Research

This study examines how the level of concentration of a country’s mobile telecommunications market affects its competitiveness. We created a unique database with information on 59 countries, which we used to perform several estimations including an instrumental variable approach to explain the degree of concentration in mobile phone markets. Our first and direct estimation shows that the higher the concentration in the mobile market, the lower the countries’ competitiveness.

A review of applications for the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) demonstrates the urgent need for laptop computers and internet access for millions of K-12 students and library patrons. Schools and libraries have requested support for 12.9 million devices via the ECF. There were two ECF filing windows in 2021. 9.4 million laptop computers were requested along with another 1.7 million tablet computers. Connected learning devices represented two-thirds of the $6.3 billion in support that was requested, and 17 percent of the funds were requested for mobile broadband.

Speedcheck carried out an extensive survey in the US market to check user satisfaction and what they are doing to improve the WiFi experience. The study shows:

The introduction of the fifth generation of mobile technology (5G) is expected to bring disruptive changes. These changes will be much more pervasive than any previous introduction of new mobile ‘generations’ and they are expected to influence the whole economy. For this reason, the global rush for 5G technology is not only considered crucial in economic or technological terms, but also for its implications in terms of geopolitics, international policy and national security.

EducationSuperHighway has released a new report on bridging the broadband affordability gap to mark the launch of their new mission and No Home Left Offline campaign. Key report highlights include:

Connect Americans Now (CAN) released the findings of a national voter survey conducted by Moore Information Group and David Binder Research. Major findings include:

Open Radio Access Networks (Open RANs) would define open standards and interfaces between components of wireless RANs, providing a unique opportunity to diversify the supply chain by separating today’s integrated, single-provider RAN systems into modular parts. This report by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation provides the history of Open RAN, the technology's benefits and challenges, and recommendations for policymakers. The key takeaways are:

While access to broadband services has increased in recent years, many agricultural producers remain without access or are served by an inadequate connection. As many precision agriculture applications rely on data transfer through broadband networks, the expansion of broadband into rural areas has become critical for farm modernization. This study recruited Arkansas agriculture producers to complete a choice experiment on their willingness-to-pay (WTP) for a broadband connection.

In a new analysis entitled A Quality Check on Form 477 Data: Errors, Subsidies, and Econometrics, Phoenix Center Chief Economist Dr. George Ford compares Federal Communications Commission Form 477 data to the State of Georgia's broadband availability survey data to make several interesting findings: