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The five papers in this special issue have been selected from presentations held at the 2003 Mobility Roundtable, held at Stockholm. Looks at the inevitable merge of the tele‐centric and data‐centric world and mobile Internet and how they have enabled mobile access in both professional and personal lifestyles. Evaluates demand, supply and culture. Opines that with future developments hard to predict new actors from other sectors, such as hotels and restaurants could, by merging their interests, provide a seamless roaming service. Conclusions drawn are that conceptions of mobility in all lifestyles will be broadened to expect an environment of continuous usage.

There are many different opinions on the prospects of UMTS or 3G mobile telephone systems. Our paper investigates the financial consequences of the implementation of UMTS on mobile operators. Our analysis is limited to the Swedish market, and we analyse the Swedish 3G licensees with a financial model, which shows annual cash flows, net present values (NPV), breakeven, paybacks and sensitivity analyses. Our results suggest that there will be a substantial profit problem. One of the reasons for the lack of profitability is the increased competition. The market size will set limits to the profits. Besides, the operators’ cost will increase and we do not believe that the average revenue per user will increase much more from today’s level.

New technologies provide new opportunities for radio spectrum allocation and frequency use. This article seeks to summarize papers that form a special issue on spectrum management, and to provide also some outlooks toward policy.

This editorial gives an introduction to the selection of papers included in this special issue. The editorial lays out the basic questions guiding the debate about spectrum management and explains the contribution of the various papers to this debate.

The editorial points out the high social, political and economic importance of spectrum management, and the need for a critical discussion of regulatory approaches is emphasised.

The editorial summarizes papers for a special issue on spectrum management and will be of value to academics, business and policy makers.

To analyse the evolution of the Swedish telecommunications sector (1970‐2003), with a focus on barriers and drivers of innovative activity.

Developing a functional approach to innovation systems analysis, where six basic interdependent functions need to be served for a new technology to be developed and diffused and for a supporting industry to evolve. The sector is divided into four major sub‐sectors: traditional fixed telecom; mobile telephony; fixed data communications (including internet); and mobile data communications (including mobile internet).

Relate to two questions: first, how did it happen that Sweden developed a leading innovation system for mobile telephony but not for data communication; and second, what are the strengths and weaknesses of the innovation system for mobile data communications? Findings include that early developments mattered, innovative search direction is crucial as are the provision of incentives for innovative activity.

Functional analysis of innovation systems useful for guiding policy actions, which should have the purpose of strengthening weak functions, removing bottlenecks and stimulating inducement mechanisms, in particular if used to stimulate the transition from one phase to another. It needs further development, in particular with respect to the understanding of diffusion processes.

The stimulation of innovation in, and diffusion of, mobile and broadband data services is crucial to development of the innovation system, globally, in Europe and in Sweden. An innovation system which allows for entrepreneurial experimentation should be fostered. Early stage financing and diffusion of services are major system weaknesses. Regulatory authorities should consider addressing innovation explicitly.

New (adapted) approach for guiding policy action. Better understanding of dynamics in the telecom sector, and the comparative success and failure of Swedish industry in sub‐sectors.

Discusses several options to remedy the emerging European 3G (third‐generation) paradox with regard to mobile hype. Emphasizes 5 major proposals and actions brought up by the e‐mobility 2001 EU Information Society Conference, convened in Goteborg, prior to the EC Summit there. Sums up that the e‐mobility conference includes a strong plea for more research relating to the information society.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the papers in the special issue on “Next generation mobile telecommunications networks challenges to the Nordic ICT industries”.

This introductory paper summarises the key points of each paper.

The competitive environment of the Nordic ICT industries has changed and is far more complex now compared to the previous single‐standard environment of 2G. The avenues for influencing competition between basic technology platforms and standards are much narrower and involve interaction with a much greater number of stakeholders and technologies on a global level.

The six papers of this Special Issue highlight interesting viewpoints both on the possible future evolution of the mobile telecommunications industry in general, as well as on the past development and present challenges that the Nordic countries face.

This paper examines Europe‐wide research initiatives co‐ordinated on a European Union level through the successive EU Research Framework Programmes (FP), particularly through its sub‐programme Information Society Technologies (IST). The IST vision of future wireless systems is described, and an overview of research activities concerning mobile communications of IST in FP6 and FP5 is presented, including project problem and technology areas, and specific projects that are of particular interest in the 4G context are highlighted. The paper concludes with an outlook on future mobile research priorities.

The paper investigates the evolution of the successful mobile internet service i‐mode in Japan, identifies the relevant explanatory factors, and provides implications for the further development of mobile data communications in Europe. In conclusion, the paper argues that there must be a balanced and efficient mix of industry coordination, service experimentation, and dynamic competition in order to provide a foundation for mobile data success in Europe.

Introduces five papers which provide a comprehensive picture of recent developments and challenges in the European telecommunications industry. Believes that both regulators and managers will find these papers insightful and useful in policy and strategy discussions.

3G in Europe faces not only the challenge of recouping the huge cost of licenses, but also the possibility of being overtaken by the emerging new broadband and wireless technologies. These may coexist or even compete with 3G. IPTS carried out two studies that looked at the milestones for future mobile communications systems, taking into account both the short‐ and the long‐term prospects. The first study addressed success factors for 3G networks, gathering insights from successful experience in other regions of the world, notably Japan. The second covered the influence that alternative technologies might have for the diffusion and uptake of 3G. This paper concludes that, despite competition, universal mobile telecommunications system will lead the future of mobile communications in Europe. It presents the final recommendation to stimulate 3G commercialisation by consolidating 3G as a solid platform for 4G development, integrating co‐existing applications and continuously incorporating emerging standards.