Economic Implications of New Technologies for Licensed and Unlicensed Spectrum

John Conley

No 19-00011, Vanderbilt University Department of Economics Working Papers from Vanderbilt University Department of Economics

Abstract: Rapid changes in technology create challenges and opportunities for spectrum regulators. Enabling connectivity and maximizing the value of the very finite amount of bandwidth available will play an increasingly important role in the country's economic development and innovative potential. In this paper, we attempt to clarify the nature of spectrum as an economic resource. We show how and why there will be market failure, and how the tools available to regulators might best be deployed in response. We consider the spectrum needs of emerging technologies and how judicious choices of protocols, regulations, market structures might help satisfy them. In particular, we focus on factors that make licensed or unlicensed approaches the best choice for different use cases. Finally, we discuss the similarities between wireless and wired broadband and what this suggest about net neutrality and market structure in the appendix.

Keywords: Licensed and Unlicensed Spectrum; Spectrum Allocation; 802.11; WiFi; LTE; LTE-u; Net Neutrality; IoT; Cognitive Radio; Communications Protocols; Public Goods; Externalities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H4 L8 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019-08-16
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ict
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:van:wpaper:vuecon-sub-19-00013

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