The endless need for regulation in telecommunication: An explanation

Telecommunication services have existed as a legal monopoly nearly throughout its entire history. In 1998, telecom market liberalisation was achieved across the European Union (EU) through the introduction of competition among telephone services. Asymmetrical obligations were deemed necessary in order to compensate the market power of the former monopolist.As the evolution of asymmetrical regulation in Spain illustrates, obligations and the telecommunications operators subject to them increased with the regulatory framework established in 2002 in the EU. This new regulatory framework may continue to expand through the inclusion of functional separation as another possible asymmetrical obligation. In short, it seems that the regulatory pressure on the telecommunications industry is increasing, despite the lapse in time since the liberalisation of the industry.In this paper, a methodology developed by the Austrian School of Economics is applied in order to explain why the telecommunication market is subject to increasing regulation in Europe, rather than deregulation, after more than 10 years of liberalisation. In particular, Mises's theory of price control is used to explain the evolution of the regulation of local loop unbundling.     

Audio broadcast technology: Prospects in the USA

In the primary context of the USA, the authors discuss technological possibilities compatible with present equipment, which offer some limited improvements in audio broadcasting. They then analyse more radical possibilities which may greatly increase the number of audio delivery channels. Anticipating a substantially different audio broadcasting system by the year 2000, the authors outline the challenges presented by the various possibilities to public policy makers.     

Symbiotic production: The case of telecommunication pricing

In this paper we analyze a generalization of vertical monopolies in which monopoly suppliers trade essential inputs with one another. The most obvious applications of the model, which we call symbiotic production, are to postal and telecommunications services. We show how producers can use per-unit tariffs to achieve cooperative outcomes without colluding directly over consumer prices. We then show the firms have an incentive to collude in the setting of tariffs but that suchcollusion will lower consumer prices. This assumes that the suppliers are otherwise unfettered. In contrast, if the constituent monopolies are regulated, we show that collusion enables the firms to completely undo the restraints of regulation. The model has important policy implications for the international telecommunications market.     

Albanian telecommunication reform: The road less travelled

Albania has an average of only 1.4 telephone lines per 100 people. Yet telecommunications public policy reform is now increasingly viewed by the Albanian policy community as central to the country’s future economic and political ambitions. This paper aims to explain how this precarious state of affairs arose in Albania, and, using comparisons with some of its former allies (China, Russia and other Central and Eastern Europe countries), suggest what possible measures of telecommunication policy reform are now necessary to take account of the country’s unique cultural, economic and geographical conditions.     

移动通信智能卡产品酝酿新变局

以SIM卡为主的中国移动通信智能卡市场已经走过了三个阶段：高额利润阶段、差异化技术进SIM卡市场阶段和价格大战阶段。不论是富足的高额利润阶段,还是惊心动魄的价格战争,都只是市场经济环境下移动通信1200,000智能卡产品发展的一部分,800,000在新的市场环境和技术条400,000件下,智能卡产品新的发0展态势正逐步浮出水面。     

Organizing coopetition for innovation: The case of wireless telecommunication sector in Europe

Prior research highlighted the prevalence of coopetition as a strategy for innovation in high-tech industries for several reasons but the link between forms of coopetition and innovation is still understudied. In order to fill this gap in the literature, this study attempts to answer the following question: which form of coopetition favors which type of innovation? The results of an embedded case study approach of five Celtic-Plus projects (European Eureka Program) in the wireless telecommunication sector show that two forms of coopetition exist: multiple and dyadic. While multiple coopetition is successfully pursued for radical innovation, dyadic coopetition is more suitable for incremental innovation. Different innovation objectives lead to different levels of value creation/appropriation tensions between coopetitors. In order for competitors to pursue radical or incremental innovation successfully, different levels of social capital related to different choices of partners are needed. The role of social capital levels as a moderating factor between value creation/appropriation tensions and innovation type is discussed in detail. The study proposes a conceptual model that links coopetition strategy motives to the types of coopetition and their results in terms of radical or incremental innovation. Finally, a framework that helps firms to balance between multiple/dyadic–vertical/horizontal collaboration according to the levels of value creation/appropriation tensions and social capital is proposed.     

The diffusion of new telecommunication technologies

This article assesses the recent diffusion of new telecommunication technologies. Drawing upon an historical framework, the authors find that new technologies face significant barriers to rapid penetration in the home and office. Data on cable television, electronic text services, teleconferencing and alternative video distribution technologies are analysed to highlight the constraints facing the growth of new telecommunications services.     

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.     

Connecting the dots: The nexus between transport and telecommunication in Ghana

This paper examines the relationship between transport and telecommunication in developing countries within the broader concept of Smart Cities. Using Ghana as a case study, and drawing mainly on secondary data and few institutional surveys, the paper establishes that telegraph and telephone facilities, as well as new fiber optic networks are heavily dependent on rights-of-way of roads and railways in Ghana, as was observed in the advanced countries. In addition, the paper observed that at the macro level, the nature of the relationship between telecommunication and transport tends to support the complementary role of telecommunication rather than a substitution role. The paper concludes by recommending further studies at the micro level to untie the dilemma in the nexus between telecommunication and transport to inform public policy.     

关于中国电信资费体系改革的基本看法

本文综述了电信资费的有关理论和方法，分析了中国电信资费体系的现状和问题，以及电信市场改革和加入WTO对电信资费体系的影响，总结了国外电信资源改革的经验，提出了分阶段推进中国电信资费体系改革的浅议及相应的政策措施。     

中、美、日制造业发展比较研究

与美、日比较，中国制造业无论是产品。人均占有水平还是技术发展、技术装备制造、经济效益、整体实力都存在着根本差距。通过中、美、日制造业发展的比较研究，对借鉴先行国家制造业的发展经验，加快实现中国工业化具有重要意义。     

中美日电动汽车发展趋势及特点分析

世界范围内,电动汽车产业正处于快速成长期。中国、美国、日本通过政策机制、技术研发、市场培育等一系列措施推动,在全球电动汽车产业格局中占据了重要位置。在深入分析美国、日本电动汽车发展特点和经验的基础上,对我国电动汽车发展的比较优势进行了阐述,进而分析了在经济全球化环境中,相对美国、日本,我国在发挥产业比较优势时应关注的重点问题。     

The future for telephony in Japan

Discussions about the future of telecommunications tend to focus on data transmission, facsimile or video communication, rather than on traditional telephony. However, the importance of telephony in society will remain unaffected for the next few decades, and it has many aspects which need attention. In this article, the share of telephones in the public network, present and future, are first reviewed, with an examination of telephone traffic growth. Second, technical possibilities for improving telephone service are pointed out. Finally, the author discusses the benefits of the evolving digital network for telephone subscribers.     

The case for a more binding WTO agreement on regulatory principles in telecommunication markets

On February 5, 1998, the WTO agreement on basic telecommunications services entered into force. Although the WTO agreement is a step into the right direction its impact might be rather modest. This is because apart from the many exemptions, which are likely to undermine market access and national treatment commitments, the regulatory provisions laid down in the WTO agreement are neither specific nor comprehensive enough to ensure open market access. Because there is in most cases a lack of clear definition as to the terms and conditions of regulatory provisions, there is a great danger that governments might nullify the commitments by abusing the regulatory requirements.     

美英日自然垄断型企业改革的共性研究

自然垄断的基本含义是由一家企业垄断经营最有效，这是与自然垄断型企业的成本条件及所面临的需求特征共同决定的，如果在自然垄断领域中存在多个竞争者，形成寡头垄断局面，则有限的需求特征共同决定的，如果在自然垄断领域中存在多个竞争者，形成寡头垄断局面，则有限的需求就要在几个厂商之间进行分割，这时每个厂商的产量必然要小于垄断者的产量，而由于自然垄断成本持续递减特征，竞争厂商的成本必然要高于垄断者的成本，竞争厂商会通过进一步提高价格的方式来弥补成本，获取超额利润，将成本提高的负担转嫁给消费者，因此，自然垄断是由某些特殊领域的规模经济规律与市场有限需求共同决定的，在典型的自然垄断领域中引入竞争从经济角度看并不具有合理性，这时就应该由政府出面对市场进入进行干预，让一家企业独家垄断，赋予特定企业的垄断经营权，但如果同时赋予其收费或价格决定权，就有可能造成价格歧视、寻租等不利于提高资源配置效率、损害消费者利益的现象，所以，自然垄断常常使政府陷入一种社会福利与企业利益取舍的两难困境境，面对这种两难选择，折衷的方式就是允许企业垄断整个自然垄断领域，但要对基治理（Governance)。     

美国建材绿色包装对城市环境的保护

本文通过对美国建材的绿色包装及建材相关的绿色化分析研究。得出了建材包装对环保的重要性。建材包装是制约城市环境的重要因素。