Plum supported London Economics in carrying out an economic assessment of the acquisition by HKBN of WTT for the Hong Kong regulator OFCA. The merger analysis considered the impacts on potentially affected markets, including retail and wholesale fixed services, and took into account market trends and the implications of technology developments on supply and demand[…]
Commercial 5G services launched in April this year in South Korea and the US, and it is expected that 5G mobile services will have been launched by operators around the world by the end of 2019. A new style of mobile package is emerging; 5G packages seem to be characterised by substantial (or unlimited) data[…]
Plum Consulting provided support to ComReg on their proposed release of the 410-415.5 / 420-425.5 MHz sub band. In particular Plum considered the potential uses of the spectrum including further spectrum for PMR, PPDR, smart metering, IoT networks and smart grids. The study considered spectrum requirements for the different services and availability of other frequencies.[…]
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[…]
This Plum study for the Kosovo regulator ARKEP involved the valuation of the frequency bands for IMT services. Benchmarking and econometric analysis were carried out to derive the market value of six bands (800, 900, 1800, 2100, 2600 and 3500 MHz) and recommendations were provided on the appropriate auction reserve prices and spectrum fees, taking[…]
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[…]