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The purpose of this paper is to review recent government policy to provide a context for an exploratory study of broadband take up and use by small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Thames Valley region of the UK. In recent years, the business environment has been fundamentally altered by the information and communication revolution that has changed the way in which businesses are created, operated and managed. However, the take up of broadband amongst SMEs remains low. Recent government policy has focussed on stimulating both supply and demand sides of the market for broadband technology as an entry point for SMEs.

The paper discusses the impact of government policy upon the use of broadband by SMEs and considers how occupiers are using and benefiting from the use of broadband.

The research undertaken indicates that government policy promoting broadband take up amongst SMEs has been effective in terms of the achievement of targets. The majority of SMEs in the case study are now equipped with broadband. However, their use of broadband appears to be limited to the more rudimentary uses for communication and searching for information as opposed to advanced applications such as e‐business and marketing.

Current government policy is aimed at promoting ICT for SMEs, but their effectiveness and success is yet to be measured. There is a need for more research in respect of the impact of broadband upon the working practices of SMEs, their business performance and relative competitiveness.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the widely‐held assumption that broadband infrastructure will bring social and economic benefits.

The paper examines the impacts of broadband in Korea, a country with the highest penetration rate of broadband. The current status of broadband in Korea is examined, followed by an assessment of its impact on electronic commerce, overall economic effects and new business opportunities.

There is evidence of positive impacts of broadband development in Korea. Most importantly, broadband internet not only provides a driving force for new businesses for related industries, but also forms a springboard for future infrastructure in the network economy.

The paper focuses on positive impacts, which are largely anecdotal, and does not seek to assess negative impacts.

There has been little research into the socio‐economic benefits of broadband. In addition, the paper provides a snapshot of development in South Korea.

To examine broadband competition and broadband penetration in a set of countries that employ the same regulation framework. To define the policy and strategy required to promote broadband in weak markets that do not employ alternative infrastructures.

Study penetration and competition level statistics from 2002 to 2005 in a set of countries with different infrastructures deployed, services provided as well as in their social‐economic structures but employing the same regulation framework. Measure the level of inter‐platform and intra‐platform competition as well as the availability of bitstream access versus the incumbents' shares.

The paper concludes that a mature broadband market is the one that exhibits a high penetration ratio in combination with a high competition level. Bitstream access can counterbalance the inexistence of alternative broadband infrastructures, especially in weak markets. In particular the availability of numerous bitstream access types in combination with the proper price differentiation can fuel broadband adoption in relatively weak broadband markets.

The paper challenges the general rule that only platform (also known as facility) based competition guarantees long‐term growth of the broadband market. Bitstream and resale access do not lag local loop unbundling and can be used in weak markets that do not employ alternative infrastructures to fuel competition in the relevant markets. Different policies and strategies must be followed, in that case, on behalf of the local NRA.

The aim of this paper is to look at the extent to which the bandwagon effect played a part in digital subscriber line (DSL) broadband adoption combined with the regulatory measures, the slowdown in the cable industry and the changes within the telecommunications industry in the United Kingdom (UK). The dynamics of broadband deployment, broadband adoption against a real‐world supply‐demand equation and the factors that influenced the outcome in the UK are examined in detail.

This paper combines historic facts and socio‐economic analysis done from archival research and interview material to examine the outcome in which the less‐heralded copper DSL technology outpaced cable broadband adoption. The analysis delves into the influence of the bandwagon effect and the two types of outcome associated with it i.e. network externalities and the complementary bandwagon effects.

The paper argues that the deployment of broadband technologies in the UK has not taken place solely on the merits of the technology or factors such as speed, end‐user demand and costs. A combination of factors related to regulatory decisions, status of industry finances, commercial expediency, short‐term technical benefits and the bandwagon effect are argued to be at work.

The paper is useful for historians, policy makers, regulators and communications industry analysts given its focus on broadband deployment in the UK in correlation to the bandwagon economics.

This study aims to analyse how the media plays its role in the information communications technology (ICT) debate in a developing country context, by way of analysing the media discourse surrounding the South African Broadband Policy.

The study adopts a critical approach and uses critical discourse analysis, employing Habermas's theory of communicative action. Data for the study include the media reports on the South African Broadband Policy.

It is noted that: the media discourse was systematically distorted; the discourse was driven mainly by the government; and many actors were systematically excluded from the discourse, or opted not to engage in the debate. The low‐income category, the very group that should benefit from the policy, was excluded from the debate. The study notes further that the status of key actors in the policy affected the media's perception of the policy.

To increase the chances of success for policy, there is a need to include all stakeholders in the policy debate. This study notes how some actors were left out, and how others opted not to engage in the debate, which points to the need for strategies to promote participation in policy debate. It is noted, too, that the distortions could have resulted from lack of skills in the media, the enhancement of which could address the problem.

The commonly used internet service provider's (ISP) business models based on price comparison may prove to be a successful strategy for organisations in the short‐term. However, it may be argued that a sustainable business model for the long‐term requires a detailed understanding of the various factors that may help ISPs in attracting future customers. The purpose of this paper is to examine the drivers and barriers of consumer adoption of broadband in the UK.

A survey research approach was utilised to examine the effect of a number of constructs from attitudinal (utilitarian outcomes and hedonic outcomes), normative (social influence), control (self‐efficacy and facilitating conditions resources) and demographic (age) categories on the behaviour of consumers when adopting broadband in the UK.

Results indicate that all the constructs, apart from hedonic outcomes, significantly influenced the adoption behaviour of consumers.

This study provides a snapshot of the adoption behaviour of broadband within UK households. The findings may therefore change as technology becomes established and consumers become more experienced in its use. By undertaking a longitudinal study, the elimination of any variables could achieve anomalies in the obtained results. In addition to a discussion of the findings, the paper outlines the contributions and limitations of the study and provides suggestions for future research activity.

The research presented in this paper is a part of doctoral research which forms one of the initial efforts towards understanding the adoption behaviour of broadband within UK households.

This paper aims to provide a critical perspective on the major opportunities and challenges facing the future of wireless access to broadband internet services in the USA. In particular, it seeks to develop realistic expectations for new entrants and existing wireline broadband providers, hoping to diversify into wireless to extend the reach of broadband to previously underserved markets.

The paper synthesizes a series of empirical case studies of efforts to develop wireless projects across the USA. Cases were chosen to reflect variations in recent initiatives related to spectrum used, housing density, topography, types of services provided and the type of entity providing them. Findings are supplemented by a thorough review of applicable sections of the Code of Federal Regulations, Federal Communications Commission Orders and state and local regulations.

Although developments in wireless technology and regulation have permitted novel approaches for using wireless to extend the reach of broadband, myriad challenges must be addressed for successful expansion. These include limitations on throughput, infrastructure and equipment hurdles, regulatory uncertainty and relatively low revenue potential in underserved markets.

This study can serve as a guide to the nuances that wireless broadband providers must take into account when extending service in different settings. Because social and regulatory contexts are critical, the authors anchor their findings in a study of US cases and regulations. Nonetheless, the opportunities and challenges that are explored can be of relevance for practitioners considering wireless access in other countries where comparable situations may arise.

Existing scholarship generally focuses on the opportunities of wireless technologies for extending the reach and quality of broadband without methodically exploring potential hurdles. In this paper, the authors carefully consider both, paying attention to the social, financial, policy and technical challenges that must be addressed to successfully design and implement different wireless initiatives.

Government is promoting broadband for all, and specifically, is advocating business up‐take of broadband that affords high‐speed internet activity, to foster global competitiveness. Urban areas have economies of scale and the effect on price of concentration of demand. Rural areas do not, and potential broadband provision is thus problematic. The paper aims to study technology roll‐out in rural areas, and provide a commentary, based on empirical work, on the potential of demand for, and use of, the service.

The paper draws from secondary research sourced from academic papers, government and agency documents to evaluate rural broadband provision, and analyses the suitability of current “solutions”. It also draws together conclusions of various empirical and survey researches on the potential of uptake and business use of broadband.

The paper questions whether broadband access in rural areas has the potential to contribute to economic development. It also identifies the limitations of current broadband technologies, concluding that, in fact, none are appropriate for rural and remote locations. The paper finds that rural businesses tend to lack propensity for growth and diversification; therefore, accessibility for rural businesses may be an issue secondary to that of lack of enterprise in many rural areas. Therefore, efforts to roll out technology to rural areas may not provide results desired or expected.

The value of the paper lies in providing a holistic viewpoint, based on research and technology considerations, from which policy can be informed.

The paper aims to explore the “build or lease” dilemma that a new operator faces when it plans to enter a liberalized telecom market. The “build” decision requires the operator to invest in new network infrastructure. The “lease” part involves obtaining access to the subscriber by leasing the access part of the network via local loop unbundling (LLU) and/or by implementing wholesale broadband access (WBA) (also known as bitstream access). Which are the factors that an operator should take into account when it designs a broadband strategy based on LLU and/or WBA? Are there regulatory measures that can affect the outcome of such a strategy? The paper aims to provide specific answers to both questions.

Initially the paper establishes the case that LLU as well as WBA can indeed be considered as a useful instrument during the initial stages of broadband development. Consequently, the paper explores the “build or lease” dilemma by using a cost model created from actual market data that, first, identifies the most crucial parameters for the provision of broadband services via LLU, and, second, analyzes the relation between the operators' cost for full/shared LLU and the relevant cost for WBA deployment. The model is used in several scenarios that examine physical vs distant collocation, number of customers, bandwidth, backhaul links and full/shared unbundling access versus WBA, among other factors.

The cost model shows that there are several factors that should be examined when new entrants design their broadband deployment strategy. In such a case, as an operator establishes market presence, LLU becomes progressively more and more attractive. The paper also discusses how this process can be further accelerated if governments, regulators and operators adopt several additional guidelines with respect to broadband deployment based on LLU and WBA.

The results of the paper guide an operator in the design of a successful broadband strategy based on LLU and WBA.

As far as the authors know, such a cost model is not publicly available in the form of a research paper or otherwise.

Broadband access plays a major role for economic growth and for social and cultural development of urban and rural areas. A provision of broadband infrastructure and services in these areas is not attractive for private investments because of a low or even negative expected rate on return. The purpose of this paper is to identify different modes of public private partnership (PPP) funding and organizational models of collaborations among public and private partners to establish broadband infrastructures. Decision makers get insights about innovative financial and structural models to bring broadband into rural areas.

Organizational and financial structures of PPP projects will be analyzed by six PPP case studies from the broadband sector in Sweden, Great Britain, and France. This research adopts a data triangulation approach.

A comparative case study analysis about “broadband‐PPPs” from different countries depicts that the organizational and financial funding models differ from project to project. PPPs represent a good alternative to build a broadband infrastructure through mutual collaboration between public and private partners. The examined case studies verify that a PPP is an appropriate instrument to implement broadband infrastructures, especially in case of market failure.

The paper is mainly based on case studies. Thus, the significance of the derived results is limited.

Companies in the sector of telecommunication as well as decision makers learn about different financing models to implement broadband in rural areas and to increase broadband penetration.

This contribution shows that there are relationships among three key factors of PPPs: environmental conditions (risk, social structures, density of population, etc.), organizational model, and funding modes. This knowledge helps researchers and decision makers to measure different scenarios to bring broadband access into rural areas.