the free movement of people, goods, services and capital. The Commission regularly updates its Single Market strategy
Public Procurement Public Procurement is the purchase of goods, work or services by a government or a public agency.
The demand for environmentally friendly products and services opens the way for new business opportunities.
Directive on reduced VAT rates for labour-intensive services Revision of the-already existing-Late Payments Directive 20 21 In February 2011, the European commission presented its Small Business Act Review.
and other services provided. The‘Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme',primarily directed towards SMES, targets four goals;(
and interoperable ICT based services. http://ec. europa. eu/information society/activities/ict psp/participating/index en. htm http://ec. europa. eu/information society/activities
1. Help for SMES and SME associations for outsourcing their research activities to providers of research services i e. universities or research centres.
environment and risk prevention and access to transport and telecommunications services of general economic interest. http://ec. europa. eu/regional policy/thefunds/regional/index en. cfm#http
even though it is dedicated to a civilian purpose and aims at developing only new products, processes or services.
advice and services such as job matching of job seekers and employers. European Business and Innovation Centre Network (EBN) http://www. ebn. be This is a nongovernmental, pan-European network of more than 200 Business and Innovation Centres and similar organisations.
CEN-CENELEC SME Helpdesk http://www. cen. eu/cen/Services/SMEHELPDESK/Pages/default. aspx These helpdesks at European and national level are specialised in providing
EU information and assistance services http://ec. europa. eu/publications/booklets/others/83/index en. htm On this website you can find booklets issued by the Commission answering questions you may have both
the Hartnett Enterprise & Acceleration Centre, Community Enterprise Centres and Enterprise Ireland/IDA Technology Centres providing extensive services in the Region.
ICT/Electronic Manufacturing Medical Technologies Logistics and Supply Chain Management Energy and Environmental Products and Services This Strategy sets out a series of actions relating to required future research,
which may prevent businesses from accessing existing supports and services. 8 Implementation & Monitoring This Strategy sets out a clear process for implementation and monitoring.
products and services that are related closely, thereby ensuring maximum benefi t from future investments in the Region.
and services that have been produced, less the cost of all inputs and raw materials that are directly attributable to that production.
can provide up to 80%of the cost of research work to develop new and improved products, processes or services,
Dublin Southwest West Midwest Other Total Software & Services 38 7 2 2 8 57 Industrial & Life sciences 12 2 1 4
and research services required by the UL Graduate Medical school. The newly established Synthesis & Solid State Pharmaceutical Centre (SSPC) based at UL will position Ireland as a global hub for the pharmaceutical industry.
IDA and the Local Enterprise Offices, provide a wide range of services which help to promote a culture of innovation in the Midwest. 31 Research
They will offer a high quality and better-integrated set of services to students businesses and communities.
They deliver services and supports to micro and small business sectors on behalf of Enterprise Ireland. 4. 4. 5 Chambers Ireland Chambers Ireland is a national business representative organisation with a Midwest network
and information for businesses on the state supports and services that are available to them.
In addition to the research and innovation supports and services currently offered by the Higher education Institutes and State Agencies in the Region, there is also an extensive network of innovation centres
The centre provides traditional offi ce rental, personalised reception services, virtual offi ce support, administration support and many other tailored business solutions to support start-up companies. 4. 6 Conclusions As outlined in this Chapter,
products and services that are closely related to existing dominant technologies and the regional skills base.
& Supply Chain Management Energy and Environmental Products & Services Figure 5. 1 Identifi ed Industries for Smart Specialisation in the Midwest Region 5. 1. 3
activities that Cluster result in innovative effects Management Services Table 5. 1 Types of Business Collaboration It is important to differentiate between smart specialisation and the development of a cluster.
LEAP and TESS all provide vital services to support business development in the region. Innovate Limerick Ltd. will also provide essential business
in order to help innovators to market their goods and services. Incubator space is also important but must be complemented by business support services to ensure that use of the space is proactively assisting business development
and expansion. 46 Better Communications Good communication and a high level of awareness of the available supports is a key component of the promotion of business development and innovation in a region.
and entrepreneurs in the Region about the existing supports and services that are available and to remove barriers that may be resulting in a low level of take-up of these support options;
translating research into commercialisation and looking towards innovation activities for new products and services. Going forward, and having regard to revised regional governance structures,
Internationally Traded Services-building on emerging growth opportunities; Logistics and Supply Chain Management-taking advantage of infrastructures and local skills;
Energy and Environmental products and services-based on natural assets and R&d capabilities; Tourism-based on historic strength, existing infrastructure and natural and cultural amenities. 56 Limerick 2030:
ICT/Electronics High tech Manufacturing/Engineering Logistics/Distribution High Value Food & Drink Life sciences Business and Professional Services Tourism, Sport & Leisure Secure investment
Now in its sixth year, this annual report identifies key information and communication technology (ICT) developments and tracks the cost and affordability of ICT services, in accordance with internationally agreed methodologies.
While the prices of fixed and mobile services continue to decrease globally, in most developing countries the cost of a fixed-broadband plan represents more than 5 per cent of GNI per capita,
An enabling telecommunication regulatory environment can significantly influence the affordability of services. The report finds that the price of ICT services falls with better market regulation and increased competition.
For example, in developing countries, fixed-broadband prices could be reduced by 10 per cent and mobile-cellular prices by 5 per cent if competition and/or the regulatory framework improved.
which can lay the foundations for affordable fixed-broadband services. In this fast-changing digital era, one of the key challenges in measuring the information society is the lack of up-to-date data, in particular in developing countries.
and have one of the greatest development potentials in view of the widespread use and availability of mobile networks and services.
2003-2014.20 ix 1. 21 E-government services provided by countries (transactional services, left, and e-participation services, right)..
20 1. 22 Proportion of schools with Internet access (total and fixed-broadband), 2012 or latest year available...
services by type of service, by level of development, 2013 and 2012.127 4. 12 Mobile-broadband prices, in PPP$, world and by level of development, 2013.217 4. 13 Mobile
78 4. 1 Mobile-broadband services by type of device/plan...125 4. 2 Relationship between regulation, competition and prices...
where mobilebroadband services provide a response to the demand for high-speed Internet access in view of the lack of affordable fixed-broadband services,
affordable high-speed Internet services and the higher levels of skills required to make effective use of online content and services,
It will first look at the uptake of ICT infrastructure and services, covering the fixed and mobile (voice and data) market segments,
at least theoretically, has access to mobile communication services. Closer examination and disaggregation of the data reveal,
but is closing with the availability of affordable mobile-phone services in rural areas. Further research and data would be necessary to determine people's access to,
Somalia and Yemen, for example, no mobile-broadband services are fixed available, but-wireless and satellite services are offered.
In Saudi arabia, 30 per cent of all wireless-broadband subscriptions are fixedwireless and satellite subscriptions.
and will overtake 2g subscriptions in a few years. 4g4 services came onto the market only recently
In developed countries, fixedbroadband infrastructure and services were available much earlier than in most developing countries,
and before fast mobile-broadband services and smartphones entered the market. This has contributed to the higher uptake of fixed broadband in developed countries.
-broadband services are increasingly becoming an alternative to fixed broadband, and indeed the preferred choice of consumers.
data based on ITU and Telecom Advisory Services calculations. more and more countries upgrade their mobile networks. As mentioned earlier, 2g population coverage stands at over 90 per cent worldwide.
as more and more countries are deploying 3g+technologies and services, and given the strong growth in mobile-broadband subscriptions.
such bandwidth being a key requirement for delivering data-intensive applications and services through high-speed networks.
and affordable services are much less available in rural areas, thus preventing rural households from purchasing Internet services.
At the same time, the benefits brought by ICTS and the Internet are especially impactful in rural areas, which often also lack access to other infrastructure and public services.
and consumer spending on telecommunication services. In addition to the adverse economic context, the voice market in developed countries is declining
investment in telecommunication infrastructure and services has been more stable, with a smaller drop in 2008(-4 per cent) and moderate growth in the following years (4 per cent compound annual growth rate between 2009 and 2012).
This means that, on average, for each USD 100 generated globally by telecommunication services, USD 17 were reinvested in capital expenditure
and improve telecommunication services). The investment-to-revenue ratio was somewhat lower in developed countries (15 per cent) than in developing countries (22 per cent.
In view of infrastructure limitations and a lack of affordable services, people are more likely to use the Internet at locations outside the home,
and more than 100 hours of video content are uploaded every minute on Youtube, the leading international videofilesharing site with services in 61 countries.
Access to high-speed quality broadband services, however, is especially important to the business sector, in the same way as other basic infrastructure and services necessary to run a successful business.
E-government Not only are government entities major users of ICTS, but governments are also increasingly using the Internet to provide services to their citizens.
E-government contributes to increased efficiency and greater transparency and accountability in government, reduces cost
More information is available about government services provided online, tracked by the United nations through its E-government Survey,
When it comes to the provision of e-services, the results from the latest UN survey show that considerable progress has been made over the past decade.
For example, online information and services on government website portals increased threefold, with 70 per cent of countries providing a one-stop shop portal in 2012,
and more and more countries are providing e-government transactional services and e-participation services (Chart 1. 21).
E-government services provided by countries (transactional services, left, and e-participation services, right) Source:
UNDESA. Data from United nations E-government Survey (2014). 101 73 60 46 44 42 41 40 39 33 29 27 76 0
) Linear (Europe) Linear (Oceania) Linear (World) EGDI 21 Measuring the Information Society Report 2014 Transactional services are advanced relatively services that are increasingly being provided by governments.
when it comes to transactional services and e-participation services (Chart 1. 21). While, globally, around 20 per cent of countries provided information to their citizens on national e-participation policies in 2013,
and given the growth of mobile-broadband services, it may be expected that more and more schools will have broadband access in the near future
ICTS will continue to play a major role in facilitating access to information, knowledge and key services.
Broadband services should cost no more than 5%of average monthly income in developing countries by 2020 Target 2. 4:
Worldwide, 90%of the rural population should be covered by broadband services by 2020c Target 2. 5. A:
acost of ICT services to be 60 per cent of the 2012 value. bexisting and additional targets for Goal 2 are being reviewed and adjusted, based on contributions from Member States. c Due to data limitations,
but that is only a part of the total CAPEX of telecommunication operators. 15 For instance, the average revenue per user per month for GSM services in India was less than USD 2 in March 2012,
in order for a household to have access to ICT equipment or services, the equipment/service should generally be available for use by all members of the household at any time,
therefore provide a more accurate picture of the actual uptake, use and distribution of mobile-cellular services.
in order to meet the increasing demand generated by wireless-broadband services. There is an obligation for the licensees to ensure that by 2015 users in areas with the lowest speeds will Chart 2. 1:
Fixedbroadband and wireless-broadband penetration stand at top levels at 38 per cent and 105 per cent, respectively (see Chart 2. 1). The Republic of korea was the first country to offer 3g services
and policy-makers has shifted from access to wireless services to improving quality and speed. In July 2013, SK TELECOM launched the world`s first LTE-Advanced Network
For instance, mobile-broadband services were commercialized only in mid-2013 in Burkina faso, 21 which is among the most dynamic countries on the use sub-index(+13 ranks).
Mobile-broadband services were launched only in December 2011, and by 2013 operator CVMOVEL had expanded 3g services to all the islands of the archipelago. 23 Bhutan is one of the most dynamic countries in the use sub-index, moving up eight places.
The country ranks 123rd in the IDI 2013. While mobilebroadband services were introduced as early as 2008 by state-owned operator Bhutan Telecom (under its B-Mobile brand),
major developments took place in 2013 that helped to boost penetration from only 2. 5 per cent in 2012 to 16 per cent in 2013 (see Chart 2. 3). Bhutan Telecom expanded its 3g services,
which had been limited to the nation's capital Thimphu, to 15 out of 20 districts in Bhutan.
Bhutan Telecom launched its high-speed 4g services in Thimphu Chart 2. 3: Wireless-broadband penetration, Bhutan, 2008-2013 Source:
The launch of mobile-broadband services by the country's only private-owned operator Tashi Cell in late 2013 has helped to increase coverage and competition in the market,
which in turn has led to higher adoption rates. 25 Apart from those major improvements in access to wireless-broadband services,
which prioritizes broadband infrastructure development to make services faster, more affordable and more secure. One of the core projects of the Qatar National Broadband Network is the deployment of a fibre-optic network infrastructure. 33 Chart 2. 1:
Penetration rates stand at 138 per cent for mobile-cellular and 52 per cent for wireless-broadband services by end 2013.
The rapid uptake of mobile-broadband services was spurred by heated competition among operators offering subsidized smartphones
operators further extended their wireless infrastructure and services throughout Thailand, and are planning to provide further network updates. 36 Figure 2. 3:
the availability and uptake of wireless-broadband and fixedbroadband services in particular is limited still relatively. On average
While many developing countries saw important increases in their use sub-index value following the introduction of 3g services in 2012/2013,
there were still a few countries that had launched not services by end 2013. In 2014, close to 4. 3 billion people, most of them living in the developing world, were not using the Internet.
Basic voice services are more widely available although LCCS like Eritrea (6 per cent), Myanmar (13 per cent) and Cuba (18 per cent) still have very low mobile-cellular penetration levels.
they also often lack the economic means to pay for broadband Internet services, as well as the skills to make effective use of ICTS.
and ICT applications to GDP growth and job creation. 39 ICTS also provide increased access to education, government and health services,
and services that may have previously been unavailable, especially to people living in rural and remote areas.
learning Train teachers through ICT-enhanced services and create networks among teachers Broaden the availability of quality educational materials/resource Increase access to linguistically
malaria and other diseases) Increase access to reproductive health information, including information on prevention of diseases Content-sharing platforms that apply mobile services to raise awareness about AIDS
for example by substituting the need to produce physical products through the delivery of e-products and services Climate adaptation:
and MDRI Initiatives 8. 12 Debt service as a percentage of exports of goods and services--0. 160 71 Target 8. E:
and facilitate those essential services through the monitoring of maternal health, for example, via SMS and by providing informationsharing platforms (see Box 2. 4). 73 Measuring the Information Society Report 2014 Chart 2. 15:
A similar principle has been adopted for ICT equipment and services, i e. they should be available for use by household members at home,
and the European union define superfast services as those delivering download speeds of 30 Mbit/s or more. 18 https://ec. europa. eu/digital-agenda/en/pillar-4-fast-and-ultra
and Djibouti had launched not yet mobilebroadband services in 2013 (see Chart 3. 5) . However, there is some room for optimism,
and also reflect the fact that mobile-broadband services in the lower-income countries are much less affordable than in the high-income Arab States (see Chapter 3). Fixed-broadband penetration is generally low in the Arab States
) services are much more popular in the region. The majority of Arab States have fixed a-broadband penetration of less than 5 per cent, with Syria, Yemen,
The Russian Federation was one of the first countries in the region to launch 3g services in 2007.21 Since then,
LTE services were launched in the Russian Federation in 2012.22 The highest growth in wirelessbroadband penetration from 2012 to 2013 took place in Georgia from 9 per cent in 2012 to 17 per cent in 2013 placing it among the most dynamic
Wireless-broadband services are available in every European country, and the large majority of countries have a penetration rate of more than 50 per cent.
In Albania, the incumbent operator launched its 3g services in early 2013, increasing competition in the market. 25 Operators in Slovakia and Romania have extended
and started to offer LTE services to customers. The top five countries in the world in terms of fixed-broadband penetration (Monaco, Switzerland, Denmark, Netherlands and France) are all European.
Broadband is almost nonexistent, with wirelessbroadband services still not available in 2013 and a fixed-broadband penetration of less than 1 per cent.
LTE services were launched first in the country in early 2013.28 Antigua and barbuda (from 23 per cent to 49 per cent),
services were still not available in Cuba, Dominica, Guyana and St vincent and the Grenadines by end 2013.
-lte-services-brazil/./Endnotes 107 Measuring the Information Society Report 2014 Chapter 4. ICT prices
and the role of competition 4. 1 Introduction The price of ICT services constitutes a determining factor for ICT uptake and,
The importance of affordability also applies to other ICT services, and its impact goes beyond access,
Initially, prices were collected for fixedtelephone, mobile-cellular (voice and SMS) and fixed-broadband services. Since 2012, the data collection has been extended to include mobilebroadband prices.
and offer a quantitative assessment of how policy actions targeting these factors may help in making ICT services more affordable and thus increase ICT access and use.
where low prepaid prices became a key enabler for the mass uptake of mobile-cellular services observed in the developing world in the last decade;
and discuss key metrics for monitoring the global affordability of ICT services. It will first look at prices in the voice market and their evolution in the period 2008-2013.
Then, the affordability of ICT services will be analysed in the light of household income inequalities, thereby quantifying how far lowincome segments of the population may be excluded from the information society by price barriers.
mobile-cellular and fixed-broadband services), as well as the general IPB ranking combining the three sub-baskets expressed in terms of GNI per capita (GNI p. c.).Prices in this chapter are expressed in three complementary units:
and mobile-cellular prices Traditional voice services4 and SMS have become the most ubiquitous ICT services,
highlighting that mobile-broadband services are likewise less available than mobile voice and SMS (see Chapter 1). Subscription figures confirm this:
Such a ubiquitous uptake of voice services would not have been possible without affordable prices. Chart 4. 1 shows the evolution of fixed-telephone and mobile-cellular prices in the period 2008-2013.
and PPP$ 28.4 (or USD 19.5) per month for a prepaid mobilebroadband service with a 500 MB monthly data allowance. 7 Despite the limitations of comparing such different services,
and mobile-cellular prices are the cheapest among ICT services, suggesting that low prices have contributed to the widespread adoption of traditional voice and SMS services.
Fixed-telephone prices have followed an almost flat evolution, with a small decrease in prices observed during the period in developing countries(-1. 3 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the developing world in the period 2008-2013).
. so as to provide an insight into the affordability of fixed-telephone and mobile-cellular services from a demand-side perspective (Chart 4. 2). From this perspective,
voice services are less affordable in developing countries than in developed countries. By end 2013, a basic fixed-telephone service cost on average 1. 0 per cent of GNI per capita in developed countries compared with 5. 2 per cent in developing countries.
A fixed-line fee is in most cases required for contracting ADSL services. Since ADSL is currently the predominant fixed-broadband technology,
in 43 developing countries mobile-cellular services still cost more than 5 per cent of GNI p. c. in 2013.
The affordability of basic mobile-cellular services remains a major barrier to further adoption in several African countries:
and the role of competition 114 Mobile-cellular services are very affordable in most developed countries,
where mobile-cellular services are the least affordable in the developed world. This suggests that cost may be a barrier for further uptake of mobile-cellular services in these countries,
and therefore requires regulatory and policy attention. 4. 3 Broadband prices Fixed broadband Fixed broadband continues to be a critical service for accessing high-speed,
high-capacity and reliable Internet services. Despite the growth of mobile-broadband subscriptions, less than 3 per cent of global IP traffic corresponded to mobile networks by end 2013 according to CISCO estimates (CISCO, 2013.
Indeed, the countries with the most expensive fixed-broadband prices, such as Papua new guinea, Rwanda and Vanuatu (all of them with entry-level fixed-broadband services costing more than USD 100) saw little
and/or fixed broadband bundled with other services. This is in line with the findings on bundle adoption from household surveys (European commission, 2014) and data on fixed (wired)- broadband subscriptions by speed
Despite the progress made in improving the affordability of fixedbroadband services the average price for an entry-level fixed-broadband plan still represented Chart 4. 4:
By 2015, entry-level broadband services should be made affordable in developing countries through adequate regulation
customers in most urban areas of Ireland can subscribe to FTTH services, thus benefiting from Internet access at high speeds (50 Mbit/s) for as little as USD 19.9
services is the Commonwealth of independent states, with an average price corresponding to 3. 8 per cent of GNI p. c. The differences within the region are slightly larger than in Europe,
. and therefore services are less affordable. The relatively high prices in Moldova are explained by the characteristics of the fixed-broadband plan offered by Moldtelecom
along with Tunisia (Chart 4. 7). Tunisie Telecom offers regular ongoing promotions for ADSL services with some of the most advantageous prices in the region:
and network roll out to enable the take-off of fixed-broadband services in Kuwait. Mauritania is the Arab country where entry-level fixed-broadband prices are the least affordable.
0. 2 per cent by end 2013, the second lowest in the region after Sudan's. Policy and regulatory actions to address the challenge of unaffordable fixedbroadband services would need to target both the supply
The United states is the country with the most affordable entry-level fixed-broadband services in the region (0. 7 of GNI p. c),
Challenges for fixed-broadband adoption in Mauritania Unaffordable fixed-broadband services in Mauritania are the result of factors on both the supply and the demand side.
In order to advance towards such a challenging target, public policies to support demand for fixed-broadband services could lead to wider adoption
offers affordable fixed-broadband services, including prepaid plans, starting at USD 10.9 for unlimited monthly usage, the cheapest prices in USD in The americas together with those in Panama (USD
Fixedbroadband services in these countries cost more than in the United states, despite the difference in income.
ADSL subscriptions are priced still as premium services with similar tariffs as leased lines. As a result, dial-up (narrowband) Internet remains the de facto technology for Internet access by residential customers in the island. 19 Asia
and stimulate competition in broadband services. This would contribute to opening up fixed-broadband markets to competition in Africa,
Mobile-broadband services by type of device/plan Source: ITU. Mobile broadband Handset-based Computer-based Prepaid Postpaid Prepaid Postpaid Chapter 4. ICT prices
and SMS. This makes it difficult to isolate the prices of mobile-broadband services, particularly for postpaid plans where it is sometimes cheaper to buy a package including Internet,
as some operators are starting to offer premium plans (at a higher cost) for mobile-broadband services based on high-speed networks.
This tallies with the situation in respect of voice and SMS mobilecellular services, for which prepaid plans are most popular in the developing world.
There are far fewer countries (121 in 2013) where all four modalities of mobile-broadband services are offered.
Availability of mobile-broadband services by type of service, by level of development, 2013 and 2012 Note:
The price difference between postpaid and prepaid plans is also found in respect of regular mobile-cellular services,
Unlike in the case of computer-based mobile-broadband services, the prices for postpaid and prepaid handsetbased mobile-broadband plans were similar,
In terms of USD, mobile-broadband services cost almost the same on average in developed and developing countries (Chart 4. 13.
This suggests that operators in developing countries still have ample room to streamline their mobile-broadband services and offer cheaper prices.
for fixed-telephone and mobile-cellular services. 26 The fact that this is not fully happening for fixed
-and mobilebroadband services may be explained by the early stage of development of these services in the developing world.
Computer-based services with a monthly allowance of 1 GB are about six times more affordable in developed countries, on average.
For instance, MTN Cameroon offers lowprice mobile-broadband services priced per connection or per 15 minutes;
mobile-broadband services will have to become more affordable in Africa so that most applications enabled by a broadband connection are within the means of a majority of the population.
corresponding to less than 2 per cent of GNI p. c. for all services. At the other end of the scale, Asia and the Pacific is, together with Africa,
the region were average mobile-broadband prices correspond to significantly more than 5 per cent of GNI p. c. for all services except prepaid handset-based (500 MB).
Arab States CIS Europe based mobile-broadband services. The americas region also has average prices corresponding to slightly more than 5 per cent of GNI p. c.
Such high monthly data allowances for prepaid mobile-broadband dongles suggest that these services target high-end customers, rather than the average user.
or fixed-broadband services are unaffordable for a majority of the population. Chart 4. 16 shows a comparison of prices for fixed-broadband and postpaid computer-based mobile-broadband plans with a 1 GB monthly allowance.
because it is the best match for fixed-broadband services: both are postpaid, are based computer
which the 5 per cent affordability target for broadband services is achieved, thanks to affordable mobile-broadband plans.
such as the lack of international Internet bandwidth, also constrain mobile-broadband services. There are four countries in The americas that attain the 5 per cent affordability target by virtue of cheaper mobile-broadband prices:
This reflects the early launch of 3g services in Europe28 and the maturity achieved in the mobilebroadband market, with a mobile-broadband penetration of 57 per cent by end 2013, the highest of all regions.
with Austria, Finland and Iceland featuring in the top ten for all categories of mobile-broadband services (Tables 4. 5 to 4. 8). 4. 4 Income inequality
and broadband prices The affordability of ICT services depends as much on the price of the service itself as on the economic means of the specific customer.
thus showing how much ICT services cost relative to the economic value generated by each country. However, overall economic levels
In order to understand better the affordability of ICT services, other variables such as household disposable income need to be considered.
This section presents a refined analysis of the affordability of broadband services for a number of countries for
and use of, broadband services. Household disposable income and GNI are two fundamentally different economic indicators.
these data can be used to obtain a finer-grain indication of the affordability of broadband services for households from different economic levels.
Chart 4. 18 uses data on income inequality to reveal differences in the affordability of fixed-broadband services between these two countries,
This example illustrates how income inequalities may explain differences in the affordability of fixed-broadband services within a country,
economic data at the household level also make it possible to determine more precisely the affordability of residential fixed-broadband services.
These countries should also address the issue of affordability of fixed-broadband services among low and middle-income households,
Mobile broadband The same approach is used to analyse how income inequalities within countries determine the affordability of mobile-broadband services.
because prepaid handset-based is on average the cheapest of the four mobile-broadband services for
and is currently the mobile-broadband service that is available in most countries (Chart 4. 11). 147 Measuring the Information Society Report 2014 Handset-based mobile-broadband services are affordable
which suggests that the unaffordability of handset-based mobile-broadband services for low-and middle-income households is holding back mobile-broadband adoption in the country.
The affordability of prepaid handset-based mobile-broadband services differs considerably across developing countries and within some developing countries because of income inequalities.
In Latin american, for example, the cost of handset-based mobile-broadband services in countries such as Ecuador, El salvador,
On the other hand, in developing countries such as Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Chile, Costa rica, Jordan, Uruguay, Tunisia and Turkey, handsetbased mobile-broadband services are affordable for almost the entire population.
In other developing countries where fixedbroadband services are affordable for most of the population, mobile broadband may help to connect the 20-30 per cent of households with the lowest incomes for which a fixed-broadband plan may be unaffordable,
This assessment of the impact of income inequalities on the affordability of mobilebroadband services is made on the basis of the cost of one handset-based mobile-broadband subscription per household.
>20%equivalized expenditure Chapter 4. ICT prices and the role of competition 152 broadband services:
not only have an impact on the proportion of households within a country that have access to mobilebroadband services,
As a result, affordability may also explain different patterns of use of mobilebroadband services across developing countries,
but also by affordability. 4. 5 The impact of competition and regulation on telecommunication prices The impact of ICTS as development enablers depends on access to ICT services
both access to and use of ICTS are determined to a large extent by the affordability of ICT services.
Therefore, the ultimate goal of policy and regulatory interventions in the sector is often to bring about a sustainable reduction in the prices of ICT services,
This section presents a quantitative analysis of the role of competition and regulation in shaping prices for mobile-cellular (voice and SMS) and fixed-broadband services.
Among all ICT services mobile cellular and fixed broadband have been selected for the analysis because of the availability of comprehensive data series on the prices for these two services,
In recent decades, there has been a global trend towards the liberalization of telecommunication services and the privatization of incumbent operators.
) Regulators have thus become the custodians of competition in telecommunication services at the country level.
Market competition is one of the main drivers of affordable prices in telecommunication services. Chart 4. 21 shows the evolution of average entry-level fixed-broadband prices and competition.
and thus made services more affordable even if prices have been kept constant. Other factors, such as demographic changes
migrations or exchange-rate fluctuations, may also have had an impact on the affordability of fixed-broadband and mobile-cellular services.
The model is applied also to measure the link between regulation and the prices of mobilecellular and fixed-broadband services.
The combined value of clusters 1 to 3 is used to test the link between regulation and prices of mobile-cellular and fixed-broadband services.
Prices for fixed-broadband and mobile voice services are modelled as two separate variables, as they follow distinctly separate patterns fixed broadband has generally become subject to competition much later than mobile services
and penetration levels are significantly lower for fixed broadband, especially in the developing world. Final prices reflect a number of parameters that characterize a telecommunication market
It is established well that prices of telecommunication services vary with levels of economic development. Therefore, gross national income per capita (GNI p. c is included in the model to control for the differences in economic resources that play a role in shaping prices.
The effects of competition on prices could be particularly beneficial in the 21 developing countries that by end 2013 still had no competition in fixed-broadband services.
which can lay the foundations for affordable fixed-broadband services. For instance, a country with a separate telecommunication/ICT regulator that has autonomy in decision-making, enforcement power,
when benchmarking prices of ICT services internationally, rather than as an area of direct policy action.
but with a weaker coefficient than in the case of fixed-broadband services. The 10 per cent of countries with the lowest regulatory value are all (except one) from the developing world,
Urbanization is significantly related to final prices for mobile-cellular services: a 5 per cent increase in the percentage of the population in urban areas is correlated with prices 2. 7 per cent cheaper.
GNI p. c. has a weaker effect on the final price in the case of mobile-cellular services.
Taking into consideration that differences in prices are smaller than in fixed-broadband services, 56 this finding highlights the importance of competition as a driver for lower prices in mobile-cellular markets.
and why light-touch regulation and a liberal spectrum assignment approach may already be conducive to competition and lower prices in mobile-cellular services,
in country A the same amount of USD (exchanged into national currency at market exchange rates) can buy more products or services.
CD. 4 Voice over internet services, such as Skype or Voipbuster, are excluded from the analysis in this section because they require an Internet connection
They are considered under broadband services. 5 Source: Census of India 2011. Mode of communication 2001-2011.
telecommunication services. Therefore, the average for handset-based mobile-broadband prices provides only an indication
because fixed-broadband services in the island are only available to business customers, the only Internet access available to residential customers being dial-up. 15 For more details on Eircom's FTTH roll out,
17 For a map of the availability of Qualitynet fixed-broadband services, see http://www. qualitynet. net/map/qnetmap. htm. Endnotes Chapter 4. ICT prices
-con-el-modem. 25 Data for mobile-broadband services have been collected since 2012 through the ITU ICT Price Basket Questionnaire,
Regarding mobile services, see for instance Gruber and Verboven (2001), Grzybowski (2005) and Koski and Kretschmer (2005). 42 Gruber and Verboven (2001), Gruber and Koutroumpis (2013). 43 North (1990
While existing data can provide a relatively accurate picture of the spread of telecommunication networks and services
Telecom network operators make extensive use of such techniques when rolling out new services, among other things for the purpose of pricing.
Big data from the ICT services industry are already helping to produce large-scale development insights of relevance to public policy.
Given the popularity of mobile-cellular services, non-Internet-related mobilenetwork big data seems to have the widest socioeconomic coverage in the near term,
in particular in terms of the location and mobility information that mobile networks and services generate. Telecommunication data The mobile telecommunication data that operators possess can be classified into different types,
and duration of services used and the technology used, for example, for the mobile network (2g, 3g, etc.).
Since mobile user devices used to access mobile telecommunication services come with an international mobile station equipment identity (IMEI) number,
Customer details may also include a history of the services accessed, service option preferences as well as other details (as referred to in Chapter 5 Annex).
Finally, operators maintain tariff data in the form of billing records for their current and past services,
The information outlined above is used at the aggregate level to derive a range of indicators to provide operators with information on the uptake of different services
and penetration of particular services, identify market shares and monitor their business performance, as well as for reporting purposes.
and level of use of different OTT services. These data can be reported as averages (over time or for different categories of user),
in order to improve existing services and create new ones. For operators, big data open up opportunities for better understanding of their customers,
on the basis of usage levels (time spent and/or volume) for different VAS and OTT services.
Big data, on the other hand, can help to enhance that classification by enabling analysis of the levels of consumption of different services,
including on the basis of spending (often in relation to other services), types of device used, frequency of change of handset, and so on.
customized services. This often calls for an understanding of the level of influence of each subscriber's social networks, both on-network (i e. within the same operator) as well as off-network (i e.
but also, more recently, to build mobility profiles of their customers that can be leveraged for location-based services.
and market new services more effectively. For example, by understanding their customers'relationships to their social networks (and their relative importance within them),
operators are able to model the diffusion of services and create targeted promotions. Furthermore, social network insights can be used by an operator to market its services to the off-network contacts that are connected to its customers
or to reduce churn rates. In the Republic of korea, for example, SK Planet, a subsidiary of SK TELECOM, uses big data to help its parent company to cut churn
This is an area of great significance to operators as they seek to understand the demands placed on their networks by the use of popular OTT services.
downloading applications or using value-added services are all examples of interactions for which the time, location, device,
and show how data-driven insights could be used to improve the planning and management of transportation services, thereby reducing congestion (Berlingerio et al.,
Operators may offer such specialized services (based on passive or active location data) either directly, or by providing data to third parties.
and home being the two most important) and of the use of mobile services in rural versus urban areas.
The indicators for such subscriptions could be broken further down to understand the utilization of services including voice, data and VAS over time,
services to provide additional insights. This could be done by using probabilistic analyses to match the profiles developed using data from online services with customer profiles generated from analyses of mobile-operator data.
This includes information on the use of different services and applications, intensity, frequency, and the geographic 195 Measuring the Information Society Report 2014 locations from which subscribers access ICT services and applications.
All of these insights on subscribers could potentially be further disaggregated by different demographic and socioeconomic profiles.
Given multiple SIM usage and the fact that users will in many cases be using ICT services from more than one operator or device
especially where privacy considerations preempt the use of specialized third-party cloud-based services. But as storage prices continue to fall,
Telecom network operators themselves use such techniques when rolling out new services or, for that matter, for pricing purposes.
and/or to a business case for providing location-based services. The large-scale capture of such higher-resolution data is undertaken mainly by operators in developed economies.
an azimuth (i e. antenna orientation information) and an angular tilt. 45 It is also possible to obtain such data in real time through data-mediation services,
Device characteristics All mobile user devices used to access mobile telecommunication services come with an international mobile station equipment identity (IMEI) number.
telecommunication services. In addition to serving as a unique serial number for the handset, parts of it can reveal information on the handset make and model, type of technology (e g. 2g, 3g, LTE),
when services were activated and/or deactivated, specific service option preferences and the current account status, current international mobile subscriber identity47 (IMSI) number associated with the customer's mobile number,
and billing records for their current and past services. This information which associates a customer with his/her usage patterns
of telecommunication services (e g. double-and triple-play offers), revenue figures disaggregated per service are in most cases not comparable across operators and countries.
Ahas, R. and Mark, Ü. 2005), Location based services new challenges for planning and public administration?
CGALIES (2002), Report on implementation issues related to access to location information by emergency services (E112) in the European union, Coordination group on access to Location Information for Emergency Services.
Gruber, H. and Verboven, F. 2001), The diffusion of mobile telecommunication services in the European union.
voice services using Internet Protocol (IP) delivered over fixed (wired)- broadband infrastructure (e g. DSL fibre optic), and voice services provided over coaxial-cable television networks (cable modem.
It also includes fixed wireless local loop (WLL) connections, which are defined as services provided by licensed fixed-line telephone operators that provide last-mile access to the subscriber using radio technology,
when the call is routed then over a fixed-line telephone network (and not a mobilecellular network).
It excludes subscriptions via data cards or USB modems, subscriptions to public mobile data services,
radio paging and telemetry services. 3. International Internet bandwidth (bit/s) per Internet user International Internet bandwidth refers to the total used capacity of international Internet bandwidth,
It provides access to a number of communication services, including the World wide web, and carries e-mail, news, entertainment and data files,
Dedicated mobile-broadband data subscriptions refers to subscriptions to dedicated data services (over a mobile network) that allow access to the greater Internet
and which are purchased separately from voice services, either as a standalone service (e g. using a data card such as a USB modem/dongle) or as an add-on data package to voice services
which requires an additional subscription. All dedicated mobile-broadband subscriptions with recurring subscription fees are included regardless of actual use.
With convergence, operators are increasingly providing multiple (bundled) services, such as voice telephony, Internet access and television reception, over their networks.
then the additional services that are included in the price are specified in a note. Source: ITU.
9. With convergence, operators are increasingly providing multiple (bundled) services such as voice telephony, Internet access and television reception over their networks.
then the additional services that are included in the price plan should be specified in a note. 10.
if it can be used for other services as well. If a monthly rental for the physical line is required not (e g. naked DSL),
covering prepaid and postpaid services, and supported by different devices (handset and computer), mobile-broadband prices were collected for two different data thresholds,
b) there is no offer available for a specific sub-basket. 7. Prices should be collected for prepaid and postpaid services, for both handset and computer-based plans.
Preference should be given to packages that are bundled not (with voice services, for example. If the plan chosen includes other services besides mobile-broadband access,
these should be specified in a note. 15. Prices refer to a regular (non-promotional) plan
In the 2013 revision, EGTI agreed that ITU should collect prepaid and postpaid prices, for both handset-and computer-based services, with the following volume allowances:
or equal to, 512 Kbps. 15) Rightel (Tamin Telecom) has been given license to operate 3g services and started services from February 2011 (http://www. rightel. ir/).
/Data refer to the sum of fixed wireless broadband and active mobilebroadband subscriptions. 16) Incl. mobile broadband
2013.18) Incl. mobile broadband and Wimax. 19) Estimate based on 1. Standard mobile subscriptions using data services 2. Dedicated data subscriptions 3. Add on data
Definitive data (annual report) may change because quarterly reports use a smaller sample of operators than annual report. 26) Wireless Broadband services are not being offered in St vincent as yet.
We anticipate that Mobile broadband and terrestrial fixed broadband services would be in place by the end of 2014.27) OFCOM estimate. 28) Includes:
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