Telecommunications Policy最新文献

Telecommunications Service providers (TSPs) and Content and Application Providers (CAPs) that operate over the Internet are traditionally regarded as complementary. However, the growth of 5G technologies has led to the emergence of an integrated sphere of competition and cooperation between TSPs and CAPs.The new elements of this competitive landscape stem from the hybridization of network provisioning, the growth of substitute services, and the emergence of end to end value networks comprising of devices, connectivity solutions, and a variety of content and application services. Simultaneously, the regulatory drivers that occasioned a differential treatment of TSP in their role as providers of essential utility communication services are converging with the features observed with respect to certain CAPs. These dynamics warrant the application of a new regulatory framework in the form of Diagonal Equity, that recognizes the need for similar regulatory principles to be applied to TSPs and CAPs, while acknowledging that with respect to certain issues a differential treatment will continue to be required.

Information and communication technology (ICT) is one of the fastest growing new industries in the world. This study aims to understand the nonlinear impact of ICT on carbon emissions more systematically. To this end, a threshold panel regression model is developed based on panel data of 92 countries. ICT is the explanatory variable, carbon emission is the explained variable, and trade openness and financial development are the threshold variables. The results show that: (i) When taking trade openness as threshold variable, both low- and high-income group have passed the double threshold test, the negative regression coefficient of ICT and carbon emissions firstly decreases, and then turns into positive effect when crossing the second threshold value in low-income group. While in high-income group, this effect shows a sustained growing positive trend. (ii) Taking financial development as threshold variable, this negative effect firstly turns positive which then increases when passing the second threshold in low-income group. While in high-income group, the positive impact of ICT on CO₂ shows a sustained growth which is similar to the situation when trade openness is taken as threshold variable. (iii) Income levels are set as a categorical variable, the impact of ICT on CO₂ presents a "U" shape under the influence of financial development and trade openness. The "U"-shaped turning point occurs in the low-income band and when the level of trade development and financial development is low.

5G is often described as a transformational technology. Through its superior technical characteristics compared to previous generations of mobile technologies, 5G supports the development of innovative services and products across the whole economy. As a consequence, the potential impact of 5G is frequently described as being significant, with estimates of $1 trillion or more being added to global GDP by the end of the decade being common. For mobile operators, 5G provides an opportunity to generate new sources of revenue. This would boost their revenues, and thus their market capitalisations which have fallen in recent years as value has migrated to other parts of the digital economy. In this paper we argue that mobile operators face a number of inter-woven challenges that will shape their ability to utilise 5G to generate new sources of revenues. These reflect the multi-faceted role that 5G will play in today's economy, where it is both a service in its own right but also one that enables the delivery of other services. Not only may users be unwilling to pay a premium for 5G, but as it is used in other sectors the role of mobile operators is thrown into doubt. Local licences question the role of and need for mobile operators, who may find providing 5G-enabled services to vertical industries difficult due to the nature of these sectors.

Digital technology has brought profound changes in the services trade, particularly accelerating the growth of the international Information and Communications Technology (ICT) services trade. Understanding the evolving characteristics of the ICT services trade is pivotal for trade participants to formulate effective policies and enhance their competitive advantages. This study used the data from UN COMTRADE to construct ICT services trade networks spanning from 2004 to 2020. Using complex network analysis methods, it delved into several aspects of ICT services trade, including trade patterns, trade relationships, and participating countries. The findings revealed that central countries in ICT services trade are progressively dominating trade relationships. Moreover, many countries in the middle and lower tiers of the ICT services trade system tend to engage in bilateral trade with major economies or form trade alliances with a select few nations. Examining the evolution of trade participants, early adopter countries such as the United States, Ireland, and the United Kingdom have solidified stable competitive advantages in ICT services trade. Building upon these findings, the study puts forth several recommendations to enhance the competitiveness of the ICT services trade. This study not only enriches the existing knowledge base on ICT services trade networks but also provides valuable insights for shaping policies in this domain. The outcomes offer crucial guidance for interpreting cooperation and conflicts within the realm of ICT services trade.

This study uses the concept of digital spillover and a panel model to measure the GDP contribution of Vietnam's core digital economy and digitalized economy. The proposed model is suitable for the case of countries, especially developing countries, with limited data. The calculations and analysis give three main results. Firstly, the scale of Vietnam's core economy has increased rapidly over the past 14 years. In 2007, the share of the core economy in GDP was only 1.45%. In 2019, this number increased to 7.08%. Second, the scale of Vietnam's digitalized economy grew significantly from 2007 to 2019. In 2007–2011, the digitalized economy accounted for 4.90% of GDP. This number increased to 11.56% for the period 2016–2019. Third, the growth of the digitalized economy is mainly based on the growth of the core digital economy. Therefore, the digital spillover effect in Vietnam's digitalized economy during the 13 years has only slightly changed. This study implies that Vietnam needs policies to develop the core digital economy and especially promote digital transformation to achieve the national digitalized economy goal of 20% of GDP by 2025 and 30% by 2030, respectively.

Promoting high-quality fixed and mobile broadband for all, at an affordable price, is an important enabler of the digital transformation of society and can help to close the digital divide. This became clearer than ever during the pandemic, when broadband access was a crucial enabler of remote work, distance learning, telemedicine and e-commerce. More recently, geopolitical tensions have compounded supply chain disruptions that were already visible during the pandemic in ways that make achievement of ubiquitous broadband even more difficult and potentially more expensive than in the past.

Promotion of broadband deployment, adoption and use are all important for both fixed and mobile broadband; however, different policy levers are needed in each case, on both the supply and demand sides. The market will not always deliver complete solutions. On the supply side, there is a role for regulation, targeted industrial policy and public finance. Promotion of competition, combined with prompt and efficient provision of access to resources such as electromagnetic spectrum and access to land and rights of way, can be particularly important. The demand side calls for different measures, including ensuring not only widespread availability of personal computers or smart phones, but also training and demand aggregation. Broadband availability can potentially also be boosted by judicious use of economic recovery funds, and potentially also from new tax revenues arising from global tax reforms agreed within the G20 and the OECD.

This paper seeks to provide examples of contemporary best practice, based on examples drawn primarily from countries that are members of the G20.

Whether network slicing complies with the net neutrality rules currently in force in Europe and previously applicable in the U.S. presents a key issue in the deployment of 5G. In many ways, both regimes frame the issues in a similar manner, with the exceptions for reasonable traffic management and specialised services likely to play the most important roles. Both regimes also focus on similar considerations, including whether measures are based on technical rather than business considerations and the distinction between measures aimed at improving the performance of the entire network or specific applications, although both distinctions are problematic in some respects. Both regimes also emphasize application agnosticism and end-user choice, with European law finding the former implicit in the latter. At the same time, European and U.S. law reflect some key differences: the regimes cover different types of entities, frame the issues in terms of nondiscrimination versus throttling and paid prioritization, take different positions on whether measures must be limited to temporary or exceptional circumstances, and place different weight on the impact of the rules on investment and on the relevance industry standards. The relatively undeveloped state of both legal regimes means that the ultimate answers must await enforcement decisions and actions by national regulatory authorities, and any subsequent judicial challenges to those decisions.

Blockchain technology has a huge impact on our digital society by enabling a more decentralized economy and policy making. This decentralization is also pivotal in payment Payment channel networks (PCNs), including the Lightning Network, have emerged as a promising solution to the scalability challenges that many blockchain-based cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, grapple with. These PCNs, while innovative, also inherit the rigorous dependability demands of the blockchain. A pivotal aspect of this dependability is the need for a high degree of decentralization, essential for mitigating liquidity bottlenecks and on-path attacks.

Driven by this imperative, our research embarks on an empirical centrality analysis of the Lightning Network, with a keen focus on the betweenness centrality distribution of its routing system. Utilizing an extensive dataset, sourced from several millions of broadcasted messages via the gossip protocol, we introduce the TimeMachine tool, an innovative method that allows for a temporal exploration of the network’s evolution.

Our findings reveal that while the Lightning Network exhibits a commendable level of decentralization, there is a discernible skew: a limited set of nodes command a significant portion of the transactions. Alarmingly, over the past two years, the network’s centrality has surged, with the inequality, as gauged by the Gini index, rising by over 15 uptick of approximately 5 in. This research not only uncovers critical insights into the Lightning Network’s structural dynamics but also raises the question about strategies and policies that ensure its sustained decentralization in the face of evolving challenges such as security vulnerabilities, potential monopolistic tendencies, liquidity bottlenecks, the risk of transaction censorship and many more.

This paper introduces the innovative concept of platform literacy, specifically within the context of digital platforms. In today's digital economy, where digital platforms are essential tools in people's lives and form the core of the digital ecosystem, the ability to effectively utilize these platforms is becoming crucial. This study systematically examines the existing literature on digital platforms and digital literacy to establish a conceptual foundation for assessing an individual's platform literacy. Drawing upon insights from the digital literacy framework, we propose a platform literacy framework that can be applied in practical settings. Methodologically, we conducted an extensive review of 735 research papers on digital literacies to gather definitions and frameworks. As a result, we identified seven core constructs and three main proficiencies that constitute the platform literacy framework. Moreover, to adapt the framework to the various digital platform contexts, we categorized it into fixed and variable attributes. This paper contributes to the growing body of knowledge on digital literacy by offering a comprehensive framework for understanding platform literacy within the digital platform landscape.