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The purpose of this paper is to examine in a fully up-to-date manner the position in respect to the licensing and launch of long-term evolution (LTE) in a region that attracts relatively little attention when treated as a whole because the emphasis is usually upon the very large individual markets (China, India and Japan) contained within it. The purpose is also to examine the role of international groups and the extent to which the licensing of LTE can make a difference to the structure of mobile markets in the region.

The initial step was to compile extensive databases with respect to the licensing and launch of high-speed networks in the region – defined both narrowly and also to encompass countries that are often treated as part of the Middle East – arranged so as to emphasise the status of dominant incumbents. There is a discussion of new entry and its potential to disrupt incumbents.

For historical reasons, the region contains countries that have strong differences whether defined in terms of economic, social or cultural characteristics, and hence it has not been easy for a network with international aspirations to expand outside its home market nor for, say, European-based operators to gain a foothold. Attempts to introduce competition via new licences has also been problematic because of the strong, and sometimes very large, incumbents already present.

This is necessarily an overview that uses selected data to describe the overall picture because of the substantial number of quite different markets surveyed.

It is possible to forecast how certain structural changes will occur – primarily the withdrawal of international groups such as Millicom that prefer to concentrate upon other regions.

The databases that underpin the analysis are author-compiled and entirely original.

This study aims to investigate how the licensing of 3.6 GHz (C-band) spectrum has progressed throughout Europe.

Original databases have been created by the authors covering every aspect of the C-band auctions in Europe, and these have been subjected to analysis to draw out the key themes.

Although there have been delays in licensing the C-band, the process is now largely complete and the first launches have taken place. However, there has been considerable diversity in the rules underpinning the licenses and considerable differences in the amounts raised measured in $/MHz/pop.

It is difficult to make comparisons across a substantial sample of disparate countries because of the need to compare on a like-for-like basis – an issue that is generally glossed over in the literature. This has been addressed in this paper but some issues inevitably remain unresolved.

The development of 5G is highly contingent on the use of the C-band not just in Europe but elsewhere in the world where less-developed countries can learn from the European experience.

While the subject matter has received attention elsewhere, this represents the most up-to-date version with the largest sample of European countries.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the current provision of high-speed data networks in the African continent, in particular taking into account both licences and launches related to long-term evolution (LTE).

An up-to-date underlying database of licences and launches relating to LTE in Africa has been compiled. There is also a review of the international operators that are playing a significant role in LTE provision. A number of individual country case studies are considered. Issues of corruption are addressed.

Africa is interesting because it has been a laggard in the development of high-speed data networks, but now finds itself in a position to leapfrog 3G technologies, and hence close the gap that had opened up compared to, for example, Europe and Asia. This process is effectively assisted by the lack of fixed-wire connectivity but has to take account of the difficulty of attracting the requisite investment.

Databases relating to Africa are always difficult to compile.

Published work relating to mobile networks in Africa is not plentiful, and it is difficult to find relevant data in the public domain. A key aspect of the paper is that the database is entirely up-to-date.

The purpose of this paper is to examine in a fully up-to-date manner the position in respect of the licensing and launch of long-term evolution (LTE) (4G) in a region that attracts relatively little attention in academic work and the media. The purpose is also to examine the role of incumbency and to assess to what extent the licensing of LTE can make a difference to the structure of mobile markets in the region.

The first step has been to compile extensive databases with respect to the licensing and launch of high-speed networks in the region, arranged so as to emphasize the position of the dominant incumbents. A distinction is drawn between the larger, mainly Latin American, countries and the smaller, mainly Caribbean, islands. There is a discussion of new entry and its potential to disrupt incumbents.

The position of dominance held by two operators – América Móvil and Telefonica in the larger countries and by Digicel and Cable & Wireless Communications (Liberty Global) in the islands – is brought to the fore, and the analysis demonstrates that this is unlikely to be more than marginally affected by regulatory attempts to restructure markets by, for example, fostering new entry.

This is necessarily an overview paper as more than 50 countries/islands are covered, so detailed individual country studies are precluded.

The way forward, such as it is, can only be illuminated by first clarifying the current state of play.

The databases that underpin the analysis are author-compiled and entirely original.