In smart grids the formerly separated worlds of energy and telecommunication converge to an interactive and automated energy supply system. Driven by social, legal, and economic pressures, energy systems around the globe are updated with information and communication technology. These investments aim at enhancing energy efficiency, securing affordable energy supply, and mitigate climate change. In Broadband Networks, Smart Grids and Climate Change, renowned scholars and managers from the fields of energy and telecommunication address key questions related to technological, strategic, and regulatory issues revealing consequences and opportunities for businesses evolving with smart grids. In particular, this book analyzes: (1) the effects on climate change protection (2) national energy and broadband politics (3) regulatory approaches and requirements (4) emerging business models

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks allow individuals to share digital content files in real time. They facilitate communication and promote community without hierarchy or strict control. This book applies economic principles to analyze and understand the P2P phenomenon. It also provides numerous contemporary examples from the US and around the world to shed light on the implications of P2P as a mass medium, considering such issues as pricing, licensing, security, and regulation.

In recent years, billions of dollars (and euros, yen, and other currencies) have been spent by wireless services providers to acquire the radio frequency spectrum needed to offer so-called "Third Generation" (3G) mobile services. These services include high-speed data, mobile Internet access and entertainment such as games, music and video programs. Indeed, as voice communications are substituted by data communications, software -rather than terminals or networks- has become the driver of the wireless industry. Meanwhile, services are becoming increasingly specialized.
Why has the road to multimedia cellular been so difficult? These benefits of the mobile Internet have come with the costs of a massive transition that has coincided with the bust of stock markets and the technology segments worldwide, controversial and costly license auctions in several lead markets, dated or mistaken regulatory policies, the clash between the early hype and the pioneering realities of the mobile Internet. But these are generalities that barely scratch the surface. The devil is in the details. And it is these details that Competition for the Mobile Internet addresses.

The issue of costing and pricing in the telecommunications industry has been hotly debated for the last twenty years and we are still wrestling over the cost of the local exchange for access by interexchange and competitive local exchange carriers, as well as for universal service funding. With the advent of competition, the historical costing schemes had to change. Federal regulators wanted to ensure that monopoly rates did not subsidize competitive offerings. As a result, various costing methodologies were devised to allocate costs among the dominant carriers' services. The issue of costs can be summarized as two-fold: the quantitative determination of the level of costs and the proper attribution of those costs. Both are fraught with questions. The amount of costs, for instance, can vary from book costs to marginal costs. The attribution of costs can vary from those that are directly attributable to those that are joint and common. Hence, the need for costing theories and models. The industry is constantly in search of theories and models that more accurately reflect the underlying costs of service. It is in this light that the papers have been compiled for The New Investment Theory of Real Options in Telecommunications. Real options theory attempts to consider management's flexibility in valuation analysis and corrects the deficiencies of the traditional discounted present-value and decision tree analyses. This book sets forth an introduction and overview of the subject, and then provides the reader with a primer on real options. The volume highlights the controversies that surround the application of real options in the telecommunications industry; however, the editors haveeffectively separated the issues of application from those of interpretation.

Internet TV is the quintessential digital convergence medium, linking television, telecommunications, the Internet, computer applications, games, and more. Soon, venturing beyond the convenience of viewer choice and control, Internet TV will enable and encourage new types of entertainment, education, and games that take advantage of the Internet's interactive capabilities. What Internet TV is today and can be in the future forms the context for this book.
Arising from collaboration between the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information (CITI) and the European Institute for the Media (EIM), this volume investigates the advent of widely available individual broadband Internet communications and their impact on the development of Internet TV. Editors Eli Noam, Jo Groebel, and Darcy Gerbarg have collected seminal papers by leaders from the U.S. and European media and technology industries that offer a critical look at the impact of interactivity on television content, and address the need for media organizations to create interactive programming in this untapped realm with unclear consumer interest and desires.
Each section of the volume fleshes out key issues and concepts of television and the Internet:
*Part I, "Infrastructure Implications of Internet TV," discusses questions about the required network capacity for various quality grades to deliver individualized broadband to homes.
*Part II, "Network Business Models and Strategies," addresses the business challenges of making Internet TV a financial success.
*Part III, "Policy," examines policy issues, including copyright and regulation.
*Part IV, "Content and Culture," reviews available content, thosecreating it, and how consumers view Internet TV content.
*Part V, "Future Impacts," considers future global prospects for Internet TV content creation and distribution.
"Internet Television" is an essential resource for professionals and scholars in new technology and media studies, media policy, telecommunication, broadcasting, and related areas. It is also appropriate for graduate seminars in telecommunications, media and new technologies, and broadcasting and the Internet.

This volume features contributions from a conference held in Lusaka, Zambia, to explore the role and prospects of broadband in Africa as a video platform with emphasis on the strategies and building blocks for deployment and advancement.

While it may seem that such networks and their applications are not a realistic scenario for developing countries, it would be short-sighted and economically dangerous to ignore the emerging trends. The pace of introduction of next-generation networks in industrialized countries is rapid and the developing world will not be able to stand aside.The risks of falling behind are great and in any country there will be elements of business and society who wish to forge ahead. Policymakers and network architects need to be prepared.Media companies and broadcasters, in particular, must be alert to the new developments as should be medical and educational institutions. The availability of advanced high-speed business application tools in a country will affect its participation in international transactions and its economic growth.

This volume features contributions from industry leaders, policymakers and scholars, representing a variety of perspectives, including technology and infrastructure management, economic development, marketing, education and health.The authors collectively discuss how broadband deployment as a platform with sufficient speed for video may be encouraged by public policy and regulation and how investment in broadband for this and related purposes can improve the quality of life and experience in Sub Saharan Africa in media and data, while being a financeable, commercially sound business."

Being a successful manager or entrepreneur in the media and digital sector requires creativity, innovation, and performance. It also requires an understanding of the principles and tools of management. Aimed at the college market, this book is a short, foundational volume on media management. It summarizes the major dimensions of a business school curriculum and applies them to the entire media, media-tech, and digital sector. Its chapters cover-in a jargonless, non-technical way-the major functions of management. First, creating a media product: the financing of projects, and the management of technology, HR, production operations, intellectual assets, and government relations. Second, harvesting the product created: market research, marketing, pricing, and distribution. And third, the control loop: media accounting and strategy planning. In the process, this book becomes an indispensable resource for those aiming for a career in the media and digital field, both in startups and established organizations. This book is designed to help those aiming to join the media and digital sector to become creative managers and managerial creatives. It aims to make them more knowledgeable, less blinded by hype, more effective, and more responsible.

Originally published in 1992 this book charts the global restructuring of telecommunications industries away from the monopoly structures of the past towards increased competition, deregulation and privatization. The book's authors are international policy-makers and scholars, who examine the regulatory environment within a theoretical and historical context. The book looks at the roots of regulatory and legislative changes by discussing individually the countries at the forefront of the revolution: the UK, France, Germany, Japan and the United States. It examines the impact of new technology for consequences of change in trade and government policies.

For almost a century, a relatively smooth cooperation characterized transatlantic communication; problems mostly involved technical compatibility and were resolved by technologists of the monopolistic telephone organizations on either side of the Atlantic. In recent years, however, the nature of international communications, its institutions, and its collaborative arrangements have radically changed. There now exists a great variety in the patterns of ownership and usage of telecommunications across different countries. This has led to a disequilibrium in the world telecommunications market that raises complex questions: Can evolving domestic deregulation be reconciled with an international regulatory regime? How does international trade regulation affect multinational governmental cooperation and private collaboration? Is competition viable in all sectors of the international telecommunications industry?

The proliferation of mobile media in recent years is an international phenomenon, with billions of devices sold annually. Mobile communications are now moving beyond individualized voice to mass media content--text, voice, sound, images, and even video. This will create new types of content that allow media companies and users to interact in new ways. There is a strong interest from the media and telecom industries in what manner of applications and content can be distributed in that fashion, and at what cost. To answer these questions, the book provides 18 chapters from internationally renowned authors. They identify likely types of content such as news, entertainment, peer-to-peer, and location-specific information; evaluate the economics, business models, and payment mechanisms necessary to support these media; and cover policy dimensions such as copyright, competitiveness, and access rights for content providers. This volume takes the reader through the various elements that need to be considered in the development of third generation (3G) content, and explains pitfalls and barriers. The result is a volume of interest to business professionals, academics, and policy makers. The book is international in focus and a glossary of terms is provided. There are few publications available which give an overview of this rapidly changing field.

The issue of costing and pricing in the telecommunications industry has been hotly debated for the last twenty years and we are still wrestling over the cost of the local exchange for access by interexchange and competitive local exchange carriers, as well as for universal service funding. With the advent of competition, the historical costing schemes had to change. Federal regulators wanted to ensure that monopoly rates did not subsidize competitive offerings. As a result, various costing methodologies were devised to allocate costs among the dominant carriers' services. The issue of costs can be summarized as two-fold: the quantitative determination of the level of costs and the proper attribution of those costs. Both are fraught with questions. The amount of costs, for instance, can vary from book costs to marginal costs. The attribution of costs can vary from those that are directly attributable to those that are joint and common. Hence, the need for costing theories and models. The industry is constantly in search of theories and models that more accurately reflect the underlying costs of service.It is in this light that the papers have been compiled for The New Investment Theory of Real Options in Telecommunications. Real options theory attempts to consider management's flexibility in valuation analysis and corrects the deficiencies of the traditional discounted present-value and decision tree analyses. This book sets forth an introduction and overview of the subject, and then provides the reader with a primer on real options. The volume highlights the controversies that surround the application of real options in the telecommunications industry; however, the editors have effectively separated the issues of application from those of interpretation.

Hardbound. The telecommunications industry is being transformed by contradictory forces: on the one hand, the trend toward global expansion by carriers, and on the other hand, fragmentation and entry in local communications. These transformations represent two sides of the same issue: a blurring of market boundaries created through technical innovation, policy liberalization, user initiatives and entrepreneurialism. The result is a complex web of overlapping network definitions, product and service markets, carrier types, technical standards, government policies, financial arrangements, and cooperative ventures. This volume discusses the complexities of these bi-polar forces and maps out the policy issues which need to be addressed today and in the future.

In recent years, billions of dollars (and euros, yen, and other currencies) have been spent by wireless services providers to acquire the radio frequency spectrum needed to offer so-called "Third Generation" (3G) mobile services. These services include high-speed data, mobile Internet access and entertainment such as games, music and video programs. Indeed, as voice communications are substituted by data communications, software -rather than terminals or networks- has become the driver of the wireless industry. Meanwhile, services are becoming increasingly specialized. Why has the road to multimedia cellular been so difficult? These benefits of the mobile Internet have come with the costs of a massive transition that has coincided with the bust of stock markets and the technology segments worldwide, controversial and costly license auctions in several lead markets, dated or mistaken regulatory policies, the clash between the early hype and the pioneering realities of the mobile Internet. But these are generalities that barely scratch the surface. The devil is in the details. And it is these details that Competition for the Mobile Internet addresses.

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks allow individuals to share digital content files in real time. They facilitate communication and promote community without hierarchy or strict control. This book applies economic principles to analyze and understand the P2P phenomenon. It also provides numerous contemporary examples from the US and around the world to shed light on the implications of P2P as a mass medium, considering such issues as pricing, licensing, security, and regulation.

Originally published in 1992 this book charts the global restructuring of telecommunications industries away from the monopoly structures of the past towards increased competition, deregulation and privatization. The book's authors are international policy-makers and scholars, who examine the regulatory environment within a theoretical and historical context. The book looks at the roots of regulatory and legislative changes by discussing individually the countries at the forefront of the revolution: the UK, France, Germany, Japan and the United States. It examines the impact of new technology for consequences of change in trade and government policies.

The concentration of private power over media has been the subject of intense public debate around the world. Critics have long feared waves of mergers creating a handful of large media firms that would hold sway over public opinion and endanger democracy and innovation. But others believe with equal fervor that the Internet and deregulation have opened the media landscape significantly. How concentrated has the American information sector really become? What are the facts about American media ownership? In this contentious environment, Eli Noam provides a comprehensive and balanced survey of media concentration with a methodical, scientific approach. He assembles a wealth of data from the last 25 years about mass media such as radio, television, film, music, and print publishing, as well as the Internet, telecommunications, and media-related information technology. After examining 100 separate media and network industries in detail, Noam provides a powerful summary and analysis of concentration trends across industries and major media sectors. He also looks at local media power, vertical concentration, and the changing nature of media ownership through financial institutions and private equity. The results reveal a reality much more complex than the one painted by advocates on either side of the debate. They show a dynamic system that fluctuates around long-term concentration trends driven by changing economics and technology. Media Ownership and Concentration in America will be essential reading and a trove of information for scholars and students in media, telecommunications, IT, economics, and the history of business, as well as media industry professionals, business researchers, and policy makers around the world. Critics and defenders of media trends alike will find much that confirms and refutes their world view. But the next round of their debate will be shaped by the facts presented in this book.

This comprehensive book examines the current state of telecommunications in the Pacific Basin. The focus is on the economic, regulatory, and social change caused by the technological evolution, marketplace developments and institutional reorganization. The overall analysis of the volume evolves around a multi-stage evolutionary model of public telecommunications networks. The first part consists of analytic articles on the evolution of telecommunication networks in the region, a comparison of deregulation policies in the different countries, and an analysis of public and private cooperation in international informatics. The second part reviews telecommunications systems in individual countries, including Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, and the United States.

This is an edited volume of chapters on the telecommunications of Africa. Each contributor addresses the complicated economic and policy issues of their country's telecommunications. Special attention is paid to telecommunications as a link in the chain of the regional development process.

Being a successful manager or entrepreneur in the media and digital sector requires creativity, innovation, and performance. It also requires an understanding of the principles and tools of management. Aimed at the college market, this book is a short, foundational volume on media management. It summarizes the major dimensions of a business school curriculum and applies them to the entire media, media-tech, and digital sector. Its chapters cover-in a jargonless, non-technical way-the major functions of management. First, creating a media product: the financing of projects, and the management of technology, HR, production operations, intellectual assets, and government relations. Second, harvesting the product created: market research, marketing, pricing, and distribution. And third, the control loop: media accounting and strategy planning. In the process, this book becomes an indispensable resource for those aiming for a career in the media and digital field, both in startups and established organizations. This book is designed to help those aiming to join the media and digital sector to become creative managers and managerial creatives. It aims to make them more knowledgeable, less blinded by hype, more effective, and more responsible.

Internet TV is the quintessential digital convergence medium, linking television, telecommunications, the Internet, computer applications, games, and more. Soon, venturing beyond the convenience of viewer choice and control, Internet TV will enable and encourage new types of entertainment, education, and games that take advantage of the Internet's interactive capabilities. What Internet TV is today and can be in the future forms the context for this book.
Arising from collaboration between the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information (CITI) and the European Institute for the Media (EIM), this volume investigates the advent of widely available individual broadband Internet communications and their impact on the development of Internet TV. Editors Eli Noam, Jo Groebel, and Darcy Gerbarg have collected seminal papers by leaders from the U.S. and European media and technology industries that offer a critical look at the impact of interactivity on television content, and address the need for media organizations to create interactive programming in this untapped realm with unclear consumer interest and desires.
Each section of the volume fleshes out key issues and concepts of television and the Internet:
*Part I, "Infrastructure Implications of Internet TV," discusses questions about the required network capacity for various quality grades to deliver individualized broadband to homes.
*Part II, "Network Business Models and Strategies," addresses the business challenges of making Internet TV a financial success.
*Part III, "Policy," examines policy issues, including copyright and regulation.
*Part IV, "Content and Culture," reviews available content, thosecreating it, and how consumers view Internet TV content.
*Part V, "Future Impacts," considers future global prospects for Internet TV content creation and distribution.
"Internet Television" is an essential resource for professionals and scholars in new technology and media studies, media policy, telecommunication, broadcasting, and related areas. It is also appropriate for graduate seminars in telecommunications, media and new technologies, and broadcasting and the Internet.