Telecommunications Demand Research Articles

Managing the deployment of telecommunication towers in Ghana: an urban-integrated sustainable approach

ABSTRACT Telecommunication plays a crucial role in the modern society, and its importance in Ghana’s rapid digital and economic transformation is very relevant. Ghana is however confronted with huge telecommunication towers doted in the skylines of its major cities with some towers mounted in homes and on roof top of structures. The objective of this research was to investigate the major challenges associated with the urban deployment of the towers and suggest sustainable approach to its deployment. Using quantitative descriptive design, data was collected from the three leading telecommunication companies in Ghana receiving a response rate of 77.6%. Analysis of responses showed that, land acquisition and use challenges, compliance with regulatory and statutory issues, community occupational health issues, neighbourhood challenges and urban planning regulations are the key factors that affect the deployment of towers in Ghana. The research postulates that the urban deployment of telecommunication towers would require an integrated and regulated planning approach that constrains environmental impact, diminishes land use, optimises existing urban infrastructure through co-location and the deployment of advanced technologies such as Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellites, High Altitude Platforms (HAPs) and Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and 5G in managing the growing urban demand for urban telecommunication.

Waveguide quality inspection in quantum cascade lasers: A capsule neural network approach

Growing demand for consumer electronic devices and telecommunications is expected to drive the quantum cascade laser (QCL) market. The increase in the production rate of QCLs increases the likelihood of production failures and anomalies. The detection of waveguide defects and dirt using automatic optical inspection (AOI) and deep learning (DL) is the main focus of this study. The images samples of QCLs were collected from a laser manufacturing plant in Europe. Due to the lack of sufficient dirt and defect samples, automatic and manual data augmentation approaches were used to increase the number of images. A combination of an improved capsule neural network (WaferCaps) and convolutional neural network (CNN) based on parallel decision fusion is used to classify the samples. The output of these classifiers were combined based on rule-based selection algorithm that chooses the performance of the best classifier according to the class. The proposed approach was compared with the performance of standalone models, different state-of-the-art DL models such as CapsNet, ResNet-50, MobileNet, DenseNet, Xception and Inception-V3 and other machine learning (ML) models such as Support Vector Machine (SVM), decision tree, k-NN and Multi-layer Perceptron (MLP). The proposed approach outperformed them all with a validation accuracy of 98.5%.

The Analysis and Discussion of Spectrum Auctions Based on Case Study

With the prevalence of technology, there is a growing demand for telecommunications, which has led to a scarcity of spectrum. In order to allocate the usage of the spectrum more rationally, many countries have started to use spectrum auctions that can maximize the utilization of limited spectrum resources. However, some potential risks, such as insecurity, might be caused during the process of auctioning the spectrum. This article analyzes the spectrum auctions based on a series of case studies, obtaining the advantages and disadvantages of the discussion. Besides, there is a need for more research to be carried out to investigate the fraudulent conduct of some auctioneers and the manipulative actions of bidders.

Telecommunications, productivity and regional dependence: a comparative analysis between the Brazil, China and main developed regions in the post-reform period

In the last two decades, new technologies and the rapid growth of the telecommunications sector have changed production and trade relations in world economic systems. Regional dependence on the level of productivity, supply and demand of telecommunications has increased worldwide. Our study analyzes the changes in total factor productivity (TFP) of telecommunications and verifies its global and regional importance between 2000 and 2014. We apply the TFP decomposition and extraction technique in an input−output model. The main findings suggest improved efficiency has resulted in TFP gains in developed countries, whose variations were lower than those of Brazilian telecommunications, which exhibit a low capital—labor ratio. Moreover, global and regional dependence is more sensitive to supply than the demand for telecommunications. Although the main effects on the regional output are intraregional, the backward and forward effects denote a heavy regional reliance on USA telecommunications and reciprocity between China and European countries. The increase in telecommunications influenced by national policies in countries with little emphasis on regional composition should generate minor marginal gains in TFP, even with the gain in productive efficiency. These policies are also expected to reduce the dependence on American and Chinese telecommunications.

Analyzing Customer Satisfaction Over Telecom Companies in Sudan Using Apriori Algorithm

With the rapid growth in the field of information and communication technology, the demand for telecommunications and internet services increased over the years. In Sudan, three reputed telecom companies provide these types of services. Although a great competition between these companies in order to attract more new customers and also to keep the existing customers satisfied, many new and existing customers still has some apprehensions over the difficulty on how to choose the best among the service providers in terms of full range of services with affordable cost. This study aims to measure the customer satisfaction from the telecom companies in Sudan. The survey questionnaire designed and distributed electronically to as many customers to find frequent patterns by applying association rule mining techniques. The results of analysis show that Zain Sudan performs better compared to MTN and Sudani telecom companies in terms of various customer-oriented services.

Evaluating the liberalization process on Telecommunications services for EU countries

This paper investigates the main determinants of Telecommunications demand for European Union (EU) countries using a panel data set for 19 EU countries over the period 1991-2010, capturing the years before and after the liberalization process. The goal is to clarify whether any changes in the demand of Telecommunications, as expressed by volume of traffic in local, mobile and international market segments, are attributed to regulatory process or to some other major drivers, taking also into account the relevant price elasticities. It turns out that the regulatory process does not seem to have significant impact on demand for Telecommunications services for the first period of liberalization.

Integration of a K-Band Receiver Front-End Using a Copper Core Printed Circuit Board

Abstract Increasing demand for high bandwidth wireless satellite connections and telecommunications has resulted in interest in steerable antenna arrays in the GHz frequency range. These applications require cost-effective integration technologies for high frequency and high power integrated circuits (ICs) using GaAs, for example. In this paper, an integration platform is proposed, that enables GaAs ICs to be directly placed on a copper core inside cavities of a high frequency laminate for optimal cooling purposes. The platform is used to integrate a K-Band receiver front-end, composed of four GaAs ICs, with linear IF output power for input powers above −40dBm and a temperature of 42°C during operation.

Broadband Network Fiber to the Home (FttH) Design for Improving Performance of Information and Telecommunication Network in Riau University

Increased demand for information and telecommunications at the University of Riau demanding reliable carrier network availability. Copper cable network that now exists less support for multimedia network performance. Therefore, it is necessary to design a new access networks. One alternative is to implement fiber optic technology Fiber to the Home (FttH). This research design a FttH network for information access needs on the campus site, located in Panam, Pekanbaru. The results show the needs of Optical Network Terminal (ONT) as many as 209 units and 34 units of Optical Distribution Point (ODP), using passive splitter 1: 8 type of wall. Optical Distribution Cabinet (ODC) 1 unit to serve all the region in UR with a capacity of 24 core, using ODC 144 type. Calculation of the sample data taken, showing the speed of each customer in the Engineering Faculty using FttH is approximately 3 Mbps. Link Budget Calculations indicate that power received by each faculty on average -23.17 dB, it can be concluded FttH network design is feasible and appropriate ethical standards that have been determined shall not exceed -28 dB. Attenuation of each faculty obtained the average value of -21.17 dB.

The Role of Technology to Achieve Sustainable Economic Development in Africa

Objective - The purpose of this paper is to study how the technological innovation can achieve and promote sustainable development particularly in Africa. It considers forms of innovation technology that could enhance sustainable development. Methodology/Technique - The data used in this paper includes 54 African countries and the study period is from 2000 to 2014, using data on IT that measures the stock of telecommunications infrastructure as telecommunications investment. The GDP series represents annual real GDP in the prices of 2000. Annual series for IT and GDP were collected from the World Development Indicators of the World Bank database in 2015. Findings - The paper presents the concept and strategies of Sustainable Economic Development, discusses existing technologies in sustainable development, shows the role of technology in sustainable development, and presents the information and communication technology to promote economic development in Africa and the obstacles to set up policies for innovation technology in Africa. Novelty - The results have major implications. Firstly, the access to telecommunications services contributes towards economic growth. Secondly, an appropriate regulatory environment is necessary to realize the potential growth in telecommunications demand generated by increased income. Type of Paper - Empirical Keywords: Technology; Sustainable Economic Development; ICT in Africa.

Threshold effects in pricing of high-involvement services

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to test for price threshold effects in the demand for high-involvement services for small businesses. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a stated preference choice-based conjoint study of small business telecommunications demand. Using survey data, individual-level parameter estimates for a demand model are achieved via the Hierarchical Bayes method of estimation. Findings – For demand for small business telecommunications services, the authors find very strong positive impacts of nine-ending and zero-ending prices on the demand for a common bundle of telecommunications services (wired telephone service, broadband internet, and cellular telephone service), even at prices so high a shift in the left-most digit does not occur. Practical implications – The advertising, brand, or product manager or statistician who assumes threshold effects are not extant in high-involvement service demand may find conventional demand estimation methods lead to erroneous conclusions and less effective pricing strategies. Originality/value – In the statistical literature on price-ending effects on product demand, most products for which demand is modelled are low-involvement consumer products priced at less than ten monetary units per unit of product. There is a lacuna in this price-ending effects literature regarding small businesses and high-involvement services offered at three-digit prices via monthly subscription. This research indicates that testing for threshold effects should be de rigeur in the methodology of demand estimation for telecommunications or other high-involvement services.

Field-effect transistors based on cubic indium nitride.

Although the demand for high-speed telecommunications has increased in recent years, the performance of transistors fabricated with traditional semiconductors such as silicon, gallium arsenide, and gallium nitride have reached their physical performance limits. Therefore, new materials with high carrier velocities should be sought for the fabrication of next-generation, ultra-high-speed transistors. Indium nitride (InN) has attracted much attention for this purpose because of its high electron drift velocity under a high electric field. Thick InN films have been applied to the fabrication of field-effect transistors (FETs), but the performance of the thick InN transistors was discouraging, with no clear linear-saturation output characteristics and poor on/off current ratios. Here, we report the epitaxial deposition of ultrathin cubic InN on insulating oxide yttria-stabilized zirconia substrates and the first demonstration of ultrathin-InN-based FETs. The devices exhibit high on/off ratios and low off-current densities because of the high quality top and bottom interfaces between the ultrathin cubic InN and oxide insulators. This first demonstration of FETs using a ultrathin cubic indium nitride semiconductor will thus pave the way for the development of next-generation high-speed electronics.

Estimation of Commercial Value of Spectrum: The Approach Adopted in Thailand

Mobile communications spectrum is a scarce and essential resource as it is required to satisfy customer demand for telecommunications. Spectrum as a resource if used efficiently can incur maximum economic value for an economy. The aim of this research is to provide a general analytical frameworks and mobile communication spectrum value estimation models that can be utilized to estimate spectrum value. The outcome of this research is to assist National Regulatory Authorities (NRA) in getting a fair value for spectrum in order to ensure that mobile communication spectrum is utilized for high economic value generating technologies.

Impact of Telecommunication on Transportation System of Dhaka City

Dhaka city, being one of the most densely populated cities of the world, is suffering tremendous problems especially in transport sector. Also, with the increase in level of urbanization the situation is becoming more acute in the unbearable traffic congestion which takes away around 3.2 million work-hours in a year. Telecommunication is another way of communicating besides physical transportation and now-a-days a large number of travel demands can be satisfied through this advancing technology. In Dhaka, both these modes of communication have experienced tremendous growth over the past few decades and since they can serve the same demands to some extent, it is implied that development in one sector may potentially mitigate the problems of other. In this context, this study investigates the impact of telecommunication on transportation system of Dhaka city. From the impact analysis, it has been found that transportation demand has a positive or complementarity relationship with telecommunication demand and transportation cost. Also, telecommunication demand and supply has positive relationship with transport cost in Dhaka city. Socio-demographic conditions tend to reduce transportation cost and increase telecommunication cost. The implication of the effect of land use change is that non-residential use of land contributes towards the increase of both the supply and demand of telecommunications and travel. It is also suggested by the findings that proper integration transport and telecommunication sector is necessary for this city in order to use telecommunication as a substitute of transport sector to improve the mobility of the city dwellers. Vol. 6, December 2013, pp. 125-135

Compositional and thermal treatment effects on Raman gain and bandwidth in nanostructured silica based glasses

Investigations of new materials possessing both higher Raman gain and larger spectral bandwidth than fused silica are becoming mandatory in order to satisfy increasing telecommunications demands. Herein, silica–niobia based glasses have been prepared and characterized by ellipsometry and Raman spectroscopy. A fine glass structural characterization of bulk system has been performed and the Raman gain has been quantified. Our silica-based glass system (K2O–Nb2O5–SiO2 (KNS)) provides via thermal treatment a nanocomposite material of easy and cheap fabrication. In our glass composition a strong Raman gain (up to 30 times higher than fused silica) and a large bandwidth have been measured and demonstrated to be related to nanostructured material domains.

Does More Time Spent Calling Home Correlate with Higher Remittances? Evidence from Migrants in the State of Qatar

Abstract This paper investigates an intriguing relationship between the demand for telecommunication and remittance services by migrants in Qatar. The hypothesis is that there are important synergies between telecommunications and remittances. Migrants with greater telecom access may have higher demand for remittances, because more frequent communication with relatives raises altruistic motivations for remitting. Migrants who remit more may also demand greater telecommunication service if they seek to monitor remittance recipients’ expenditure patterns. Suggestive evidence of complementarities in telecommunication and remittance demand is found using a cross-sectional dataset of temporary migrants in Qatar from developing countries. This finding highlights an overlooked, yet potentially important role of telecommunication in stimulating greater remittances.

Increase in Telecommunications Expenditure and the Migration of Consumption Online: The Case of South Korea

Using longitudinal time-series data, this article analyzes the causes of the recent sharp increase in household expenditure on telecommunications in South Korea with an almost ideal demand system (AIDS) model. The analysis shows that the Korean household demand for telecommunications has become highly price elastic following structural changes associated with the rapid diffusion of mobile phones and the Internet during 1998–2008. Following these structural changes, telecommunications services have become complements for transportation, books and printed matter, and culture and recreation services, but substitutes for culture and recreation durable goods. Consequently, one important reason for the increase in the expenditure on telecommunications in Korea is the migration of many services from offline to online by means of telecommunications.

Manufacturing telecommunications in Brazil: from leading edge to maquilas

Brazil had the preconditions for the development of a national manufacturing capability in wireless phones. The weak performance of state-run phone system created pent up demand for wireless telecommunications. Pro-active government policies helped to build a research and development capacity, including a successful switching technology. However, incoherence in policies led to eventual failure of efforts to create national production. Brazil is now a maquila manufacturer, largely involved in labour-intensive assembly operations for foreign multinationals with few local development linkages. Brazil’s experience provides a cautionary tale for the importance of consistent policies, for locating the appropriate relationship between public and private sectors in consonance with opportunities provided by technological and market cycles.

The effect of user interaction on the demand for mobile text messages: Evidence from cross-country data

This work presents an empirical analysis of the impact of user interaction on the demand for telecommunications. Specifically, we measure mobile telephony demand estimating a point-to-point model of the text messaging traffic exchanged cross-network, identifying the impact of incoming traffic as well as network size. The analysis relies on a monthly dataset spanning 15 countries for the period 2002–2007. The econometric estimates of price elasticities indicate that incoming traffic is a key driver of SMS demand, as previously established for fixed telephony. A further novel contribution is the estimation of the demand impact of network size, a confounding factor for the effect of incoming traffic. The results hold implications for theories of network competition, optimal pricing by telecommunications operators and regulation.

Determinants of Household Access Demand for Telecom Services in India: Empirical Evidence and Policy Implications

AbstractThis paper estimates the socioeconomic and demographic determinants of household access demand for telecommunications (or telecom) services by employing a binary logit model and using a sample survey data from Karnataka State (India). The evidence suggests that social caste, education level, size of income, income tax payers, and location of friends and relatives in local call area have significant impact on household access demand. However, the nature and magnitude of the impact of these determinants are different in rural and urban areas, respectively. Further, given the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, a rise in the average income of households is shown to have a remarkable increase in the probability for access demand. These results imply that knowledge of socioeconomic and demographic determinants are relevant inputs for design of a promotional policy for access to telecom services. Subject to the comparability of socioeconomic structures, these implications are of relevance for promotion of household access demand for telecom services in other developing countries.

Impact of cross-national diffusion process in telecommunications demand forecasting

New product diffusion process studies focus mainly on estimating the adoption rate of the product, within the boundaries of the targeted market. However, and especially for high technology and telecommunications products, it is very likely the case that products or services are introduced simultaneously into a number of market segments, a fact that it is rarely taken into account. Thus, the effect of market and population interaction, and the consequent co-influence in the diffusion rates is not considered. This work focuses on developing and evaluating a pertinent methodology, so as to capture this cross-national interaction influence in the diffusion process.