1. Rural Connectivity Through WiFi: Regulatory Challenges and Opportunities in Southern Africa.
- Author
-
van Gorp, Annemijn and Morris, Chris
- Subjects
DEVELOPING countries ,ENTREPRENEURSHIP ,MARKET share ,MARKETING strategy ,SOCIOECONOMICS - Abstract
Many studies have reported on the successful deployment of WiFi networks in developing countries, due to their stimulating effect on socioeconomic development. WiFi has become known as a particularly 'promising' solution for providing rural access, as its relatively low cost investments allow local entrepreneurs to set up networks. However, in many developing countries, regulatory constraints have been found to impede market entry. In this study we analyze for three countries in Southern Africa how regulatory restrictions and licensing application procedures affect market entrance. While prior studies have frequently pointed at licensing as posing the major regulatory constraint, we find that actually transparency of regulation and information provision on licensing requirements provide the major challenge to market entrants. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2007