LIRNEasia

In 2007, Google filed a proposal, which was partially accepted by the FCC, to let companies allocate radio spectrum using the same kind of real-time auction that the search engine company now uses to sell advertisements. These implications need to be examined for developing countries.

Currently, different business models in use in different countries result in greater or lesser restrictions on what customers can do with their handsets and service choices. For example, Asian operators do not usually apply SIM locks and restrictive long-term contracts like their counterparts in Europe and North America respectively, but rarely allow roaming on the networks of competitors and the use of services that are not supplied by the principal operator. The Google challenge to conventional thinking has opened up inquiry into the possibilities of breaching the different forms of walled gardens erected by operators.

The research will seek to identify different models of frequency use and will compare the positive and negative aspects.