Broadband Infrastructure Research Articles

Towards a vertically separated broadband infrastructure: The potential role of voluntary separation

Public policymakers face the challenge of maintaining incentives for investments in fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) infrastructure while simultaneously enabling effective competition. In that regard, the ability of vertically integrated operators to discriminate against downstream rivals is regarded as a major regulatory problem, especially as policing nondiscrimination obligations is notoriously difficult for vertically integrated operators. The European regulatory framework mandates functional separation to eliminate discrimination incentives. However, this measure comes with significant drawbacks and caveats and resembles a strong market and ownership intervention. The present article discusses how voluntary vertical separation can achieve the positive effect of a vertically separated industry structure without the need for strong market interventions. We use a discounted cash flow model to compare the financial attractiveness of wholesale-only and integrated business models for a greenfield FTTP rollout. We further discuss and test how public policymakers could positively affect the profitability of a wholesale-only business model. Based on our findings, we recommend public-policymakers and national regulation authorities to proactively define separation scenarios and respective ex ante regulation reductions precisely, to make adjustments to broadband state aid programs that favor wholesale-only providers, and to critically reflect the hampering effect volume and time discount wholesale tariff structures of incumbents have on the emergence of wholesale-only networks.

Challenges and opportunities for Integrated Broadcast Broadband (IBB) implementation in Indonesia

TV consumption patterns around the world have changed dramatically since the appearance of over the top service. Integrated Broadcast Broadband (IBB) system provide value services that attract customers to enjoy traditional TV services compared to OTT services. ITU-R define IBB system as a combination of broadcast and broadband technology, which provides high quality, flexible, interactive, and personable services. This study aims to determine the challenge and opportunities of implementing IBB in Indonesia. The research method is carried out with a qualitative data approach using PEST analysis. The results showed that IBB has potential opportunities to be applied in Indonesia since the digital terrestrial television coverage has reached more than half of the population. Moreover, the increasing number of digital satellite television subscribers, as well as IPTV subscribers, provide a potential market for IBB services. However, the lack of supporting broadband infrastructure and digital terrestrial television regulations uncertainty will be a challenge for the success of IBB implementation in Indonesia.

Oxis 2019: Digital Divides in Britain are Narrowing But Deepening

The existence of a ‘digital divide’ has been one of the key social issues of the Internet since its early diffusion at the turn of the twenty-first century. Over time, as access to the Internet has become increasingly central to everyday life, those without access to broadband infrastructures, digital devices, and Internet skills have been socially, politically and economically disadvantaged. Therefore, critical questions remain about levels of access and skills that shape who uses and does not use the Internet, why, and what difference this makes. This report summarizes recent broad changes in the digital divide in Britain. The digital divide has narrowed but about 15 percent of the British population remains offline. At the same time, those who are online have markedly intensified their use. They are using more devices and doing more online. The nuances of these trends are fleshed out using 23 graphics and accompanying commentary. In addition to fundamental demographic factors like age, education, income and literacy, we present data on the relationships between divides and variables such as gender, employment marital status, ethnicity, disability, urban/rural residence, social grade and children in the household.

Broadband Internet and Household Welfare in Senegal

Senegal has experienced a rapid expansion in fixed and mobile broadband Internet infrastructure over the past decade. This paper examines the relationship between access to broadband internet and household welfare between 2011 and 2018 by integrating the latest two rounds of household budget surveys with data on the location of fiber-optic transmission nodes and coverage maps of third-generation (3G) mobile technology. Results show that 3G coverage is associated with a 14 percent increase in total consumption and a 10 percent decline in extreme poverty.These results are robust to controlling for spatial characteristics and access to complementary digital infrastructure, as well as to an instrumental variable approach that relies on distance to 3G coverage in neighboring areas. These effects are larger among households in urban areas and households headed by men or younger cohorts. Although in the same direction, welfare effects of proximity to fixed broadband infrastructure are not statistically significant.

Overcoming Michigan’s Homework Gap: The Role of Broadband Internet Connectivity for Student Success and Career Outlooks

Differences in home Internet access have direct and indirect effects on K-12 student educational achievements. Much of the attention during the past years has been on the homework gap, disadvantages to students of lacking or poor Internet connectivity at home for the completion of homework assignments. Our research, based on a detailed survey of 3,258 students in grades 8-11 in small town and rural Michigan school districts, shows that the homework gap is real even after controlling for socioeconomic and other factors. It also shows that disparities in home Internet connectivity are associated, directly and indirectly, with much broader student performance gaps. They are associated with the development of digital skills, grades, standardized test scores, career orientation, and interest in pursuing post-secondary education. These challenges require a portfolio of responses, including coordinated efforts by local, state and federal policymakers to mitigate broadband infrastructure access and affordability gaps. They also require measures to make appropriate access devices available and the facilitation of skills and practices to take advantage of the opportunities offered by digitally supported teaching and learning.

$550M for high‐speed broadband infrastructure

$550M for high‐speed broadband infrastructure

Key Roles of Plasmonics in Wireless THz Nanocommunications—A Survey

Wireless data traffic has experienced an unprecedented boost in past years, and according to data traffic forecasts, within a decade, it is expected to compete sufficiently with wired broadband infrastructure. Therefore, the use of even higher carrier frequency bands in the THz range, via adoption of new technologies to equip future THz band wireless communication systems at the nanoscale is required, in order to accommodate a variety of applications, that would satisfy the ever increasing user demands of higher data rates. Certain wireless applications such as 5G and beyond communications, network on chip system architectures, and nanosensor networks, will no longer satisfy speed and latency demands with existing technologies and system architectures. Apart from conventional CMOS technology, and the already tested, still promising though, photonic technology, other technologies and materials such as plasmonics with graphene respectively, may offer a viable infrastructure solution on existing THz technology challenges. This survey paper is a thorough investigation on the current and beyond state of the art plasmonic system implementation for THz communications, by providing in-depth reference material, highlighting the fundamental aspects of plasmonic technology roles in future THz band wireless communication and THz wireless applications, that will define future demands coping with users’ needs.

IPTV vs. emerging video services: Dilemma of telcos to upgrade the broadband

IPTV is an important tool to change business structures and move beyond subscription-based business models for telecom operators. However, the level of IPTV penetration differs among operators, which might be closely related to individual operator's strategy for the broadband market and the regulatory environment. Controlling country-specific business environments, this study identifies the key factors influencing IPTV penetration rates. Results show that broadband penetration, broadband quality, telecommunications service fee, and broadband cap are important factors leading to greater IPTV penetration. This might provide valuable suggestions to telecom operators, such as strategies for leveraging broadband quality and data cap to compete against emerging video services, or bundling strategies with price benefits to convert more broadband users into IPTV subscribers. Comparison of groups differing in IPTV penetration rates, GDP per capital, and percentage of urban population are conducted to gain additional insight into the contextual differences between countries. The results reinforce the importance of constructing high quality broadband infrastructure and taking advantage of bundling plans.

Productive investment in Chile’s economic development: trend and challenges

This article reviews the trend of investment in Chile and its relationship with economic growth since the 1973 coup d’état; and it documents how investment remains the main growth driver. Notwithstanding that fact, innovation helps to mitigate diminishing returns from natural resources, while technology-intensive investment, such as broadband infrastructure, helps to diversify the production matrix. The article shows how a persistent increase in the investment ratio in 1990–1998 supported GDP growth of 7.1% per year; but since 1999 investment has wavered, and average growth dropped to below 4%. The article examines the macroeconomic environment and its real instability since 1999, along with investment in infrastructure, the quality of natural resources and environmental services; and it identifies challenges for boosting both investment and innovation, diversifying the production matrix and its agents, and moving towards inclusive growth.

Scoping New Policy Frameworks for Local Broadband Networks

Over many years, locally-initiated and operated broadband infrastructure projects have attempted to resolve the last-mile dilemma. Many generations of do-it-yourself (DIY) network efforts that are either wireless, such as community mesh networks, or wired, such as fiber cooperatives, exist, but in the U.S. scaled developments have been stalled for a variety of reasons that include regulatory prohibitions. This research examines a current ‘third wave’ of community networking, marked by local and DIY efforts as well as technological innovations. We investigate approaches that are technological, managerial, and also aimed at regulatory and economic incentives that may be appropriate in the U.S. We argue that this ‘third wave’ of community networking efforts and technology demonstrates new connectivity models that can solve some of the nation’s broadband problems, especially when accompanied by supportive federal and state policies. The technological, organization, and market implications of the third wave of community networks suggest new policies helpful to provide improved broadband services in various regions amidst incumbent protectionism.

The Federal Communications Commission's rural infrastructure auction: What is hidden in the weeds?

• Examines reverse auction designed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to fund deployment of broadband infrastructure in high-cost, mainly rural areas. • Describes key decisions about the auction's design. • Contains summary tables and an econometric model that describe results. • Suggests future uses for reverse auctions.

Technological literacy and interrupted internet access

ABSTRACT As everyday practices are increasingly digitalised, many countries are prioritising broadband rollout. However, infrastructure provision under national policies has not been uniform. In comparison to urban populations, rural communities often have inferior broadband infrastructure and services and there are disparities in digital opportunities between rural and urban areas. A case study of twenty rural Australian internet users reveals that rural communities suffer from limited access, inconsistent and unreliable services, and rural broadband plans’ data restrictions and high prices, which we conceptualise as ‘interrupted access’. Rural internet experiences are subsequently shaped by the availability, speed, stability and affordability of connections. As a response, a form of ‘technological literacy’ is emerging through which rural consumers undertake technical and social manoeuvrings to self-address challenges from interrupted access and increase their opportunities for digital inclusion. Participants developed innovative local solutions, such as self-installed auxiliary hardware and mobile towers, which they used to improve mobile broadband coverage. Those unable to build such solutions displayed new types of knowledge encompassing broader contexts of connectivity (infrastructure, devices and plans) and re-structured rural life to accommodate internet use that is shaped by interrupted access. Growing community-level capacity and interest in broadband development suggests national policies could better reduce rural-urban inequities by supporting and empowering localised solutions. Without addressing the interrupted nature of rural connectivity to improve service quality and affordability, disparities in the digital opportunities available to rural and urban consumers will persist.

Does national broadband plan narrow regional digital divide? Evidence from China

Although an increasing number of countries are striving to implement broadband plans, there is a dearth of research that examines whether having a national broad plan could narrow a nation’s regional digital divide. In this study, we used data sets collected from recent national statistics to quantify the effects of China’s national broadband strategy on the regional digital divide. The results of our analysis showed that while China’s approach narrowed the regional divide in terms of the coverage of broadband infrastructure, it had a comparatively limited impact on closing both the penetration divide and the quality divide. To narrow these divisions further, it is recommended that China adjust the priorities and scope of its national broadband strategy from a supply-side, investment-driven industrial policy to a demand-side, user-centric policy.

Structural equation modeling: an application of broadband penetration and GDP growth in Asia

In the present era of globalization, broadband penetration which indicates access to high-speed internet has allowed the transferring of information in a way that was never observed before. With the growing world-wide investment and attention received by broadband infrastructure, this study examines the relationship between broadband penetration and economic growth with a panel data consisting of ten Asian countries over 2001–2015. This study uses a structural equation modeling approach to estimate the relationship between endogenous broadband penetration and economic growth through two-stage least squares, three-stage generalized method of moments and full-information maximum likelihood estimation. A positive and significant impact of broadband penetration on economic growth is found controlling individual effect of countries.

Go for Gigabit? First Evidence on Economic Benefits of High‐speed Broadband Technologies in Europe

AbstractThe literature on the effects of investment in broadband infrastructure finds positive macroeconomic effects. However, it is severely constrained because it could hitherto only analyse investment or adoption up to basic broadband, but not up to the newer generations of hybrid fibre and end‐to‐end fibre‐based broadband. Utilizing a comprehensive panel dataset of EU27 member states for the period from 2003 to 2015, we estimate a small but significant effect of end‐to‐end fibre‐based broadband adoption over and above the effects of basic broadband on GDP; specifically, we find that a 1 per cent increase in adoption leads to an incremental increase of 0.002–0.005 per cent in GDP. The incremental effect of hybrid fibre broadband adoption over basic broadband is slightly lower (0.002–0.003%). Our cost‐benefit analysis implies that policy intervention – as foreseen by the European Commission – is only justified for coverage and adoption levels of around 50 per cent, whereas for a 100 per cent coverage level net losses are likely.

Public Procurement in Broadband Infrastructure Projects in the Republic of Croatia

This paper investigates public procurement in Broadband Infrastructure Projects in the Republic of Croatia, the funding of which is provided by the European Regional Development Fund for the period 2014-2020. Since successfully implemented procurement procedure for the infrastructure solution is one of the key factors for grant approval and the start of project implementation, the question arises as to which public procurement techniques contribute best to achieving the goals and meeting the objectives of these specific projects. It is estimated that the available literature and legal cases are not sufficient to make a decision on the selection of the procedure. Therefore, a conclusion of possible procedures was reached on the efficient and effective process through a comparison, as well as multicriteria analysis, leading to the successful completion of the procurement process.

Broadband upgrade and firm performance in rural areas: Quasi-experimental evidence

This paper analyzes the impact of advanced (up to 20 Mbps download, up to 1 Mbps upload) broadband accessibility on firm performance by exploiting a unique local policy of a staggered broadband infrastructure upgrade across rural municipalities. In a difference-in-differences framework based on longitudinal balance sheet data for limited companies, we show that ADSL2+ availability is associated with increases in firms’ revenue and total factor productivity (by on average 14.8 and 9.1 percent cumulatively over two years), but not with significant changes in personnel cost or employment. Additional analysis of aggregate administrative data shows no significant impact on the total number of active firms or local employment. Pre-trend evaluations support a causal interpretation.

Complementary realities: Public domain Internet measurements in the development of Canada’s universal access policies

As access to the Internet has become increasingly essential for social and economic participation, public domain Internet measurements have become indispensable for users to validate quality of service their network operator delivers and for policymakers to identify and address gaps in broadband infrastructure. This article evaluates public domain Internet performance measurements available for assessing the state of connectivity and developing universal access service quality standards in Canada. The analysis suggests that different approaches to Internet measurement represent complementary windows into a complex and fast evolving reality of broadband connectivity. Despite their potential shortcomings, large-scale crowdsourced open data network testing platforms have a central role to play in enabling broadband infrastructure policy coordination across different levels of government, empowerment of consumers, and achievement of universal service objectives for quality of service users experience when accessing the open Internet.

ICT development from the perspective of connectivity and inclusion – the operation of a local digital agenda in Sweden

ABSTRACTThe aim of the article is to determine what a local Digital Agenda (DA) implies for ICT development at the local level and how such a policy can be realised in practice. The topic is discussed in relation to the EU and Swedish Digital Agendas, which have motivated the definition of a local DA for the examined Swedish municipality of Linköping. An analytical model is used both to examine the balance of supply-side and demand-side policies of the local DA, and in an attempt to determine what a local DA implies for local ICT development. The empirical material shows that local policy focused on supply-side strategies towards households and businesses, while demand-side policy was present to a greater extent in the management of the municipality’s own operations. The local authority has provided a major expansion in broadband infrastructure to rural areas of the municipality. This complies with mandates from local authorities to manage local infrastructure development and services to the local population. The authors conclude that the policy implications of the results suggest that although operations through the local DA are substantial, complementary measures to support increasing demands across households and businesses are important when dealing with challenges of uneven access and underutilisation of the large investments for ICT infrastructure.

MOBILE BROADBAND AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN NIGERIA

The scale of diffusion of mobile wireless broadband technology and its transformational effect across all sectors of the economy cannot be over emphasised. It enables the creation of new business processes/product innovation, thereby boosting job creation, as well as raising economic growth and productivity. This suggests that the mobile broadband is a general-purpose technology capable of producing a protracted critical mass effect at a certain threshold of penetration. It is against this backdrop that this paper examines the impact of mobile broadband on economic growth in Nigeria. Using the Endogenous Growth Model, we employ ARDL Bounds Testing Approach and Toda Yamamoto Granger Causality test on quarterly data from 2001 to 2016, to estimate the growth effect of mobile broadband. The findings show that mobile broadband is impacting economic growth positively in the Nigerian economy. It is therefore imperative for policymakers to design policies that will increase access to broadband infrastructure to both the unserved and underserved. It is also imperative to enact policies and regulations that can stimulate the economic impact of mobile broadband technology by strengthening the capacity of the economy to fully absorb the transformational benefits and make productive use of it as a General-Purpose Technology.