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

Recently, the idea of ICTs being ‘mainstreamed’ in sustainable economic development has been adopted by many countries. For any country, sustainable economic growth is essential for a steadfast and well-balanced development of the entire country. One of the important factors supporting sustainable economic growth is the telecommunications technology and innovation, considering their role and functions

In this paper, we analyse the effect of cable networks on fibre to the x (FTTx) network expansions by drawing on data from a sample of 28 European countries spanning the period 2011 to 2017. We find that there is a negative relationship between cable network coverage and FTTx network expansion. This restraining effect associated with cable networks contradicts the current regulatory regime, which is

Secondary markets are essential if we are to re-assign valuable resources such as radio spectrum to users and services who value them most. Despite the potential that markets have to perform this task, it is still difficult to find real-world examples of successful secondary markets for spectrum. In this work, we explore a broader context where markets would be deployed to shed light on the different

A large number of rural communities in developing countries do not have access to communications services, unlike urban areas where these services have rapidly grown. This connectivity gap is mainly caused by the urban-oriented business models of traditional operators, which are not cost-effective in regions that are characterized by isolation, low population density, and scarcity of resources. This

This paper estimates the effect of the expansion of broadband infrastructure, which enables high-speed Internet, on population development in panel of Finnish areas in the period 2010–2018. The study differs from previous studies in that it uses accurate statistics on the availability of broadband in 1 km * 1 km population grids. Therefore, the impact of broadband availability on rural development

We use a county-level panel dataset from 2012 to 2018 to assess the impacts of various state policies on total and rural broadband availability in the United States. The primary dependent variable is the percentage of residents with access to 25 Megabits per second (MBPS) download and 3 MBPS upload speeds via a fixed connection, with alternative specifications considering other aspects of availability

The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) introduces a new right to data portability, which allows users to move their personal data to other platforms, potentially affecting competition between rival platforms offering similar (homogeneous/substitute) products or services within the European Union. However, it is still unclear what effects this new regulation could have on competition and,

This paper finds that policy mixes for mobile broadband diffusion need to be differentiated depending on where a country is situated in three stages of mobile broadband diffusion because as a mobile broadband market grows, demand constraints hindering subscription of mobile broadband will also change. A total of 115 countries are clustered into three groups (Take-off, Fast-Diffusion, and Saturated)

Post the Snowden and Cambridge Analytica episodes, concerns have been raised by governments and regulators on protecting consumer data collected and transmitted by various digital firms. Driven by concerns of privacy, national security, surveillance, and cyber terrorism, governments around the world have been erecting barriers in cyberspace through data localization. The extent of data localization

This research investigates the linear and non-linear effects of information and communication technology (ICT) diffusion on financial development for 81 countries over the period 1990–2015 by employing the generalized-momentum method (GMM) and panel smooth transition regression (PSTR). Some main conclusions are presented as follows. First, comparing the different effects of ICT on financial development

Increasing attention has been paid to the potential for demand-side policies to stimulate use of broadband networks. Such policies form part of the increasing digitalisation of the economy and wider society. This is an area where governments are also facing challenges in their efforts to maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of their policies. The paper sheds light on the impact that the transition

We evaluate a program by a private Internet Service Provider (ISP) intended to encourage low-income households to subscribe to broadband internet service. As part of its approval of the Comcast-NBCU merger in 2011, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandated a “voluntary commitment” by Comcast to introduce a low-income broadband program that Comcast has branded “Internet Essentials (IE).”

This paper tracks increasingly aggressive initiatives by the United States government to reallocate spectrum on an expedited and unilateral basis well before conclusion of inter-governmental coordination. Rather than embrace the customary commitment to achieve consensus on global spectrum allocations at the International Telecommunication Union (“ITU”), the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”)

The reduction of the digital divide due to the availability of the Internet and the improvement of skills is accompanied by reverse and resistance trends associated with the influence of socio-demographic and economic characteristics of users. In this paper, we estimate the volume and dynamics of the digital divide in access and use of the Internet in Russia by key social groups according to a longitudinal

Koreans mainly consume online news through a few Internet portals, so issues such as manipulation of online news comments can become significant social problems in Korea. To respond to the May 2018 Druking opinion-rigging scandal, Naver—the leading Internet portal in Korea—changed its rule of ordering online news comments from most reactions to reverse chronological, with the latest appearing first

The upgrade of legacy infrastructure is a challenging undertaking in general. The underlying issues are especially prominent for telecommunications networks outside of urban areas. Using German micro-level data, we identify the structural determinants for fiber optics deployment and its extent. We also measure the role of technology competition from the existing infrastructures, VDSL-Vectoring and

The potential use of mobile payment is enormous and it is receiving attention as an alternative mode of payment worldwide. The present study develops a conceptual model to analyze the intention to use mobile payment services in the emerging market. Data was collected in India, one of the biggest emerging market, through a survey. The research hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling

The cyber-insurance (CI) market is at a nascent stage. This paper investigates how the contexts provided by formal and informal institutions affect the development of the CI industry. It highlights the nature, origin, and implications of CI-related institutions and provides insights into the mechanisms and forces that can lead to institutional changes. It offers an explanation as to how different institutional

In this paper, we document how public funds, or State Aid, have been used to support the deployment of broadband infrastructure in Europe since 2003. Our descriptive analysis relies on a unique data set on all the broadband measures notified to the European Commission by Member States between 2003 and 2018. We identify two waves of State Aid for broadband: one for the deployment of basic broadband

Korea's video-on-demand (VOD) market is led by pay TV service providers, especially internet protocol television (IPTV) service providers, and VODs for television programs (TV-VOD) represent the largest share of VOD in the country. TV-VOD is therefore of strategic importance to providers in terms of their current sales share and future growth. Focusing on the time-shift characteristics of TV-VOD and

Over the past 40 years, telecommunications policy worldwide has been dominated by the privatisation of former government-owned firms, the pursuit of increasing competition as well as the delegation of day-to-day operations of industry decision-making and oversight from core governments to autonomous regulators sitting at arms-length from political decision-making. One of the most (apparently) dramatic

There is a steady global trend towards “Data Localization,” laws by which data is required to be maintained and processed within the geographic boundaries of its state of origin. This development has raised concerns about its possible adverse impacts on emerging data-intensive technologies such as Cloud services/E-commerce, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things (collectively

The present research extends Lashitew et al. (2019, RP) in order to understand the greater diffusion of mobile money innovations in Africa. To make this assessment, a comparative analysis is engaged between sampled African countries and the corresponding sampled developing countries. Three main types of predictor groups are used for the study, namely: demand, supply and macro-level factors. The empirical

The Indian telecom sector, post-liberalization, is characterized by the heavy dependence on the imports of telecom products, even though several policy initiatives have been taken by the government during the last three decades to reduce import dependence. This study investigates to what extent the policy measures adopted after 2012 have impacted the import, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and domestic

Artificial intelligence applications in network industries have the potential to reduce network roll-out and operating costs, improve performance, enhance customer service, and support the development and introduction of new services. This paper identifies and analyzes the range of AI applications already in place and those expected to be in place in the near future. After analyzing the applications

The field of artificial intelligence (AI) is experiencing a period of intense progress due to the consolidation of several key technological enablers. AI is already deployed widely and has a high impact on work and daily life activities. The continuation of this process will likely contribute to deep economic and social changes. To realise the tremendous benefits of AI while mitigating undesirable

This paper discusses two recent spectrum management frameworks, the Licensed Shared Access (LSA) developed in Europe and the Citizens Broadband Radio Services (CBRS) developed in the United States (US), which build their management approach on spectrum sharing. The importance of these two frameworks, besides their leading normative roles, is that recent debates have shaped them as cases to consider

The telecommunications industry in most parts of the world experienced a round of market-led reforms in the early 1990s. After a period of sustained development in the sector numerous countries are moving toward government-led network deployments. Even though it may appear as if the pendulum swung back to the previous 1990s period of government-led development, this paper argues persistent regional

This paper aims to provide policy makers in low income and middle income countries with a pragmatic review of the critical issues in formulating effective strategies and planning to embrace the next generation of mobile cellular technology. In a context of industry lobbying of governments to promote 5G, the paper attempts to bring clarity to just what are the critical issues, specifically for an industrial

This paper offers a critical review on conditions and impacts of AI/ML in society, with a dedicated overview of the European AI policy framework. Through the analysis of policy papers produced by European institutions, European national governments and other organisations situated between research and policy-making, we bring an overarching outlook of key ethical and societal issues currently under

The Polish 4G spectrum auction was a watershed event for the Polish telecommunications market. For the first time in history, the Office of Electronic Communications decided to award spectrum by using an auction process. Polish regulators implemented a simultaneous multiple-round ascending-bid auction, which was widely used worldwide for selling spectrum. The process leading to the auction and the

The emergence of 5G and the trade dispute between China and the United States have made Huawei a global hot topic. Owning 37% of the patents, Huawei is undoubtedly one of the key players in the development of 5G. For both governmental policy-makers and business decision-makers, an in-depth understanding of this rapidly growing manufacturer is therefore of significant implications to formulate 5G policy

It has been shown that the presence of demand-side externalities can induce the market to benefit the largest firms in terms of market share, usually named as network effect by the theoretical literature. On the one hand, macro-level approach in the empirical literature of network effects commonly use the assumption that a network's overall size matters more to consumers' decisions (global network

Beyond the mainstream discussion on the key role of China in the global AI landscape, the knowledge about the real performance and future perspectives of the AI ecosystem in China is still limited. This paper evaluates the status and prospects of China's AI innovation ecosystem by developing a Triple Helix framework particularized for this case. Based on an in-depth qualitative study and on interviews

The global model of semiconductor development has resulted in an asymmetric and interdependent relationship between China's critical role in semiconductor production and those regions such as the US which control the key inputs into the value chain. While this unbalanced relationship has facilitated many of the companies involved in the value chain in exploiting the comparative advantage of different

The rush to understand new socio-economic contexts created by the wide adoption of AI is justified by its far-ranging consequences, spanning almost every walk of life. Yet, the public sector's predicament is a tragic double bind: its obligations to protect citizens from potential algorithmic harms are at odds with the temptation to increase its own efficiency - or in other words - to govern algorithms

Broadband is seen as a vector of economic growth and social development. In the developing world, mobile technologies are widely adopted and mobile broadband is progressively rolled-out with high expectations on its impact on the countries’ development. We highlight what the determinants of mobile broadband use are in four Sub-Saharan countries. Using micro-level data coming from household surveys

The National Broadband Network (NBN) is the largest public infrastructure project in the history of Australia. The goal of the NBN is to provide Australians with broadband internet access by using a mix of technologies, ranging from fibre and hybrid fibre-coaxial to fixed wireless and satellite platforms. Although the NBN is a public project, one of the more vexing aspects of its evolution is its lack

This study evaluates telecommunications industry efficiency in 19 countries grouped into high income countries (HICs) and middle income countries (MICs). Using data from 2001 to 2013 and a two-stage Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), it finds that HICs outperformed MICs, however, the two groups of countries exhibited improved technical efficiency, managerial effectiveness, and operational scale. Additionally

This study examines possible lessons learned from the deployment of residential Gigabit networks based upon the novel approach taken by the Google Fiber project started in 2010. Even though Google Fiber paused any project expansion in 2016, calling into question the viability of their business model, the approach taken by Google Fiber elicits further research interest given four major innovations that

Most artificial intelligence technologies are dual-use. They are incorporated into both peaceful civilian applications and military weapons systems. Most of the existing codes of conduct and ethical principles on artificial intelligence address the former while largely ignoring the latter. But when these technologies are used to power systems specifically designed to cause harm, the question must be

In South Korea, the number of households with subscriptions to print newspapers has substantially decreased in recent years. This study examines the reasons for this decline by analyzing the Korea Media Panel (KMP) data of the period 2011–2018 using a random-effects logit model. An empirical analysis indicates that a household is less likely to subscribe to print newspapers, as its family members spend

Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing a major role in the new paradigm shift occurring across the technological landscape. After a series of alternate seasons starting in the 60s, AI is now experiencing a new spring. Nevertheless, although it is spreading throughout our economies and societies in multiple ways, the absence of standardised classifications prevents us from obtaining a measure of its

With the arrival of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the nature of the firm is changing and economic theory can provide guidance to businesses as well as to politics when formulating adequate strategies for this unknown terrain. By interpreting AI as a new type of agent within the firm, the theory of the firm can serve as a lingua franca to connect computer sciences and social sciences when dealing with

Whilst the deployment of next generation access networks (NGANs) is undoubtedly beneficial to the economy, new legal developments in the United States (US) regarding the issue of net neutrality (NN) pose a new challenge not only to policy makers but to telecommunication providers as well, that could justify a fresh approach when assessing NGANs investments. In particular, the Federal Communications

AI is the subject of a wide-ranging debate in which there is a growing concern about its ethical and legal aspects. Frequently, the two are mixed and confused despite being different issues and areas of knowledge. The ethical debate raises two main problems: the first, conceptual, relates to the idea and content of ethics; the second, functional, concerns its relationship with law. Both establish models

The European Electronic Communications Code (EECC) enables competent authorities to introduce interoperability obligations also for number-independent interpersonal communications services (NI-ICS) such as Facebook Messenger, LINE, Skype, WeChat and WhatsApp. Under such an obligation, consumers could interact not just with users of the NI-ICS where they have a user account themselves, but also with

Access to financial services promotes investment and facilitates consumption smoothing by enhancing resource mobilization. Over 60 percent of Burkinabe adults are excluded from financial services by banks and other nonbank financial institutions, so mobile money is expected to bridge this gap. Accounting for the importance of financial inclusion with the rapid prevalence of mobile money, this paper

The purpose of this study is to focus attention on the choice of the reserve price made by the telecom regulator to explain the under-performance of spectrum auctions in Bangladesh. The overestimation of the reserve prices for several auctions in Bangladesh including the auction of the 3G – 2100 MHz band in 2013, the 2G - 1800 MHz band in 2015, and the 4G – 1800 and 2100 MHz bands in 2018 is established

The European Commission has recently sought to substantially revise how it regulates the telecommunication industry, with a key goal being to incentivise investment in high-speed broadband networks. Ambitious goals to incentivise investment in high-speed broadband networks have been set across the European Union, initially in the ‘Digital Agenda for Europe’ and more recently in its ‘Gigabit strategy’

The roles of contextual determinants such as culture and political regime in existing studies of Internet use and institutional trust remain underexplored. Adopting a cultural-institutional perspective, we ask: How does Internet use relate to institutional trust? Under what conditions is the impact of Internet use on institutional trust most potent? Do authoritarian orientation and perceived institutional