Re: Mobile network costs -- was -- MW4D & Accessibility

Hello Lauri,

thanks a lot for your helpful comments.
While i believe this is out of the scope of our roadmap to propose some 
ways to lower access costs to the infrastructure, there is still a 
section on costs and on infrastructure in the document.
I just added some bits (section 6.1.5 and 6.1.6) related to the 
discussions. I also completed 6.1.7

As always, comments are welcome.
Tak to you in few hours !
best
Stephane

Lauri.K.Hirvonen@nokia.com a écrit :
> Hello team
> 
> I like to comment the cost (of operation of
> the mobile network).
> 
> In less populated areas, it is very expensive 
> to build mobile networks.
> 
> In cities, big cities, it is much cheaper.
> (= more users to share the cost of
> building and operating mobile network.)
> 
> This is also true in more developed countries
> like Finland. It is always the highest populated
> areas, that are built first. The less populated
> areas are the last one to be built. 
> 
> The government of Finland has mandated the
> mobile phone operator to offer services also
> to less populated areas. Operator do it by
> increasing the charges to everyone which
> allows them to built mobile coverage to
> less populated areas, where the pay-back
> by it's use is low. So populated cities
> are covering also the cost of running
> rural areas.
> 
> This allows that the voice call tariffs are
> the same in big cities and in rural areas.
> 
> I have heard, that in some "developing countries"
> the first operator to build a mobile network
> do make a contract with country government.
> 
> Typically those contracts gives them "monopoly"
> for certain period. That means, that the government
> will not give license to an other mobile network
> operator. So no competition. 
> 
> But also government want their share. In many
> countries the mobile phone is listed in luxury 
> item category and the taxation is high. They 
> charge import custom tax for the product and 
> it can be very high. (So end user has to pay
> higher price.) Also the mobile operator's
> center equipment can have this high import
> tax. It makes it for operator more 
> expensive to pay back, this means again
> higher prices to users.
> 
> This is often the situation to have the first
> mobile network in the country. Later when the
> "first operator is profitable and managed 
> to cover most of the building costs" the country
> can allow new mobile operators to enter
> the country mobile market. This then
> increases competition and usually lower
> the price for use of mobile phone.
> 
> It would be nice if organization like "World Bank"
> could offer loan for operator to built
> mobile network. The loan could be negotiated
> to cover longer period (to pay it back). This
> means, operator can offer the mobile service
> to users with lower prices.
> 
> Br. Lauri
> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: public-mw4d-request@w3.org 
>> [mailto:public-mw4d-request@w3.org] On Behalf Of ext Stephane Boyera
>> Sent: 06 August, 2009 13:10
>> To: Yoshiko Kurisaki
>> Cc: Judy Brewer; public-mw4d@w3.org
>> Subject: Re: MW4D & Accessibility
>>
>> Dear Yoshiko,
>>
>> thanks for your support.
>>
>>> Allow me to propose another point of accessibility, Network 
>>> accessibility
>> This is indeed a very important point. This is not really 
>> accessibility in the sense it is described in the 6.1.1 
>> section, but the cost, due to monopoly is clearly an issue; 
>> This will be covered in section 6.1.5 around costs
>>
>> best
>> Stephane
>>
>> -- 
>> Stephane Boyera		stephane@w3.org
>> W3C				+33 (0) 5 61 86 13 08
>> BP 93				fax: +33 (0) 4 92 38 78 22
>> F-06902 Sophia Antipolis Cedex,		
>> France
>>
>>

-- 
Stephane Boyera		stephane@w3.org
W3C				+33 (0) 5 61 86 13 08
BP 93				fax: +33 (0) 4 92 38 78 22
F-06902 Sophia Antipolis Cedex,		
France

Received on Monday, 10 August 2009 09:38:25 UTC