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[…]
The project provides an assessment of the broadcasting, electronic communication and spectrum regulation in the UK (including the UK Electronic Communications Code) and the risks that may arise from the current legislation/regulation and possible future changes. It considers all parts of business that fall under the legislation of these sectors.
Ahead of renewal of spectrum licences in the AWS band, the CWTA commissioned Plum to compile a report looking at the value of AWS spectrum and how this should be applied to any renewal process. Operators were concerned that ISEDC (the spectrum administrator) would use the renewals as an opportunity to significantly increase spectrum fees,[…]
The total cost, number of premises connected and overall net-benefit to the country of a broadband USO for the UK are all sensitive to design choices such as download speed, cost threshold, assumed take-up rates and funding mechanism – so were the findings of Plum’s study for the Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG). The BSG is[…]
Plum has recently completed a detailed report assessing the commercial and economic impacts that could result from important policy changes affecting use of intellectual property in technical standards. These changes were, rather contentiously, adopted by the US based IEEE organisation in 2015, following support from the US Department of Justice. Our report reviews intensive industry[…]
In the developed world there is now strong convergence between the retail pay TV markets and the retail broadband markets in which suppliers in both markets increasingly compete for the spend of the same consumers. This trend is likely to continue as the capability of fixed and mobile broadband networks continues to improve rapidly over[…]
Innovation is the lifeblood of companies, especially in the telecommunications and technology sectors, as a means to contribute directly to top line growth, healthy margins, and shareholder value, and will be crucial in bringing 5G to market. And yet in many cases, innovation is stifled or fails even to get off the ground. Why is[…]
It is fairly well known now that the ‘traditional’ cellular investment thesis breaks down when run with both 5G financial and engineering numbers, driven by ongoing traffic growth, insufficient cost efficiency improvements, and weak top line growth. Whilst some say that traffic growth may slow once we plateau on video, this is uncertain. Virtual reality[…]
Plum has recently undertaken a detailed review of Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) technology, with assessment on commercial and economic efficiencies and regulatory policies. MOCN brings incremental benefits over Multi-Operator Radio Access Network (MORAN) technology in that, additionally, MOCN enables spectrum sharing. With ongoing traffic demands towards 4.5/5G, we believe that MOCN technology and spectrum sharing[…]