The 900 MHz and 1800 MHz spectrum auctions in Thailand have generated plenty of headlines over the last few months. These have ranged from the initial astonishment at the spectacular prices to the recriminations that followed after new entrant Jasmine failed to pay the licence fee and thus lost the licence it won. Plum was[…]
Auctions have proved to be a popular tool among governments and regulators for the assignment of scarce spectrum resources for mobile use. While the economic rationale for auctions is sound, the actual implementation has at times been flawed and the implications costly. This Insight looks at spectrum auction trends over the last decade, focusing on[…]
Radiospectrum is a vital input in the provision of mobile services. Additional spectrum enhances the coverage and capacity of mobile networks, enabling them to meet the ever-growing demand for mobile data. Yet attaching an appropriate value to spectrum is a perennial problem for regulators and operators – regulators must decide how to allocate spectrum and[…]
High quality broadband connectivity for all is central to the European Union’s Digital Single Market objectives. Yet the concept of high quality universal broadband and its relationship to a universal service obligation which includes broadband is ill-defined. In this Insight we set out an economically rational approach for defining and funding universal broadband. This highlights[…]
Information and communications technology has made substantial contributions to productivity growth, and productivity growth is the only sustainable source of income and leisure growth. The smartphone’s ubiquity and growth in apps means that mobile devices are now the key enablers of this economic and social progress. Europe has done well in terms of mobile-apps. It[…]