Control and Value in Mobile Communications: A Political Economy of the Reconfiguration of Business Models in the European Mobile Industry (original) (raw)

2000, SSRN Electronic Journal

While digital mobile communication has constituted, in parallel with the Internet, the most impacting innovation of the past decades in terms of how people interact and exchange information-and this first and foremost in Europe-, its business and technological setup is now facing profound change. Up until now, evolution in the European mobile industry has happened to the rhythm of sequentially introduced generations of 'cellular' technologies. This process was coordinated and dominated by mobile network operators and mobile equipment vendors, and was actively supported by governments and regulators. Since then, the linearity and synchronicity of mobile evolution have come under pressure, yet developments in Europe have remained firmly centred around so-called 3G cellular systems, and the companies operating and supplying them. Currently, the emergence of various types of software platforms and internet-like end-to-end architectures in mobile systems, as well as the expected breakthrough of a range of alternative wireless network technologies, are increasing the pressure on the dominant technological and business setup , to the point of a 'reconfiguration' of the entire mobile system.

Sign up for access to the world's latest research.

checkGet notified about relevant papers

checkSave papers to use in your research

checkJoin the discussion with peers

checkTrack your impact