A case study in the deployment of digital access technologies : DSL vs. cable modems
Name
43429753-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
5.98 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
242486b619ec91513767aa9153b40429
Author(s)
Wolfeld, Bruce R., 1963-
Advisor(s)
John de Figueiredo.
Alternative Title
Factors affecting the development rate of new telecommunication technologies
Date Issued
1999
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
From its start in the early 1900's, the communications business has been a regulated industry with little or no competition. The economic incentives to deploy new technological innovations were often overshadowed by the regulatory environment and a lack of competitive pressures. The 1982 divestiture of AT&T successfully created competition in the long distance market, however the local access market continued to operate as regulated monopoly. As the primary access point between users and the telecommunications network, the local access providers have extracted significant value from the telecommunications market. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 (T A96) was designed to open up the local access market to competition. The incumbent suppliers were required to enable competition by making their assets available to competitors. At the same time, Internet data transport was becoming the dominant telecommunications revenue source and new technologies that offered high-speed Internet access were becoming available. This thesis demonstrates that the three types of competitors defined by TA96 have evolved different strategies for maximizing the value that they can capture from the telecommunications market. By applying a case study for Cable Modems and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) modems, it is shown that the economic incentives to deploy new technologies are not necessarily aligned with the needs of the telecommunications consumer.
Description
Thesis (S.M.M.O.T.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Management of Technology Program, 1999.
Includes bibliographical references.
Subjects
Sloan School of Management
MIT Department
Sloan School of Management
Terms of Use
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