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This paper aims to draw lessons for telecommunications (telecom) network deployment in India, from a study of policy and regulatory approaches taken by other federal administrations in streamlining processes for site clearances, grant of rights of way (RoW) and approvals for local infrastructure deployment and sharing. With the urgent need for setting up small cells and rapid fiberisation of networks in the 5G era, the importance of such processes has gained prominence.

The authors adopt qualitative thematic content analysis with three-tier coding and classification to identify themes in archival and current documentary data and information obtained from subject-matter experts in the countries studied.

Formulation and implementation of telecom policy is led by national governments. However, national telecom administrations, in recognition of new needs, have co-opted states and local authorities as partners in development of telecom networks, providing the overall framework, guidance and appropriate incentives where required.

This cooperative model could work well in India, where telecom policy making and regulation is the prerogative of the central government, but administration of RoW and local clearances for cable laying, tower siting and associated infrastructure activities for expanding telecom networks are left to decentralised decision-making in the states and local bodies.

This research attempts to sytematise, thematise and draw cross-country comparisons to inform regulatory and administrative policy for 5G infrastructure rollout in India.

Using a proprietary database of telecommunications projects in emerging markets, we investigate key location characteristics of private infrastructure projects in Latin America and Asia. We identify economic, institutional, sectoral, and cultural variables that influence project structure, and compare these environmental and structural characteristics between and within our focal regions. We find that investment projects in Latin America and Asia differ along a number of dimensions and that countries that are successful in attracting projects within regions demonstrate distinct environmental features that appear to draw that investment. We suggest that a contingency perspective is useful for understanding how different regions and countries offer advantages in some areas to compensate for liabilities in others.

Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some legal aspects concerning MNEs, cyberspace and e‐commerce as the means of expression of the digital economy. The whole effort of the author is focused on the examination of various aspects of MNEs and their impact upon globalisation and vice versa and how and if we are moving towards a global digital economy.

Establishes a vision and a national (USA) strategy for civic networking. Encompasses citizen groups, voluntary organizations and local government, using an information infrastructure for public benefit. Outlines four “Grand Challenges”, a set of policy goals and a detailed agenda for action.

The expansion of connectivity on a national scale in Brazil, whether through mobile Internet or fixed broadband, is described as one of the factors that can lead to social and economic benefits for large parts of the population who do not have a network connection. It can also help to reduce poverty by improving the infrastructure of services and increasing Internet use for education purposes. It also provides people with the ability to communicate with online administrative services – local, regional, and national. In Brazil, the main difficulty facing an effective universalization of telecommunications has been limitations in accessing services. This chapter demonstrates the relevance of small Internet providers for the expansion of fixed broadband in less commercially attractive regions (in terms of subscribers, income, and distance) who have been growing over recent years and are now present in 70% of Brazilian municipalities and whose role is paramount to reducing the digital divide.

In recent years, many municipalities have made investments in fiber to the home/building (FTTH/B) infrastructures to enhance the digital future of their local communities. This paper aims to propose a business model for managing these municipal FTTH/B networks. The paper also seeks to form a part of the discussion on the business, social and policy implications of municipal involvement in physical broadband infrastructures.

The paper reviews the international experience in municipal FTTH projects and identifies the best practices. Greece is then used as a case study due to the country's strategic plans to create efficient broadband infrastructures in the periphery of the country. Finally, the municipal business model is examined on three premises: the extent of horizontal integration; the degree of vertical integration; and the appropriate form of ownership.

The passive infrastructure model applied within the model presented has strong potentials to ensure fair and open competition. The proposed business model exhibits substantial benefits for the telecommunications industry, the local communities and the managing company. It could become an effective policy tool for future regulation, broadband universal service framework, socially optimal investments and social inclusion.

The paper contributes to the international debates regarding the adoption of the “highway” model (“open access”) versus “vertical integration” and the suitability of public‐private partnership (PPP) as a method for developing and operating FTTH/B networks. It also contributes to the discussion about the implications of the public sector's involvement in broadband infrastructure development.

Social inclusion is a critical success factor for achieving community integration. An ideal outcome of social inclusion is that people can fully participate in the economic, social, and political life of their villages. This research identifies key aspects of community collaboration in setting up a telecommunication network in rural Mexico.

Under the perspective of a social business modeling view the research carried out 39 semi-structured interviews with residents of the Mexican village of Nochixtlán who benefited from a not-for-profit rural telecom initiative. The interviews helped to identify the main drivers of community collaboration.

Two barriers to the telecom initiative were found: public policies and market competition. Policy barriers included ambiguous government goals, unreliable delivery timeframes, and weak governance. Market barriers included lack of private suppliers, insufficient incentives to attract commercial providers, and lack of funds to set up proprietary infrastructure.

The application of face-to-face interviews with a relatively small number of individuals may restrain the generalizability of empirical findings. Yet, the use of analytical techniques, such as focus groups, might increase reliability for future studies.

Rural telephony does not simply depend on technical expertise to connect disperse towns and villages because strong social capital is also needed. Therefore, stakeholders should engage in active participation through the planning and operation of the network.

The chapter discusses how social inclusion and social capital can help to overcome technical and market barriers that deter the deployment of rural telecom networks. Community involvement is devised as a tool for assisting policy-makers in pushing social initiatives.

This paper aims to explore how the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) can leverage broadband, as a frontier emerging market, to diversify the economy and promote growth, job creation and productivity. The objective is to analyze the challenges and opportunities of the broadband market and propose policies to boost its development and achieve medium to long-term economic benefits.

The paper uses qualitative and quantitative tools to study the legal and regulatory environment, market structure, competitive dynamics and available services and infrastructure in the KRI. The data and information analyzed were obtained through field research, primary data collection and consultation with government institutions, telecom operators and IT companies.

Obstacles to broadband development in the KRI are barriers to competition, the need for clearer and more transparent policies and regulations and a fragmented market. However, when the right conditions are in place, KRI has the potential to emerge as a regional hub for international broadband connectivity and significantly expand local broadband access.

This paper presents a first-of-its-kind baseline analysis of the telecom sector in the KRI. Very little information is available on the KRI market, which also has not been previously studied separately from the Iraqi market. Based on the fieldwork, the paper relies on region-specific data to analyze the particularity of the market and identify reforms within the prerogative of the regional government.