Strategic focus of incumbents in the European telecommunications industry: The cases of BT,Deutsche Telekom and KPN

This study investigates the internal and external strategic choices that telecommunications firms, operating in a dynamic network environment, make to adapt to changes and to respond quickly in order to create or to sustain their competitive advantage. In particular, in the European telecommunications industry incumbent firms have faced important challenges from new technologies, liberalization and the convergence of markets. The leading European telecommunications companies initially focused on new markets and new businesses, emphasizing their plans to become major players in relevant markets. However, after the telecommunications euphoria companies were more restrained due to their huge burden of debt and their market value. Through refocusing or restructuring, these companies have tried to streamline their businesses in order to restore their value and to improve their competitiveness. Insight into the specific strategic actions of traditional telecommunications companies in Europe to the recent developments in the industry is provided from the analysis of three leading traditional telecommunications companies: BT, Deutsche Telekom and KPN.     

Different paths to universal access: The impact of policy and regulation on broadband diffusion in the developed and developing worlds

The authors examine the broadband digital divide by analyzing the impact of policy and regulation on broadband Internet diffusion. Their multiple regression analysis shows factors that determine broadband diffusion in technologically developed countries do not necessarily have the same impact in less developed countries. They show that in technologically developed countries, there is greater broadband diffusion in countries that make a higher financial investment in information and communication technologies (ICTs), have effective governing practices at the national level, have higher levels of education, and are more urban. In technologically developing nations, a competitive telecommunications sector and higher investment in ICTs lead to greater broadband diffusion, with investment having an even larger impact in the developing world than in the developed world. In addition, stronger democratic political institutions, higher levels of national income and lower levels of income inequality increase diffusion, but the presence of a national telecommunications regulatory authority has a negative impact. These results suggest that the path to widespread availability and use of broadband requires different strategies depending on a nation's level of technological development.     

中国对外直接投资对东盟国家进出口贸易的影响研究——基于信息通信技术视角

在一带一路倡议的助推下,中国对东盟的直接投资流量大幅度增加,东盟已成为中国的第二大贸易伙伴。诸多学者实证证明,外国直接投资流入对贸易的影响是积极的,通过创造就业机会、转让先进技术等方式,促进了贸易的发展,但政策制定者需要知道是什么使市场对外国直接投资更有吸引力。本文利用2003~2018年的数据进行实证检验,研究结果表明,中国对东盟的直接投资促进了中国与东盟国家之间贸易额的增长;另外,信息通信技术具有调节作用,中国对外直接投资和信息通信技术对东盟国家的出口增长率、贸易增长率具有显著影响,而对进口增长率的影响则存在滞后性。研究建议:中国应向东盟国家提供更多的援助,加大对信息通信基础设施的投资,帮助它们采用信息和通信技术,打破目前信息和通信技术不平衡的困境,助力双方的贸易合作和经济发展。     

A critical review of the “ladder of investment” approach

The “ladder of investment” is a regulatory approach proposed by Cave (2006), which has been widely embraced by national regulatory authorities in the European telecommunications sector. The approach entails providing entrants, successively, with different levels of access—the “rungs” of the investment ladder, while inducing them to climb the ladder by setting an access charge that increases over time or by withdrawing access obligations after some pre-determined date (i.e., by setting sunset clauses). Proponents of the ladder of investment approach claim that such regulatory measures would make service-based entry and facility-based entry complements—albeit they have been traditionally viewed as substitutes—in promoting competition. The regulators, thus, have shown a strong interest in this approach. The paper provides a critical review of the ladder of investment approach by setting out its two underlying assumptions and discussing their validity with references to the related industrial organization literature.     

Reform of telecommunications regulation in Japan and Canada

Despite demographic and political differences, Japan and Canada face many similar challenges in the development of new telecommunications policy. These include interbureaucratic conflict, reorganization initiatives by the telcos and policy development by non-elected officials. Differences include the nature of policy change, the role of economic considerations and decision-making processes. This comparative analysis concludes by suggesting that each country may learn useful lessons with respect to public involvement, local rates, local measured service and the process of regulatory change.     

APEC标准一致化合作最新进展与评价

自APEC茂物目标提出以来,标准一致化一直是APEC重要的合作领域之一。近年来,APEC在标准一致化领域的合作进展迅速,已成为APEC最活跃和成效最为显著的合作领域之一。文章总结了APEC标准一致化合作的最新进展并对其进行了综合评价,指出了该领域合作的主要特点,同时对该领域合作的未来发展进行了展望。     

西藏经贸改革中的民间投资与产业深化

在外部经济环境日益市场化的情况下，政府对基础设施和社会服务投资虽然能够有效地改善经济发展环境，但政府在竞争性生产和贸易领域中投资办企业却往往造成资源浪费，导致财政重负和不良金融资产。外来民间资本为西藏内贸和边贸注入发展活力的案例表明，政府有意识地为民间资本的积累创造物质和制度条件，借助于市场导向的民间投资来培育具有内在增长潜力的产业，不仅是摆脱生产和贸易投资失败的一条出路，而且对于保持西藏持久的经济繁荣至关重要。     

The public service potential of videotex and teletext

There are many public service applications for videotext such as closed captioning, librabry resources, educational aids, and dissemination of agricultural, community, and government information. Because videotext developed in a commercial environment, these applications have not yet been fully realized. However, a number of small scale experiments are being conducted in several countries. The author reviews the most noteworthy of these experiments. He also raises a number of policy questions concerning future use of vodeotext for public service.     

美国技术性贸易壁垒对我国出口贸易的影响——基于贸易引力模型的实证研究

本文选取我国和美国GDP、人民币汇率、美国对华直接投资、金融危机、滞后一期的美国TBT通报量、滞后一期的我国对美国出口额构建贸易引力模型,实证分析美国技术性贸易壁垒对我国出口贸易的影响。结果表明,美国技术性贸易壁垒对我国出口贸易具有较强的负面影响,滞后一期的美国TBT通报量的对数每上升1个百分点,我国对美国出口额的对数就减少0.1775个百分点。最后从正面突破和侧面规避两个角度提出相关应对策略。     

FDI对中国出口贸易影响的区域差异实证分析

运用1985年～2009年的省级面板数据分析了外商直接投资对中国出1：7贸易地区差异的影响。结果表明．外商直接投资对中国出口存在着明显的促进作用,并且对东部地区的出口促进作用远远大于对中国中部和西部地区的出1：7促进作用。     

Demand for telecommunication services in developing countries

Living standards and economic growth in developing countries are invariably linked to the availability and use of telecom services. Effective policy decisions require the best estimates of the drivers of these services. In this paper, telecommunications demand is estimated in models for residential mainline and mobile telephone service for developing countries for the period 1996–2003. The paper tests for cross-price effects between mainline and mobile service and its findings have important policy implications. It finds residential monthly price elasticity to be insignificant for developing countries, but the connection elasticity is larger than generally found in the literature. Mobile monthly price elasticities are very large. A new and important empirical finding is that although wireline phones are substitutes in the mobile market, the contrary is not true—mobile phones are not substitutes in the wireline market, and in fact may be considered complements. This lack of symmetry has important implications for properly defining telecom markets. Universal service subsidies and competitive market initiatives should be reevaluated in light of the paper's elasticity estimates. Increased competition, income growth and enhanced education may be the ultimate universal service promoters.     

Cyprus: A new centre for telecommunications

A rapid expansion of telecommunications facilities on Cyprus in recent years is bringing the island to the fore as a focus for communications in the Middle East region. Its strategic position in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, a communications infrastructure well in advance of that offered by most of the surrounding countries, and fully developed ties with European and Arab countries, are accelerating this already pronounced trend.     

The multinationalisation of South African telecommunications firms into Africa

The study investigates the main factors considered by telecommunications firms when making a decision to undertake Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This encompasses the reasons for investing, the methods of entry into the identified market and the factors influencing their decision. The methodology employs a survey questionnaire which was sent to telecommunication firms representing 80% of the revenue generated by this sector in SSA. The research reveals that market size, regulatory environment and government policy are the three most important factors influencing the decision to undertake FDI. Furthermore, the main reasons for deciding to enter SSA are for market and profit growth due to saturation in their existing markets, as well as for diversification of risk. They demonstrate the key competencies that South Africa Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) have in navigating the complexities of doing business in institutional voids. The liability of being from the relatively small emerging market of South Africa and operating in a country of institutional uncertainty has allowed South African companies to internationalise into markets that other MNEs will not venture into and thus turn a liability into an advantage.     

Competition and performance in the UK telecommunications industry

Judging by historical and crossnational experience, privatization of British Telecom promises to increase the rate of expansion of telecommunications usage, but also to redistribute services and charges. Public dissatisfaction with these reallocations could recreate the political discord that stunted the early growth of the British telecommunications manufacturing sector, unless the new technology and regulatory institutions substantially alter the economic environment. More intense competition. rather than prospective changes of network ownership, seem to have improved the seem to have improved the manufacturing industry's performance in recent years.     

DBS systems : Perspectives from a profit seeking company

Considerable work has been reported on the tradeoffs associated with direct broadcast satellite (DBS) systems. These studies have considered total investment costs (space segment plus ground segment), but have not dealt with a number of other business-related parameters which affect system design. This article addresses some of these issues from the viewpoint of a commercial entity in the USA. It considers intial financing, short-term v long-term competitive advantages, system features v cost, effects of partially shifting the investment burden to the consumer, technology improvements, satellite constraints and economies of scale, flexibility, commercial alliances, and regulatory constraints. Examples are given to illustrate the tradeoffs involved and the effects of some of the factors.     

On the role of telecommunications in development

Numerous studies document the relationship between telecommunications and economic development. The main types and relative merits of these are summarized. The paper argues that more of the same will do little to help promote accelerated telecommunications investment in developing countries as needed. Rather, the efforts should now mainly concentrate on conveying existing sector knowledge to governments and international agencies. The paper focuses on examples of simple, proven tools which can be used to supplement telecommunications project analysis for this purpose.