The UK’s Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) currently provides voice services to millions of households in the UK, and the underlying analogue technology also supports a range of data services for both domestic and non-domestic applications. However, the analogue/electrical based network technology that currently enables the PSTN is coming to the end of its life[…]
On June 19th Ofcom published a document seeking expressions of interest from telecommunications operators to become providers of the UK’s broadband universal service. This Insight paper provides a commentary on the document, discussing the specification of the USO, how it is to be funded and the questions yet to be answered. Plum’s understanding of the[…]
Despite continuing growth in mobile network coverage, there are many areas where enterprise users suffer from no, or poor, connectivity. Manufacturing, agricultural and transport industries in these regions suffer from their remote locations, and they often find that their ability to benefit from Industry 4.0 – the automation through connected machines – is limited. This[…]
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) enacted its Electronic Communications Law in 2011. The law, which came into effect in 2012, created the Information Technologies and Communication Authority, or Bilgi Teknolojileri ve Haberleşme Kurumu (BTHK). This law is largely based upon the European Union regulatory framework for electronic communications. Amongst the other powers and[…]
This study reviews universal service policy in a set of case study countries. It considers the services provided to consumers and the mechanisms for the provision and funding of those services. We find that the scope and definition of universal service varies considerably from one case study country to another. For example, in some EU[…]
Plum was commissioned jointly by UKWISPA[1] and INCA[2] to conduct an independent and updated assessment of the potential benefits of fixed wireless access (FWA) technologies, for provision of broadband services in the UK market. Our focus has been directed towards review of the performance levels available with modern commercially available FWA solutions. Within the study,[…]
Plum was appointed by Ofcom’s Competition Group (Financial and Economic Modelling Division) to carry out an external and independent review to assess the quality of a series of LRIC modelling workbooks and associated documents, in association with the wholesale local access charge control WLACC market review in the UK. Our work included a detailed review[…]
In conjunction with TTC, Plum provided the NCC – the Taiwanese regulator – with three reports examining the current market for leased lines in Taiwan, providing input to a consultation on the appropriate regulatory mechanisms, and specifying how a regulatory cost model should be built. The leased line market in Taiwan has historically been regulated[…]
The telecommunications sector is characterised by substantial fixed costs and significant economies of scale. In a macrostate this usually does not matter because the main operators function at a point well above minimum efficient scale. But in a typical island state in the Caribbean the main operators usually operate at a point well below minimum[…]
The IFT, the Mexican regulator, was looking to set mobile termination rates (MTRs) for 2017 using a model that had been developed some years previously. AT&T, a new entrant to the market, was concerned that this model would not give an accurate or realistic value for the cost of termination. Plum examined the model and[…]