Demand aggregation strategies for rural telephony

The problematic factor in the economic topography of rural areas is the widely dispersed pockets of demand. Each pocket in its isolation is not sufficient to support the investment required to access it. However, technological developments have opened possibilities for aggregating isolated pockets of demand to a level which is serviceable as a viable market. This article presents the Demand Aggregation Model as a conceptual framework for developing innovative network strategies. The model conceptualizes three kinds of demand: dispersed, fragmented and latent. This conceptualization suggests that rural demand can be aggregated to commercially attractive levels through innovative network strategies.

The public telephone network : Stages in infrastructure development

The public telephone network is often referred to as the 'highway' of the information age. The advocates of investments in telecommunications infrastructure evoke the 'highway analogy' to underscore its social and economic importance. However, the analogy has not been developed beyond a relatively simple metaphor. In this article the 'highway analogy' is used as a heuristic device for model construction. The experience with transportation technologies is used to develop an abstract model for understanding the growth pattern of the emerging telecommunications technologies.

Circumventing the centre : The realities of creating a telecommunications infrastructure in the USA

In the public policy discourse on telecommunications infrastructure there is a constant lament about the fragmentation and chaos within the regulatory environment in the USA. It is often sugested that 'top-down' network models are far more efficient than the 'bottom-up' approach which characterizes US domestic telecommunications. The recent successes of more centralized countries lend support to this perspective. However, the analysis presented in this paper suggests that the USA should refrain from copying the success formulae of other countries. The US cultural context is very different from other countries' and therefore there is a need to develop an indigenous strategy which is more suitable for a markedly polycentric environment.

Rural telephone companies : Diverse outlooks and shared concerns

In rural America the basic telecommunications infrastructure is already in place. The issue is not of building from scratch but of upgrading it. This can be done only through the active participation of more than 1200 small telcos that serve rural America. A better understanding of these companies is clouded by the fact that they have historically been lumped together in the category 'independents'. This article attempts to go beyond the anonymity created by this simple categorization. By taking a closer look at this group it tries to capture the individual characteristics of its membership.