is considered by many to be essential, yet many households do not have a home Internet connection. Survey evidence suggests a lack of interest is the primary explanation, but some policymakers and advocates prefer to label price as the dominant factor, thereby laying the groundwork for policy interventions, regulation, and subsidies. Most surveys on the reasons for non-adoption are

Using data from Mexico's 2016 National Household Income and Expenditure Survey (ENIGH), we estimate the impact of Internet access on the multidimensional and income poverty of rural and urban Mexico. Based on a Propensity Score Matching approach, our results show that Internet access helps reduce poverty levels in Mexico. Findings also reveal differentiated effects in the two indicators accounting

The Indian demonetizations of November 2016 came at an entirely new scale to those of January 1946 and January 1978. This time around, the Narendra Modi government's measures applied to 86.4% of the banknotes and coins in circulation, the equivalent to 11% of GDP. Much analysis has been undertaken on the demonetization. This has largely been critical because of its disastrous consequences on local

Some telecommunications regulators in calling-party pays (CPP) regimes have asserted that network operator size itself affects the ratio of (off-net originating minutes)/(off-net terminating minutes) (abbreviated in future references as “O/T”). This implies that being a large operator itself causes the operator to be a net terminator of traffic and to be a net receiver of call termination payments

We address the question: which countries-rich (high-income countries) or poor (middle-income and low-income countries) - tend to gain more from the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) revolution? By employing a panel of 123 countries consisting of 45 high-income countries, 58 middle-income countries, and 20 low-income countries from 2002 to 2017 and by constructing ICT index from mobile

The FCC universal service support fund's revenue base has been shrinking while the payouts have risen. As a result, the contribution factor, an ad valorem tax on the revenue base, rose from 16.7% in 2017 to 21.2% in 2020. We propose two solutions to the funding problem: A near-term funding reform proposal that widens the revenue base by replacing the current definition of assessable services (interstate

Blockchain-based smart contracts have triggered polarised discussions. They have been applauded as a significant technological achievement, but also criticised as a dumb idea. Their application is rapidly expanding in the financial sector, public sector, supply chain management, and the automobile, real estate, insurance, and health care industries. With the growing use of smart contracts and an increasing

Italy was a patent laggard in the market roll-out of NGA networks. In 2015, the Italian Government introduced the “ultrabroadband strategy”, an ambitious policy agenda addressing the NGA market failures. This paper assesses the procurement policy assigning public concessions to build and manage passive infrastructure in “NGA white areas”: in detail, the techno-economic properties and outcomes of the

In an effort to expand the use of telecommunications services by low-income Americans, the Federal Communications Commission's Lifeline program offers subsidies to qualifying low-income households. In recent years, the program has undergone significant reform to reduce the documented waste, fraud and abuse that accompanies many subsidy programs including Lifeline. The Commission has also questioned

This paper analyzes firms' strategies that aim at retaining customers and examines consumers' characteristics that make them ideal targets for companies’ loyalty programs. Our contribution is both theoretical and empirical. On the theoretical side, we develop a formal economic model to study the incentives of firms to offer personalized pricing plans, when consumers are at risk of leaving and are heterogeneous

We generalize and extend the sequential model proposed by the resources and appropriation theory to explain the digital divide in the European Union plus the United Kingdom (EU27+UK). We measure the theoretical constructs of the model with data provided by the EU and test the theoretical predictions using a partial least squares structural equation model. We find support for the hypothesized relationships

Access to formal financial services is a key determinant of financial inclusion and yet, informal mechanisms still dominate the financial system in developing countries. In this context, the purpose of our article is to investigate how the growing effort to harness mobile money designed for unbanked individuals may help to overcome barriers to access formal financial services. Using a unique dataset

The future demand for data and the role of gigabit networks are central issues in the context of Next Generation Access (NGA) network roll-out. Based on a generic model, which allows to predict unconstrained future broadband demand in different regions and countries, the authors compare the results for Germany, the UK and the Flemish region, and discuss reasons for the different outcomes. The generic

When the telecommunications industry was liberalised in Europe and North America in the 1980s and 1990s, it inherited a legacy of monopoly providers whose footprint was national or multi-regional in its character. The regulatory framework, particularly that adopted in EU member states, reflected this pattern of relatively homogeneous deployment achieved, in part, by decades of cross-subsidised pricing

Given the importance of the fixed costs of exporting, we investigate how information and communication technologies (ICTs) relate to the extensive and intensive margin of trade (the fraction of products that are exported and the market share, respectively). We use a novel dataset on the quantity and quality of ICTs, namely the number of subscriptions (per capita) and the average quality of subscriptions

The work presented in this paper uses empirical evidence to highlight the important role digital technology plays in mitigating a pandemic's economic disruption. As extensive datasets including the effect of the current COVID-19 pandemic are still unavailable, this study provides an assessment of the role of digitization at the time of SARS in 2003. Results are robust in pointing out that those countries

This article investigates the determinants of the income inequality for a global sample including 87 economies between 2002 and 2014. Notably, the study examines the impacts of technology development through the internet usage, mobile usage and fixed telephone usage on income inequality. Furthermore, we control and further examine the non-linear impacts of institutional quality and human capital on

Digital provide consists of electronic media, telecommunications, and computer technologies – information and communication technologies (ICTs) availability, accessibility, and utilisation, which simplifies process. The convergence of ICTs ensures efficiency in resources allocation and promotes system growth. This study examines the convergence in global information and communication technologies (ICT)

To lead the world's fifth-generation mobile communication networks (5G) market, China introduced several policies to support 5G industry development that will impact telecommunication operators, the main implementers in this industry. Thus, this study examines the impact of the government's 5G policy announcements on telecommunication operators' firm value in China, where the state exerts a strong