The strategic national infrastructure assessment of digital communications
| Pages | 197-210 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/DPRG-02-2018-0004 |
| Date | 14 May 2018 |
| Published date | 14 May 2018 |
| Author | Edward J. Oughton,Zoraida Frias,Mischa Dohler,Jason Whalley,Douglas Sicker,Jim W. Hall,Jon Crowcroft,David D. Cleevely |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance,Information policy |
The strategic national infrastructure
assessment of digital communications
Edward J. Oughton, Zoraida Frias, Mischa Dohler, Jason Whalley,
Douglas Sicker, Jim W. Hall, Jon Crowcroft and David D. Cleevely
Abstract
Purpose – Public policy requires effective identification of the current and emerging issues being faced
in industry and beyond. This paper aims to identify a set of key issues currently facing digital
communications and reviews their relevance for the strategic provision of infrastructure, particularly
within the UK context.
Design/methodology/approach – The methodology focusses on taking a horizon-scanning approach
to obtaining current information from a range of authoritative decision makers across industry,
government and academia. After structuring the issues identified, these areas are explored by a multi-
disciplinary research team covering engineering, economics and computer science.
Findings – Five key categories were identified including future demand; coverage and capacity; policy
and regulation; economics and business models; and technology. The results are reported for both fixed
and wireless networks. Shared issues affecting the wider digital ecosystem are also identified including
Brexit, connecting remote areas and the degree to which the economics of infrastructure allows for
building multiple overlapping infrastructures. The authors find that future demand uncertainty is one of
the major issues affecting the digital communications sector driven by rigid willingness-to-pay, weak
revenue and an increasing shift from fixed to wireless technologies. Policy must create the market
conditions that encourage the entry of new competitors with innovative thinking and disruptive business
models.
Research limitations/implications – A limitation of the analysis is that it is quite UK-focussed; hence,
further research could broaden this analysis to assessing issues at a continental or global scale.
Originality/value – The value of this paper originates from the breadth of the expert elicitation exercise
carried out to gather the initial set of issues, followed by the analysis of this data by a multi-disciplinary
team of researchers. The results direct a future research agenda, as many issues are indicative of a lack
of existing evidence to support effective decision-making.
Keywords Policy, Digital communication systems, Telecommunication
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
The global economy is enabled by national and international infrastructure systems that
move goods, people and information. A swathe of reports stating the importance of
infrastructure, and the under-investment relative to need, is commonly cited in support of
this topic (see World Economic Forum, 2016). Historically, the approach to infrastructure
planning and delivery has been relatively piecemeal and fragmented, particularly when it
comes to digital. Indeed, infrastructure has been as much the proverbial political football as
other areas of government expenditure. Notable examples include Australia’s National
Broadband Network and the UK’s High Speed 2 rail project.
Attempts have now begun to take a more strategic approach to infrastructure planning,
coordination and delivery via the introduction of infrastructure units such as Infrastructure
Australia and New Zealand’s National Infrastructure Unit. The National Infrastructure
Edward J. Oughton is Research
Associate at Judge Business
School, University of
Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Zoraida Frias is Assistant
Professor at Universidad
Politecnica de Madrid, Madrid,
Spain. Mischa Dohler is
Professor at King’s College
London, London, UK.
Jason Whalley is Professor at
Newcastle Business School,
Northumbria University,
Newcastle, UK. Douglas Sicker
is Head and Endowed
Professor at the Department of
Computer Science, Carnegie
Mellon University, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, USA. Jim W. Hall
is Professor at Environmental
Change Institute, University of
Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Jon Crowcroft is Professor at
Computer Laboratory,
University of Cambridge,
Cambridge, UK.
David D. Cleevely is Founding
Director, Centre for Science
and Policy at Judge Business
School, University of
Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Received 8 February 2018
Revised 24 February 2018
Accepted 8 March 2018
The authors would like to recognise the
contribution of all participants at the
EPSRC-sponsored workshop on The
Future of Digital Communications at St.
Catharine’s College, Cambridge, on 1
February 2017. Additionally, Edward
Oughton, Zoraida Frias, David
Cleevely and Jim Hall would like to
express their gratitude to the UK
Engineering and Physical Science
Research Council for funding via grant
EP/N017064/1: Multi-scale
InfraSTRucture systems AnaLytics.
DOI 10.1108/DPRG-02-2018-0004 VOL. 20 NO. 3 2018, pp. 197-210, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2398-5038 jDIGITAL POLICY, REGULATION AND GOVERNANCE jPAGE 197
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