License-Exempt Wireless Policy: Results of an African Survey

Neto, Isabel; Best, Michael L.; Gillett, Sharon E.

Title:

License-Exempt Wireless Policy: Results of an African Survey

dc.contributor.author	Neto, Isabel	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Best, Michael L.	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Gillett, Sharon E.	en_US
dc.contributor.corporatename	Georgia Institute of Technology. School of International Affairs	en_US
dc.contributor.corporatename	Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Technology, Policy, and Industrial Development	en_US
dc.contributor.corporatename	World Bank. Global ICT Dept.	en_US
dc.date.accessioned	2013-07-29T19:43:41Z
dc.date.available	2013-07-29T19:43:41Z
dc.date.issued	2005
dc.description	© Publisher's [all ITID content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License : For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work.]	en_US
dc.description.abstract	New radio technologies and public policies have, in many countries, allowed transmission on specific frequencies by individuals without a license. These license-exempt, or “unlicensed,” bands (including 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz in the United States and much of Europe) are increasingly used for data and voice communications through technologies such as Wi-Fi. We surveyed all African countries on the regulation and use of these bands to assess the implications of unlicensed wireless for telecommunications and Internet development in Africa. Responses from differing country informants, though mostly from regulators, were received from nearly every country on the continent. Responses showed significant policy diversity across countries, with wide variation observed in licensing and equipment certification requirements, enforcement, and restrictions on power output, range, and service offerings. We argue that this regulatory diversity across the continent inhibits economies of scale and may discourage large entrants. Furthermore, lack of clarity and enforcement discourages innovation and small entrepreneurs.	en_US
dc.embargo.terms	null	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Neto, I., Best, M. L., & Gillet, S. E. (2005). License-Exempt Wireless Policy: Results of an African Survey. Information Technologies and International Development, 2(3), 73-90.	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1544-7529
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/1853/48565
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US
dc.publisher	Georgia Institute of Technology	en_US
dc.publisher.original	University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism	en_US
dc.subject	Technology	en_US
dc.subject	Public Policy	en_US
dc.subject	License	en_US
dc.subject	Africa	en_US
dc.subject	Wireless	en_US
dc.subject	Policy	en_US
dc.subject	Regulation	en_US
dc.title	License-Exempt Wireless Policy: Results of an African Survey	en_US
dc.type	Text
dc.type.genre	Article
dspace.entity.type	Publication
local.contributor.author	Best, Michael L.
local.contributor.corporatename	College of Computing
local.contributor.corporatename	School of Interactive Computing
local.contributor.corporatename	Sam Nunn School of International Affairs
local.contributor.corporatename	Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts
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