The diffusion of mobile telephony in Italy and the UK: an empirical investigation

Since its appearance mobile telephony has shown a remarkably fast diffusion pattern in most advanced countries. This paper investigates technological and economic factors that have influenced the diffusion process of cellular phones, in particular the diffusion speed and the upper limit. The epidemic model widely used in diffusion studies is summarised and discussed highlighting the evolutionary disequilibrium nature of diffusion processes. Moreover, the econometric specification of some of the models distinguishes between long-run relationships and short-run adjustments to a continuously evolving pattern. We find that the new digital technology, which coincides with increased competition in both Italy and the UK, has made the process faster and increased the saturation level in Italy, but not in the UK; in Italy only the decreasing price of the handset has affected the diffusion process, whereas we find that, in addition to that, decreasing tariffs and increasing consumption expenditures have been significant in shaping the diffusion process of mobile telephony in the UK.     

The diffusion of Internet telephony among consumers and firms: Current issues and future prospects

This paper analyses the current demand and market potential for Internet telephony—the transmission of voice over the public Internet or over a private Intranet—a technology that has attracted considerable attention as an appealing alternative to traditional telephony but that is likely to develop as a component within an integrated system of video, data and voice applications. The paper investigates technical, economic and social factors supporting and hindering the adoption of Internet telephony. In doing so, it relies upon the idea that the diffusion of Internet telephony is determined both by the attributes of the technological applications as perceived by the potential adopters, and by the characteristics of different users. According to this view, the research points out that relevant uncertainties reside on the demand side, particularly among residential users, and that in the future, businesses are more likely to adopt these applications than consumers. The assumptions concerning the future diffusion of Internet telephony are supported by the results of a survey carried out among a sample of Internet telephony service providers in Europe and North America.     

Calling party pays or receiving party pays? The diffusion of mobile telephony with endogenous regulation

This paper analyzes the impact on mobile telephony diffusion patterns of the two predominant payment regimes, calling party pays (CPP) and receiving party pays (RPP), for mobile termination services. By applying instrumental variable techniques to panel data we account for a possible interdependency of penetration rates and regulatory interventions. For this purpose we use data on political and institutional factors to instrument endogenous regulatory decisions. We conclude from our empirical analysis that there is no significant impact of either RPP or CPP on penetration rates. Therefore an application of RPP in order to obviate regulation of termination fees would be feasible.     

Technology diffusion theory revisited: a regulation,environment, strategy,technology model for technology activation analysis of mobile ICT

Theory on the diffusion of mobile information and communication technology (ICT) is mainly focused on technology diffusion, while prerequisites to such diffusion are largely disregarded or taken for granted. Moreover, few constructs for the assessment of technology diffusion take into account the inherent link between technology and strategy analysis. This study proposes that analysing what comes prior to diffusion and use of technology – here defined as ‘technology activation’ – is equally important, so as to identify external, not user-related determinants that enable or hinder a value proposition based on the new technology. To fill the existing gap and extend technology diffusion theory upstream, the limitations of the technology–organisation–environment model and of other technology diffusion models are reviewed, together with external strategy analysis models, and an original model is proposed to address four macro-determinants that affect technology activation: Regulation, environment, strategy, technology (REST). The REST model is then applied to the Italian mobile location-based services market, to qualitatively validate its comprehensiveness. Conclusions are drawn on the opportunities to extend the mobile technology diffusion analysis process upstream, and to integrate technology analysis with existing research on strategy analysis, thus providing new momentum to mainstream research on innovation diffusion.     

Trade Liberalization and Technology Diffusion

The paper considers the role of technology diffusion and trade liberalization for the catching‐up of structurally backward countries. A New Economic Geography model is presented that accounts for firm entry/exit and international mobility of skilled labor employed in public R&D sectors. This raises the traditional agglomeration effects in a core–periphery setting as firms and mobile factors usually cluster within spatial agglomerations. With international technology diffusion, however, there is a counteracting effect on the traditional agglomeration effects as firms in the periphery also benefit from increasing R&D expenditures in the core lowering entry costs for firms. It is found that the catching‐up of structurally backward countries is spurred not only as a result of trade integration but also because of technology diffusion.     

技术的时空扩散研究:以GIS在中国教育科研机构的扩散为例

新技术的扩散总是涉及到时间和空间两个尺度,相当一部分技术扩散研究只研究时间这一尺度。相比而言,空间的扩散过程及机理的研究就困难得多,这不仅因为数据难以获得,而且因为在空间尺度上影响扩散的因素也相当复杂。文章利用文献计量方法获得有关GIS技术在中国教育科研机构的基本数据,为技术的时空扩散研究提供了难得的数据资源。该数据的特点在于同时具有时间和空间两维尺度。数据表明,无论是在时间还是在空间尺度上,技术的扩散都表现为经典的S型增长路径。在数据的基础上分析了影响GIS扩散的主要因素,包括地区文化教育和科研状况、地区经济发展以及地区信息与网络状况等。在此基础上,利用主体模型对时空扩散过程加以模拟,模拟的结果比较令人满意,表明对于影响因素的分析是可靠的。     

Service quality in Brazilian mobile telephony: an efficiency frontier analysis

The mobile telephony sector is characterized by the dynamic interplay of rapid changes in technology and an apparently growing competition, as indicated by the fierce nonprice competition, and is yet associated with the entry of new operating companies in some cases. In this context, a relevant and neglected issue is the assessment of how service quality responded to an increasingly competitive environment. This study utilizes data envelopment analysis to assess the quality efficiency of mobile telephony companies in Brazil during the 2000–2003 period. Window analysis was conducted for the entire period, taking as reference different quality indicators pertaining to different forms of complaints and calls completed and interrupted. The efficiency measurement was made feasible by interpreting the indicators reflecting a positive dimension of quality as outputs and those reflecting negative aspects of quality as inputs. Given potential heterogeneities across firms that relate to the frequency band and to the technology (time division multiple access technology and code division multiple access technology among others), this article considered adjusted efficiency scores. The Tobit model for censored data was estimated to control for the aforementioned aspects. Rescaled residuals from the econometric estimation produced efficiency scores for service quality. The evidence indicated an overall improvement in efficiency over time. Nonparametric tests were consistent with a positive evolution of quality over time even for shorter subperiods.     

竞争性技术创新扩散模型及其应用

基于竞争性技术创新扩散系统的定义及假设,提出了多项竞争性技术创新扩散系统的动力学模型,并将多智能体的建模理论与方法应用到竞争性技术创新扩散的分析中。通过大量仿真实验,将动力学模型、多智能体模型的预测结果和实际数据进行了对比分析,对未来的手机用户扩散数量进行了预测。分析结果认为,一项创新技术只有借助扩散,其潜在经济效益才能被最大限度地发挥。同时,分析结果也验证了该模型在实践中的可行性和有效性。     

城市科技创新人才政策扩散动力因素时空差异研究

科技创新人才是城市提升创新能力的核心资源,是科技进步的关键要素。科技创新人才政策作为城市争夺人才的工具,被各个城市广泛采纳和使用。以161个城市为研究对象,运用事件史分析方法,探寻城市科技创新人才政策扩散的动力因素并进行时空差异分析。研究发现,城市科技创新人才政策扩散具有双重动力因素：在需求拉动因素中,经济发展水平和财政收入是影响城市科技创新人才政策扩散的主要因素;在压力推动因素中,行政指令、府际竞争和社会舆论显著影响城市科技创新人才政策扩散;在政策扩散平稳增长期,双重动力因素共同作用于政策扩散过程,而在政策扩散加速和减速增长期,城市科技创新人才政策扩散动力因素存在差异;在东、中部地区,压力推动因素占据主导,而在西部地区,双重动力因素都发挥重要作用。     

产业共性技术扩散三阶段模型构建与仿真研究

结合产业共性技术相关理论与技术扩散模型，以政府作用为调节变量，构建产业共性技术扩散的三阶段仿真模型，对产业共性技术扩散三阶段演化特征进行探讨，借助Matlab平台对主体采纳行为和共性技术扩散速度进行仿真，并以我国新能源汽车产业共性技术扩散为例对仿真结果进行实证检验。研究结果表明：产业共性技术扩散先后经历了权威决策、二次创新以及附随扩散3个阶段;产业共性技术扩散的企业采纳比例遵循“S”型曲线规律，而产业共性技术扩散速度出现了“上升-下降-再上升”的“N”型走势;直接采纳二次研发成果的企业，对产业共性技术扩散影响较大;政府在整个产业共性技术扩散过程中发挥关键作用，但在扩散不同阶段政府介入方式与程度会有所差异;二次创新投入比例与成功率影响产业共性技术扩散规模和速度;只有将产业共性技术转化成专有技术或新产品，才能实现共性技术有效扩散。     

A study on the relationship between technology diffusion and new product diffusion

This study investigates the relationship between “technology diffusion” and “new product diffusion”. We define “technology diffusion” as a knowledge spillover process, which is represented by patent citation, and “new product diffusion” as the spread of a new product that has been developed by the application of patented technology. To investigate the relationship between the two types of diffusion, we use patent citation data of code division multiple access (CDMA) technology and market sales data of mobile phones in South Korea for the analysis. The results show that the diffusion of technology through patent citation could be successfully explained by empirical analysis, for which the Bass diffusion model was used. Moreover, we can find out if technology diffusion can be the leading indicator of a new product's diffusion before its launching; in other words, before the commercialization of the patent.     

Fixed-to-mobile call substitution and telephony market definition in Korea

An appropriate market definition is critical in most antitrust cases. In practice, antitrust authorities define economic markets in a deterministic manner with little concern about the risk involved in defining markets incorrectly. In contrast, this article proposes a probabilistic market definition method by which antitrust authorities can establish a statistical confidence level for their intended market-definition judgments. As an application, we examine the likelihood that the fixed-line and mobile telephony services in Korea can compete in the same economic market. Combining critical loss analysis with a hierarchical Bayes model for stated preference data, we find some evidence for the separation of the fixed-line and mobile telephony markets in present-day Korea. After discussing certain possible regulation biases for market definition, we predict that the two markets will converge in the near future as the mobile price premium continues to decrease.     

颠覆性创新四阶段扩散过程模型

基于颠覆性创新、创新扩散、创新模糊前端等相关理论，从全流程角度创新性地构建了颠覆性创新四阶段扩散过程模型，包括颠覆性创意产生、颠覆性创新产品开发、侵蚀非主流市场、占据主流市场4个阶段，各阶段之间相互关联、循环往复，并受到技术、市场、政策、竞争等外部环境因素影响。选取液晶电视机和山寨手机作为高端和低端两个颠覆性创新典型案例，通过对其进行验证性分析，构建具体的高端与低端颠覆性创新四阶段扩散过程模型。     

A dynamic diffusion model for managing customer's expectation and satisfaction

The paper aims at answering the generic question on how suppliers make the suitable and well-timed decisions in diffusing new technology effectively to adopters. Three major attempts are made for the study: First, investigating the entire process of the adoption and diffusion of technology innovation with reasonably well-accepted models in each areas. Second, proposing an integrated model by concatenating in structured manner the three prominent models for the management of technology innovation such as diffusion model, adoption model, and customer satisfaction model. Third, exploring the dynamic mechanism underlying outward behaviors of the integrated model proposed in the study which depicts the causal relationships that influence technology adoption and diffusion behaviors. An exploration of the dynamic mechanism underlying outward behaviors of the integrated model is presented in the study by introducing the system dynamics simulation technique. These attempts made for the study and the results perhaps allow both researchers and practitioners to gain insight into the causal factors influencing customers' adoption decision making processes and thereby into the potential diffusion patterns resulting from those adoption processes.     

Policy analysis for growth of a new technology product

Three important aspects of the growth of a new technology product are new product diffusion, rise in productivity, and new product management. The authors maintain that these three aspects are interrelated. The study presented in this paper selected a system dynamics framework to address, in a unified fashion, the above-mentioned aspects of growth in the context of the TV industry in India. The study indicates that (a) in conformity to the present trend, new product diffusion should be treated as a multiattribute phenomenon, and a study of causal factors and their relationships hold the key to understanding this phenomenon, (b) contrary to the prevailing belief, new technology may not enhance capital or total productivity, particularly after the end of the major expansion phase of the product life cycle, and (c) new product growth is generally associated with a loss of market share during the major growth phase and an overcapacity at the end of this phase. Various policy tests on the model reveal that in the case of the Indian TV industry, employee skill has the highest leverage in improving company performance in terms of increased market share, increased productivity and profitability figures, and reduced overcapacity.     

Inter-firm diffusion of process innovations

This paper introduces a model of the diffusion of process innovations. It predicts that the inter- firm diffusion curve, showing the proportion of firms having adopted a given innovation, will follow either a cumulative normal time path for major and technically complex innovations or a cumulative lognormal time path for simpler and less expensive innovations. This prediction is tested, with satisfactory results, against data on the diffusion of various innovations in the U.K. The model also provides a limited explanation of why some firms adopt faster than others and identifies a number of factors which will determine the aggregate speed of diffusion.     

技术扩散能否成为区域创新效率提升的新动能——研发要素流动视角

基于研发要素流动视角，利用我国内地30个省市2002-2017年面板统计数据，通过空间杜宾模型和面板门槛回归模型，对技术扩散影响区域创新效率提升情况进行探究。研究结果发现：我国区域创新效率呈现波动收敛态势，其中，东部创新效率最高，中西部创新效率次之，且两者交替上探下潜；技术扩散能够驱动区域创新效率提升，其中，本土技术扩散表现出显著的边际递减驱动力，而国际技术扩散呈现出不显著的边际递增驱动力；技术扩散能够引发研发要素流动，其中，研发资本流动能够积极改善区域创新效率，而研发人员流动表现出抑制作用。     

技术扩散能否成为区域创新效率提升的新动能——研发要素流动视角

基于研发要素流动视角,利用我国内地30个省市2002-2017年面板统计数据,通过空间杜宾模型和面板门槛回归模型,对技术扩散影响区域创新效率提升情况进行探究。研究结果发现：我国区域创新效率呈现波动收敛态势,其中,东部创新效率最高,中西部创新效率次之,且两者交替上探下潜;技术扩散能够驱动区域创新效率提升,其中,本土技术扩散表现出显著的边际递减驱动力,而国际技术扩散呈现出不显著的边际递增驱动力;技术扩散能够引发研发要素流动,其中,研发资本流动能够积极改善区域创新效率,而研发人员流动表现出抑制作用。     

A choice-based multi-product diffusion model incorporating replacement demand

This study proposes an integrated forecasting model that incorporates both first purchase diffusion and replacement component of sales in predicting multi-product diffusion patterns. The model consists of a two-stage procedure that customers undertake during purchase occasions according to a diffusion process or replacement process, and at each occasion, they make purchase incidence decisions and product choices according to a choice model. By incorporating various exogenous factors in the choice model, the model can identify the impact of each factor on customers' purchase incidence decisions and choice decisions among various product sub-categories. This approach enables us to understand the overall process of customers' purchasing behavior and to separate total sales amount into sales to three consumer segments: first-time buyers, customers who repurchase the same product category and customers who change their previous product category. We applied the proposed model in the forecasting multi-product framework; forecasting sub-category level automobile sales and brand level mobile terminal sales in the South Korean market. The results of the empirical studies showed that incorporating the replacement components into the multi-product diffusion framework is useful not only in understanding the demand interaction among automobile categories and among mobile handset brands, but also in producing more accurate long-term sales forecasts compared to previous multi-product diffusion models.