{"title":"Niche analysis of competition among music streaming services in Korea","authors":"Saehe Shin, Seongcheol Kim","doi":"10.1016/j.telpol.2025.102904","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.telpol.2025.102904","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With the advancement of digital technology, the music industry has undergone significant changes, with music streaming services becoming the primary means of music consumption worldwide. In Korea, local music streaming services like Melon and Bugs have long dominated the market. However, the recent rapid growth of global services such as YouTube Music has intensified the competition. This study focuses on adolescent users, a highly influential demographic rapidly adapting to new technology trends, to analyze the competitive relationships among major music streaming services. This study selected four services—YouTube Music, Melon, Genie Music, and Flo—and surveyed adolescent users aged 14 to 18. Based on niche theory, we defined five gratification factors—price value, recommendation services, music diversity, ease of use, and optional services—and analyzed each service's competitiveness based on these factors. Through this analysis, this study provides strategic implications for Korean music streaming services to achieve sustainable success in the face of global competition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22290,"journal":{"name":"Telecommunications Policy","volume":"49 2","pages":"Article 102904"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143378969","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Regional mapping of ICT specialization and adoption of industry 4.0 technologies in Greece","authors":"Dimitrios Stamopoulos , Petros Dimas , Evangelos Siokas , Aggelos Tsakanikas","doi":"10.1016/j.telpol.2024.102903","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.telpol.2024.102903","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The aim of this paper is to provide a mapping of business ICT specialization and adoption of novel digital production technologies across Greek regions. In addition, it aims to preliminarily investigate whether these aspects are associated with regional economic performance. We develop specialization indicators of each region's ICT activities and economic performance using NUTS3 level data and combine them with regional firm-level data regarding the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies from a large-scale field survey of 1014 industrial firms. Our findings add a novel geographical scope to the ongoing discussion regarding the digital transformation of the Greek economy, highlighting the ICT specialization asymmetries and different digital technology adoption rates between a cluster of highly specialized and connected metropolitan regions and the rest of the mostly rural regions. The results provide preliminary input regarding the importance of region-level characteristics, which are remarkably absent and must be considered in the ongoing national ICT policy discussion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22290,"journal":{"name":"Telecommunications Policy","volume":"49 2","pages":"Article 102903"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143378982","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bronwyn Howell , Fernando Herrera González , Georg Serentschy , Mark Jamison , Petrus Potgieter , Roslyn Layton , Íñigo Herguera García
{"title":"Perspectives on political influences on changes in telecommunications and internet economy markets","authors":"Bronwyn Howell , Fernando Herrera González , Georg Serentschy , Mark Jamison , Petrus Potgieter , Roslyn Layton , Íñigo Herguera García","doi":"10.1016/j.telpol.2024.102901","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.telpol.2024.102901","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>For the past thirty years, international consensus has supported telecommunications policies favoring the pursuit of economic efficiency and the distancing of governments from ownership and day-to-day industry governance. These principles serve to minimize the potential for conflicts of interest and corruption to influence industry outcomes. However, recently, a trend has emerged for governments to expand their sector influence more directly, via network ownership, extension of regulatory interests into all aspects of the digital economy, the politicization of matters such as payment for internet content and content censorship and at the extreme, prohibitions on the use of equipment and software originating from non-favored countries. This begs two questions. Is this populist politicization of telecommunications and internet economy matters a worldwide phenomenon, or is it confined to a handful of developed countries? And even though the rhetoric may flow at election-time, do these potentially-flawed populist policies flow through into problematic laws and actions, or are there other checks and balances that constrain these excesses and ensure that the long-standing economic and social objectives governing the industry for the past thirty years are preserved in national laws and regulations?</div><div>The international perspective appears to confirm both the persistence of regulation and its ability to expand into all areas of the digital economy, and a disconnection of regulation from the original intentions to promote more competitive markets. We review the current state of sectoral regulation and thinking, including a juxtaposition of the EU and US approaches, concluding with a proposed research agenda.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22290,"journal":{"name":"Telecommunications Policy","volume":"49 2","pages":"Article 102901"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2024-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143378916","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Electronic toll collection (ETC) on highways: Global trends, Vietnam's experience, and policy lessons","authors":"Khuong Vu","doi":"10.1016/j.telpol.2024.102892","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.telpol.2024.102892","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper explores the transformative shift to Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) systems in highway management, focusing on deployment patterns and the realized benefits. By analyzing global ETC trends and taking a deep dive into Vietnam's experience, it offers practical policy insights for developing countries facing this critical transition.</div><div>A key feature of the paper is its in-depth analysis of Vietnam's shift from manual toll collection (MTC) to ETC, demonstrating significant improvements in emissions reduction, operational efficiency, and cost and time savings.</div><div>Based on its findings, the paper emphasizes the role of ETC in enhancing productivity, promoting sustainable development, reducing pollution, and advancing towards a smart economy and society. It highlights the crucial importance of government leadership and private sector collaboration in achieving successful ETC implementation. Additionally, the paper underscores the urgency and substantial benefits of investing in digital transformation for toll facilities like metros, tunnels, and skyways to alleviate traffic congestion in megacities and on inter-city roads, potentially saving millions of people and vehicles hours of travel time.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22290,"journal":{"name":"Telecommunications Policy","volume":"49 1","pages":"Article 102892"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2024-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143092056","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bridging the digital divide: Analyzing subsidy allocation efficiency in telecom sector reforms","authors":"Abdul Kayum , Md. Shahnawaz Abdin , Brajesh Mishra , Amaan Kayum","doi":"10.1016/j.telpol.2024.102880","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.telpol.2024.102880","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper aims to introduce the 'Subsidy Allocation Efficiencies' (SAE) metric as a practical tool for policymakers to evaluate subsidy programs for universal service provisioning. Using a qualitative case study approach, the paper investigates various subsidy allocation methods adopted by the Universal Service Fund, comparing them in terms of SAE. The SAE metric is validated by applying the ‘similarity index’ to Milgrom's optimal auction design. The study finds that subsidy allocations can be as efficient as 95% and as inefficient as −16%, generally identifying them as restrictive and prone to cartelization. Bidders often exploited allocation rules, leading to poor subsidy allocation efficiency, and subsidy benchmarking was found to lack rigor. However, ease of participation was found to reduce cartelization and improve efficiency. The saved funds from accurately benchmarked and efficiently allocated subsidies can be used to cover more beneficiaries or reduce the universal service levy rate, easing the burden on consumers. Focusing on India's Universal Service Fund, this study critically assesses subsidy allocation methods to provide policymakers with insights for optimizing public-funded infrastructure projects. It addresses the lack of empirical research on Subsidy Allocation Efficiency (SAE) and challenges the assumption that auctions alone guarantee efficient subsidy allocation, emphasizing the importance of bidding rules.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22290,"journal":{"name":"Telecommunications Policy","volume":"49 1","pages":"Article 102880"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143135968","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Digital connectivity and the SDGs: Conceptualising the link through an institutional resilience lens","authors":"Shirin Madon , Silvia Masiero","doi":"10.1016/j.telpol.2024.102879","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.telpol.2024.102879","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this paper we contribute to the discourse on digital connectivity and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a focus on low and middle-income countries (LMICs). While digital connectivity has been showcased as a “hidden hero” for restoring societal functioning during the pandemic, the theoretical link between digital connectivity and the achievement of fundamental development objectives as articulated in the SDGs has been under-researched. Drawing on the theoretical lens of institutional resilience, we study how mechanisms of resilience-building through digital connectivity policies within Indonesia, Mexico and South Africa align with the policies in place to attain the SDGs. Adopting the methodology of critical policy analysis, we identify commonalities between the countries in terms of the policy and institutional arrangements for expanding digital connectivity and in terms of national planning efforts for achieving the goals of Agenda 2030. We offer a new conceptualisation about ICTs and the SDGs by bringing to light, through empirical evidence, the lack of alignment between the policy and institutional arrangements for expanding the reach of digital connectivity and the achievement of developmental goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22290,"journal":{"name":"Telecommunications Policy","volume":"49 1","pages":"Article 102879"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143092053","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Beyond geopolitics: Agency and modularity in mobile telecommunications in Kazakhstan","authors":"Oyuna Baldakova, Elisa Oreglia","doi":"10.1016/j.telpol.2024.102878","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.telpol.2024.102878","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Much of the discourse on U.S.-China tech decoupling has centered on trade and geopolitics, often overlooking the ground-level realities of developing countries and their strategic digital choices. The telecommunication industry, with its international supply chain and long-term orientation, is a particularly interesting locus to explore distributed and ground-up agency in countries that depend on Western and Chinese tech giants. In this article, we draw on fieldwork in Kazakhstan conducted in 2022 and 2023, primary and secondary sources, to describe the decision-making process in building and maintaining mobile telecom infrastructure. We identify three key constraints shaping this process - market and network structures, distribution and procurement process, and (geo)political and security considerations. Within these constraints, we uncover spaces for agency at different levels and highlight the ability of different actors – from engineers to telecom companies' management - to influence choices in hardware, software and financing. We argue that the strategic role of telecom firms in national economies, the industry's long-term orientation and modularity, and the firms' ownership structures serve as important counterbalances to sudden disruptions caused by international politics. In a digital world increasingly shaped by competition between U.S. and Chinese tech giants, findings from Kazakhstan highlight the potential for developing countries to carve their own digital trajectories and offer a framework for future research to extend this analysis to other sectors and regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22290,"journal":{"name":"Telecommunications Policy","volume":"49 2","pages":"Article 102878"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143378968","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Digitalization and country distance in international trade: An empirical analysis of European countries","authors":"Thuy Linh Cao , Judy Hsu","doi":"10.1016/j.telpol.2024.102877","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.telpol.2024.102877","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines the influence of digitalization to reduce the detrimental impact of country differences on exports and imports. It employs the Euro Commission's Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) starting in 2015 to measure the European countries' digitalization level and its positive impact on declining international trade suffering from country distances. Digitalization's moderating influence on the connection between country distance and trade activity is evaluated using the System GMM technique. Empirical evidence has proven that digitalization can positively moderate the unfavorable reaction of religion and geographic distance on international trade. Besides, digitalization also helps countries overcome language, administration, and economic gaps to promote export activities. These results offer encouragement to implement digitalization in countries to stimulate international trade.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22290,"journal":{"name":"Telecommunications Policy","volume":"49 1","pages":"Article 102877"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143092054","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Willingness to pay for broadband: A case study of Wisconsin","authors":"Mckenzie Boyce","doi":"10.1016/j.telpol.2024.102873","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.telpol.2024.102873","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As broadband expansion efforts in the U.S. continue with historic investments, consumer demand for residential broadband services is of first-order importance. Several past broadband willingness to pay studies estimate the value of broadband to be low, compared to the current national average cost of internet subscriptions being around $65 per month. Additional estimates of household's willingness to pay for broadband are needed to provide more insight into how much households value these services and what type of support would be most efficient in increasing broadband adoption to close the digital divide. These estimates are helpful for policymakers, internet service providers, and community leaders working on broadband subsidy programs, trying to bring ISPs to communities, and setting service prices. Using choice experiment data from a 2022 broadband survey in Wisconsin, I find households are willing to pay $45-$334 per month to go from not having internet at home to having speeds between 25 Mbps and 1,000 Mbps and are willing to pay $10-$38 for greater reliability, depending on household income level. While consumers are willing to pay more for speed than reliability, the value consumers place on speed is diminishing. Connection is valuable to people, but getting connected at a much faster speed is not seen as worth a lot more. These estimates suggest households place a high value on home internet and are willing to pay at least, if not more, than prices already available on the market in many places.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22290,"journal":{"name":"Telecommunications Policy","volume":"48 10","pages":"Article 102873"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142656310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Why do users perceive digital platforms as indispensable to their lives?: A study on KakaoTalk in Korea","authors":"Jaeyoung Park, Seongcheol Kim","doi":"10.1016/j.telpol.2024.102863","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.telpol.2024.102863","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Contemporary daily life heavily relies on a few dominant digital platforms. Despite their pervasive integration into users’ daily routines, scholarly research has primarily focused on assessing the utility of digital platforms rather than on understanding why users perceive them as indispensable. To address this gap, we developed a structural model to examine the factors influencing users’ perceptions of digital platform indispensability, specifically focusing on perceived benefits, perceived risks, and platform habits. We also explored how platform characteristics impact these factors. This study targeted regular KakaoTalk users who utilize multiple Kakao services, given its dominant role in the Korean market. We collected 208 valid responses through an online survey in Korea and analyzed the data using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The results show that users’ perceived benefits and platform habits strongly contribute to perceived digital platform indispensability, while perceived risks have an insignificant impact. Furthermore, platform characteristics such as comprehensiveness and sociability positively influence perceived benefits and platform habits. This study introduces the concept of indispensability in digital platform research and highlights a dual pathway of perceived benefits and platform habits, offering strategic insights for platform providers, regulatory considerations for policymakers, and practical advice for users.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":22290,"journal":{"name":"Telecommunications Policy","volume":"48 10","pages":"Article 102863"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142656311","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}