Title
The Myth of Population Density and ICT Infrastructure
Abstract
Mobile phones have become a significant platform for the delivery of information services in developing economies. Therefore, a sufficiently developed mobile telecommunications infrastructure is an important element in the economic development of these countries. This paper examines the factors that affect the quality of the mobile phone infrastructure in a country. One classic argument for limited infrastructure is a low population density. In theory, fewer people in a region means fewer customers to cover the fixed costs of the infrastructure. This paper tests the link between population density and mobile infrastructure. The results contradict the classic argument. The paper then argues that the challenge actually lies in the financial markets. If the financial markets demand a higher rate of return from the infrastructure, then the telecommunications firms will invest less in the infrastructure.
Year
DOI
Venue
2009
10.1109/HICSS.2009.442
HICSS
Keywords
Field
DocType
fewer customer,mobile phone infrastructure,population density,fewer people,mobile phone,low population density,classic argument,financial market,ict infrastructure,limited infrastructure,mobile telecommunications infrastructure,mobile infrastructure,rate of return,economic development,mobile telecommunication,fixed cost,developing economies
Economics,Mobile payment,Fixed cost,Critical infrastructure,Knowledge management,Mobile phone,Firm-specific infrastructure,Financial market,Industrial organization,Marketing,Mobile telephony,Rate of return
Conference
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
1
0.35
1
Authors
1
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Kurt DeMaagd1154.30