Connected consumer devices – such as smart TVs, smart thermostats and connected appliances – are becoming increasingly common. Yet the cybersecurity measures on these devices are often lacking: many such devices contain serious vulnerabilities that leave them open to attack. This imposes costs not only on the owners of such devices, but upon third parties[…]
Adding connectivity to physical devices can significantly enhance their usefulness: for instance, it can allow remote operation or monitoring of the device, improve user convenience, or increase energy efficiency. As a result, the number of connected devices has grown extremely rapidly. This growth has been accompanied by increasing concerns about cybersecurity and privacy, and nowhere[…]
Plum was engaged by a UK-based wireless services operator, to assess new commercial models for 5G deployment and assess related benefits in rural areas. Our work included detailed review of emerging regulation on spectrum management and policy issues. We also carried out primary research to assess stakeholders’ needs in rural areas, and built commercial and[…]
Traditionally, an incumbent telecoms operator is vertically integrated and delivers all functions – network build and operations; product design and development; and retail sales and service. This integration carries a tension between the incumbent’s role as provider of wholesale services to its competitors, and its activities as a retail competitor. Around the world regulators and[…]
Plum undertook a study for the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau (CEDB), Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The purpose of the study was to review the existing telecommunications infrastructure capacity in Hong Kong. It comprised identifying a set of assessment indicators to assess its adequacy; development of benchmarks to assess the supply[…]
Report co-authored with Stephen Adshead The Department of Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) commissioned Plum Consulting to provide an independent analysis of the structure of the online advertising sector; the movement of data, content and money through the online advertising value chain; and potential harms that can arise from online advertising. This work feeds[…]
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[…]
Both mobile communications and mobile money markets in Kenya are dominated by Safaricom, potentially limiting consumer choice and leading to an unbalanced market for other operators. Plum was commissioned to compile a report looking at the potential impacts of increased or lessened competition in the Kenyan market, drawing on existing academic studies to quantify the[…]
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[…]
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[…]