License-exempt: Wi-Fi complement to 3G

Abstract

In this paper we compare and contrast the development of Wi-Fi as a license-exempt wireless broadband technology to access the internet with the licensed regime of broadband cellular networks such as 3G. This exploration is based on an assessment of the two different innovation journeys which resulted from two different underlying communication paradigms and two different regulatory regimes, leading to different business models and different diffusions patterns. In concluding we compare the merits of the two cases and derive recommendations for policy and strategy formation.