The process of the liberalisation of services of general economic interest (SGEI) in the EU adopted the universal service (US) regulatory model. The objectives of the process were to strengthen free competition and improve social welfare. SGEIs have the characteristic of networked services and,...

It is widely accepted that the pursuit of economic growth is becoming increasingly infeasible and undesirable, necessitating substantial changes to European economies. European economic activity in terms of emissions, resource use, pollution and impacts on biodiversity is ecologically...

This study seeks to provide a comprehensive description of the development and status (through 2008) of federal laws that oblige the United States Postal Service to provide a “universal postal service” throughout the United States. Since the term “universal postal service” has no legal...

Das Telekommunikationsgesetz (2021) garantiert das Recht auf eine Grundversorgung (Sprachdienste und Breitbandzugang) mit Telekommunikationsdienstleistungen an einem festen Standort. Die derzeit geltenden Mindestanforderungen an einen Breitbandanschluss wurden von der Bundesnetzagentur im Juni...

It is widely accepted that the pursuit of economic growth is becoming increasingly infeasible and undesirable, necessitating substantial changes to European economies. European economic activity in terms of emissions, resource use, pollution and impacts on biodiversity is ecologically...

While the importance of both broadband itself and its speed increases in a whole society, the high cost of providing broadband as universal service at high speed still raises a question of whether to introduce the USO. Therefore, the introduction of broadband universal service at 100Mbps since...

The mobile market has experienced a huge surge in growth across the globe. However, mobile network operators are still struggling to extend coverage to rural areas. Universal Service would appear to be an emerging concept; the reason for this is that Universal Service aims to support the telecom...

This paper reproduces a chapter from the author’s 2018 PhD thesis ‘The Digital Donga: Universal Access and Service in South Africa (1994 - 2014)’. The author’s subsequent book Regulating Telecommunications in SA: Universal Access & Service was published by Palgrave Press in 2020, and can...

This chapter deals with the establishment of South Africa’s universal service fund, the country’s second major international best practice intervention aimed at providing universal access and service. The institutional arrangements governing the Fund, how contributions were levied, collected...

This chapter deals with the imposition and execution of universal service obligations on licensees, which was a key component of South Africa’s telecommunications reform policy and legislative framework. Rollout and connectivity targets were imposed on the fixed-line (soon to be partially...

Many analysts anticipate a need to redefine universal service to account for Internet-related services and other combinations of communication and computing. This concern motivates a study of the geographic spread of the commercial Internet Service Provider (ISP) market suppliers of Internet...

Die digitale Teilhabe über einen schnellen Internetzugang an einem festen Standort ist für die Bürger eines Landes essentiell. Die soziale Teilhabe über Social Media, die Erledigung von Alltagsdingen wie Online Einkäufe, Online Banking aber auch Homeoffice in Form von Teleworking über...

Millions of citizens and firms lack access to high speed internet, even though governments pledged to spend huge sums of money to subsidize internet networks. In this paper we review some systematic flaws of present subsidy policies and outline a promising alternative. We propose that...

Regulators have long been aware of the social aspects of communication. In the past, regulated monopolists have provided Universal Service Obligations, typically funded via a system of cross-subsidies. In this paper, we first review the rationale for imposing Universal Service Obligations, based...

Over the last decade or so, access to broadband telecommunication services has become increasingly important. Through broadband, households and companies are able to engage with the informationbased economy that is emerging, through, for example, buying and selling online or using social media....

This paper analyses a business model for providing free basic-rate Internet to everyone with a data capable phone, living in mobile coverage areas. The model is called Freemium Internet. The term "freemium" refers to a well-known business model for digital services, where free services or...

In this research, we estimated the number of possible subscribers of the public switched telephone network (hereafter, referred to as "PSTN") in the future of Japan based on the public data, and evaluated the alternatives as the candidates for the migration by comparative analysis, with respect...

Purpose - The paper looks at the formulation of the BMGF-VN project to examine which actors participated in the formulation of this project, how their interests were translated into this project, and what lessons may be drawn for the formulation and implementation of universal service policy in...

The rise of e-commerce platforms in the parcel delivery markets -- Parcel locker stations: The future of e-commerce delivery? -- Regulation: Quo Vadis? Revisited. -- “Is Postal Service a Natural Monopoly?”:A 30-year retrospective on Panzar’s seminal paper" -- The first tests of the SGEI...

While the importance of both broadband itself and its speed increases in a whole society, the high cost of providing broadband as universal service at high speed still raises a question of whether to introduce the USO. Therefore, the introduction of broadband universal service at 100Mbps since...

The mobile market has experienced a huge surge in growth across the globe. However, mobile network operators are still struggling to extend coverage to rural areas. Universal Service would appear to be an emerging concept; the reason for this is that Universal Service aims to support the telecom...

Postal services play a vital role in people’s life across the EU and affordable and reliable postal services are essential to realize the EU’s Digital Single Market. The liberalization of the postal sector and the establishment of a single market for postal services in the EU has been...

In several markets, firms compete not for consumer expenditure but consumer attention. We examine user priorities over the allocation of their time, and interpret that behavior in light of policy discussions over universal service, data caps, and related policy topics, such as merger analysis....

The book addresses the most recent challenges faced by the postal and delivery sector. This book includes original essays by prominent researchers and practitioners in the field of postal and delivery economics, originally presented at the 28th Conference on Postal and Delivery Economics held...

A sustainable and resilient economy is one that enables every individual to have full and equal access to what she/he needs to live a sufficient and flourishing life. Post-war welfare states went some way towards achieving such access, but they have been heavily undermined, both ideologically...

Chapter 1. Competition in the Postal and Delivery Markets in Europe -- Chapter 2. The Game Theory of Cartels in the Postal Industry -- Chapter 3. When a price cost test is unnecessary for assessing pricing abuses - the Royal Mail case -- Chapter 4. Data and the regulation of e-commerce: data...

Over the past two decades China has achieved eye-catching development in the provision of telephone and Internet services in its vast rural areas. With the literature's lopsided focus on Western nations, a cohesive paradigm in mapping the Chinese style of universal service policy remains...

This paper re-evaluates the telecommunication policies often applied to create regional dispersion of services in developing countries. We observe that failure to consider the complexities of the regional telecommunication systems in creating policies and investment strategies has increased the...