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The purpose of this paper is to analyse the economic and technological factors that determine the quality of European telecommunications services. The paper test whether the privatisation, the efficiency and the labour factor of telecommunications operators are determinants of service quality and whether competition, technology and infrastructure investment in the telecommunications sector influence that quality.

The paper use the panel data methodology to analyse the factors that determine the quality of service of telecommunications.

The results indicate that the more efficient the company is, the more quality it will deliver. However, the paper finds no evidence that the privatisation and the restructuring of the labour force of the main telecommunications operators, or the competition, technology and investments in the sector, lead to greater quality.

In order to foster higher quality, effective market competitiveness has to be established to avoid benefitting the incumbent company and to make the development of competition possible in the long run.

Although previous literature assumes a positive relationship between the performance of privatised companies and quality, this study shows that the privatisation and liberalisation processes do not bring about quality improvements by themselves. The research finds that the efficiency of privatised companies is the primary source of quality.

The purpose of this paper is to review the service quality (SQ) models established in various empirical studies conducted across the world specifically applied to telecommunications services.

This paper examines different SQ models reported in the literature applicable to the telecommunications sector. The selected 29 studies were limited to empirical English studies based on survey data and statistical methods of analysis and having the SQ construct defined from the customers’ perspective.

The review of various SQ models in telecommunications revealed that the meaning of SQ may have some universal aspects, as demonstrated by the similarities in the underlying dimensions as proposed in different studies. This paper lends support to the contention that the dimensions of the telecommunications SQ construct and their importance vary with the cultural and country context. A proposed model for measuring telecommunications SQ was presented as a trial to extract the best of previous models.

This paper reviews only empirical studies based on survey data and statistical methods of analysis from 2001 to 2019.

The paper indicates that a generic instrument for measurement of SQ or even one specifically developed for telecommunications may not be applicable in its original form for all cultural contexts. The development of a customized scale, such as a modified SERVQUAL for measuring the SQ for a particular cultural or country context at that particular time, is warranted.

The reported study describes and contrasts a large number of SQ measurement constructs and highlights the usage of dimensions.

This study will attempt to focus on how vendors serve operators, as operator service quality starts with vendor’s technology infrastructure and service quality. The purpose of this study is to exhibit the most important vendor service quality items and dimensions for the operators in the telecommunications industry.

A total of 268 employees from various age groups, cities, job levels and departments participated in the survey.

Expected service quality results indicated that operators need high service quality. When telecommunication needs of subscribers are taken into account, it is normal for operators to expect high service quality from vendors. Results also reveal that being dependable and providing continuous support are critical for the telecommunications industry. Perceived service quality results demonstrate that customer expectations failed to be satisfied. In this study conducted in the telecommunications market, the expectations of operator employees regarding vendors is shaped under two dimensions. These dimensions are employee and service center features and provider timeliness and accuracy. When Topsis method was used to determine the most important vendor characteristics, timeliness and trust were identified as the top two criteria.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to put forth the most important vendor service quality items and dimensions for the operators in the telecommunications industry.

This study aims to empirically explore telecommunications service quality (SQ) and its impact on the customer loyalty (CL) through a mediating impact of customer satisfaction (CS) during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

A survey was conducted involving 384 customers of telecommunications service providers in Egypt. The hypothesized direct relationships were tested through regression analysis, and the mediating effect was tested using structural equation modeling technique.

The results reveal a strong positive relationship of SQ dimensions, CS and CL. Reliability, privacy and security and convenience, respectively, proved to increase CS and CL more than the other SQ dimensions, particularly during COVID-19. Moreover, CS was found to significantly and fully mediate the effect of SQ on CL.

This is an empirical research applied in the Egyptian telecommunications setting. Its relationships need further investigation in other settings and countries. Also, traditional limitations of a cross-sectional study apply with respect to the attribution of causality and the time lag effects.

In strategic planning of telecommunications services and the associated consumer behavior, the results of this study can be helpful for policymakers. In case of similar epidemics and natural calamities, consumers may depict similar behavior as shown during the lockdown and social distancing during COVID-19; hence, this study can help regulatory bodies in preparing their safety roadmap.

This study contributes to the body of knowledge in enhancing the understanding on the impact of telecommunications SQ on CS and loyalty, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the relationship between intellectual capital (IC) (i.e. human capital, structural capital, relational capital) and service quality (SQ) within the Egyptian mobile telecommunications setting.

A valid research instrument was utilized to conduct a survey of 384 top- middle- and supervisory level managers from three Egyptian mobile telecommunications companies.

Hypotheses related to the relationship of human, structural and relational capital and their influence on SQ were tested. Results show that Egyptian mobile telecommunications companies have mostly emphasized the use of structural capital to boost their SQ.

This is an empirical research applied in the Egyptian telecommunications setting. Its relationships need further investigation in other settings and countries. Also, the traditional limitations of a cross-sectional study apply with respect to the attribution of causality and the time lag effects.

The optimal procedure for the Egyptian mobile telecommunications companies is to focus their efforts on managing all three components of IC in order to improve their SQ and performance.

This is one of the very few researches to study the relationship between intellectual capital and service quality and the first to investigate these relationships in the Arab Region within the mobile telecommunications setting.

Taking a forward looking and global perspective, the paper seeks to address the issue of whether the concept of public service telecommunications has any relevance to the future.

The paper draws on published sources to look at the history of public service telecommunications, mainly in the USA, reviews the progress towards universal service across the world and explores the likely future developments in the telecommunications landscape over the next few decades.

The concept of public service telecommunications helped to stabilise the telecommunications industry in its infancy but ultimately stifled access to telecommunications services at affordable prices. However, the future will still need to be nurtured so that telecommunications are provided genuinely in a way that serves the public interest.

Provides a global and forward‐looking view on the value of the public interest in telecommunications.

Telecommunications regulation in Hong Kong (China) is interesting as a case study of pro‐competitive regulation in a geographically small city of some 6.8 million people. It is also of particular interest because The Office of the Telecommunications Authority, the sector regulator, has for four years running (1999‐2002) been voted the best Asian regulator by readers of Telecom Asia. What policies were applied to warrant this sustained approval rating? This paper examines these policies and suggests further improvements.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate issues related to the application of Lean Six Sigma (L6σ) in a service industry. By adopting a case‐study approach this paper analytically explores the critical success factors that affect L6σ implementation.

The study adopts a qualitative approach attempting to explore the nature of L6σ application in a service context. In particular, two case studies from the telecommunications industry have been selected. Secondary data were collected through an analysis of companies' documents, written procedures and quality assurance policies. Moreover, primary data were collected through a number of interviews with managers and quality experts.

There are particular factors that influence the implementation of L6σ in organizations, that can be distinguished in facilitators like Top Management Involvement & Support, Quality‐driven Organizational Culture, Quality‐driven Training, Top Down & Bottom Up Project Selection, Customer Satisfaction, Prior implementation of other quality improvement programs and Supportive Performance Management & IT Systems, and inhibitors such as Lack of Awareness for L6σ, Lack of Awareness for the Need of Continuous Quality Improvement Programs & L6σ, Lack of Strategic Orientation, Working Mentality & Habits.

The main limitation of the study is the fact that in both cases only managers and top administrators were approached. Frontline employees who are directly involved in L6σ approach may offer a clearer view on issues related to the impact of critical factors on L6σ application.

This study has four major advantages. First, it expands our understanding regarding the implementation of L6σ in a service industry, in which the application of management models is more complex and problematic. Second, it focuses on the responses of managers, who always play the most significant role in the adoption of such techniques. Third, it explores the quality management initiatives in the telecommunications industry. Finally, it provides future studies with a L6σ multi‐factor application approach that can be further tested and developed.

By 2016, Botswana aspires to triple its 1994 per capita income and to completely diversify its economic base. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) objectives, as spelt out in the SADC Policy document, emphasise the attainment of enhanced development and economic growth, poverty alleviation, and support of the socially disadvantaged through regional integration. Since telecommunications have long been recognised as the engine for economic growth, the aspirations of SADC and Botswana are consistent with the SADC Protocol on Transport, Communications, and Metrology, which aims at developing a reliable, efficient, vibrant, consumer‐driven telecommunications sector. We examine the focus of the World Bank and the International Telecommunications Union, in global telecommunications development. We then discuss the efforts of Botswana and other SADC states in ensuring that they take advantage of the private sector finances to build reliable, sophisticated public telecommunications networks for entry into the Global Information Infrastructure (GII).

The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the mediating effect of service quality (SQ) in the relationship between relational capital (RC) and organizational performance (OP) within the Egyptian mobile telecommunication setting.

A valid research instrument was utilized to conduct a survey of 384 top- middle- and supervisory- level managers from three Egyptian mobile telecommunications companies. The hypothesized direct relationships were tested through multiple linear regression, and the mediating effect was tested using a structural equation modeling technique.

The results revealed that the firm's “customer and supplier relations” and “marketing capability” positively affect both OP and SQ, “customer knowledge” positively affects SQ only, while “strategic alliances, licensing and agreements” do not have an association with SQ or OP. Moreover, SQ was found fully mediating the effect of RC on OP.

This is an empirical research applied in the Egyptian telecommunication setting. Its results need further investigation in other settings and countries. Also, traditional limitations of a cross-sectional study apply with respect to the attribution of causality and the time lag effects.

The optimal procedure for the Egyptian telecommunications companies is to focus their efforts on leveraging all four components of RC in order to improve SQ and consequently enhance their OP. The telecommunications companies must do all they can to connect the unconnected. As the current COVID-19 pandemic crisis has shown, connectivity is a public good.

This is the first research that merges the concepts of RC, SQ and OP in an integrated model, and tests this model empirically in the Egyptian mobile telecommunications setting.