Structural conditions for business model design in new information and communication services : a case study of multi-play and MVolP in Denmark and Norway

The report analyses the structural conditions for the design of business models regarding new information and communication services. The services examined are mobile VoIP (MVoIP) and multi-play – services that already are on the market, however in their infancy, and which represent different kinds of services in terms of structural conditions market-wise and in regulatory terms. As the two service categories are relatively new on the market, dominating business model designs have not yet settled and the strategic choices of companies are very open. Being on the market, the discussion on the business model design, however, transcends the purely speculative stage. The structural conditions studied are the market conditions including the regulatory conditions. In addition, the different technological solutions are examined, as MVoIP as well as multi-play include different technology solutions for the delivery of services to users. This means that the analysis includes technological as well as market-based and regulatory elements. The aim of the analysis of the structural conditions is two-fold: On the one hand, to deepen the understanding of the structural condition and, on the other hand, to discuss the conditions for different business model design options. The report examines the regulatory policies and market characteristics in MVoIP and multi-play as a basis for a discussion on how these policies and characteristics affect the business model decisions of service providers in the two areas. Using empirical material from Norway and Denmark, the report presents a comparative analysis of the structural conditions and the business model choices made by actors in the market. The basic theoretical framework for the analysis is the Structure-Conduct-Performance (SCP) framework. The strength of this framework is that it stretches all the way from the structural conditions, through the conduct (business models and strategies) of companies seen in connection with these structural conditions, to the actual performance of companies in the market. The focus of the present report is on the structural conditions with a view to the framework that these conditions constitute for the business model design of companies. The empirical basis of the report consists primarily of interviews with representatives from IT and telecom industry organizations, policy makers and regulators in the telecom area in Norway and Denmark

A critical analysis of media discourse on the South African broadband policy

Broadband Internet access promises a number of socio-economic benefits to citizens of developing countries like South Africa (SA). However poor policy outcomes of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), particularly in the area of poverty alleviation are evident in SA. This study utilizes Citation Analysis and Habermasien Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) for understanding media discourse on the SA Broadband Policy formulation process and focuses on the impact and implications of the discourse. Highlighting distortions in these discourses will enable the general public and decision makers to formulate a better informed opinion and should facilitate better understanding and decision making on the costs, need and relevance of broadband access

Next Generation Connectivity: A Review of Broadband Internet Transitions and Policy From Around the World

Fostering the development of a ubiquitously networked society, connected over high-capacity networks, is a widely shared goal among both developed and developing countries. High capacity networks are seen as strategic infrastructure, intended to contribute to high and sustainable economic growth and to core aspects of human development. In the pursuit of this goal, various countries have, over the past decade and a half, deployed different strategies, and enjoyed different results. At the Commission's request, this study reviews the current plans and practices pursued by other countries in the transition to the next generation of connectivity, as well as their past experience. By observing the experiences of a range of market-oriented democracies that pursued a similar goal over a similar time period, we hope to learn from the successes and failures of others about what practices and policies best promote that goal. By reviewing current plans or policy efforts, we hope to learn what others see as challenges in the next generation transition, and to learn about the range of possible solutions to these challenges

Information technology and territory : policies for the computer software industry in Brazil

Orientador: Ricardo Abid CastilloDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de GeociênciasResumo: No período da globalização, é notável a relevância das tecnologias da informação como componentes essenciais das atividades produtivas, alterando significativamente as dinâmicas do espaço geográfico, da economia, da sociedade e da política. No Brasil, têm crescido especialmente os incentivos estatais à indústria de 'software', denotando a banalização de seu uso nas mais variadas esferas produtivas. Diante disso, procuramos compreender os mecanismos explicativos de aglomerações produtivas de 'software' e TI e de sua distribuição no território brasileiro, a partir da elaboração de uma tipologia e da análise da topologia de tais aglomerados. Para isso, foi imprescindível analisar as atuais políticas públicas voltadas para o desenvolvimento de 'softwares'. Investigamos, em especial, os objetivos e ações do Programa Estratégico de Software e Serviços de Tecnologia da Informação, ou Programa TI Maior, desenvolvido no âmbito do Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação, bem como os nexos entre Estado, mercado e entidades representativas de classe, discutindo o circuito espacial produtivo de 'software' e os círculos de cooperação estabelecidos. Consideramos que algumas dessas políticas apontam para a criação de incentivos à competitividade das empresas do setor de TI, bem como de outros setores que cada vez mais dependem da existência de fluxos informacionais intensos para o desenvolvimento de suas atividades, dada a relevância das novas tecnologias como bases geográficas da globalização e reafirmadoras do atual paradigma produtivoAbstract: In the globalization era, the importance of informational technologies as essential components of productive activities is remarkable, significantly altering the dynamics of the geographical space, economy, society, and politics. In Brazil, state incentives for the software industry have especially grown, denoting the banalization of its use in various productive spheres. Therefore, we seek to understand the mechanisms of the productive agglomerations of software and IT and their distribution in the Brazilian territory, based on the development of a typology and on the analysis of the topology of such clusters. To do so, it was essential to analyze the current public policies aiming the development of software. We investigate in particular the objectives and strategies of the Strategic Program for Software and Information Technology Services, or TI Maior Program, developed under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, as well as the links between state, market, and class-representing organizations, discussing the productive spatial circuit of software and the established cooperation circles. We believe that some of these policies aim to create incentives for competitiveness of companies from the IT sector, as well as from other sectors that increasingly depend on the existence of intense information flows to develop its activities, given the importance of new technologies as geographical bases of globalization that reassert the current production paradigmMestradoAnálise Ambiental e Dinâmica TerritorialMestra em Geografia2013/05040-0FAPES