Implications of next generation satellites

The next generation of low-earth-orbit satellites being launched by SpaceX and others could have multiple implications for telecoms, providing low latency ubiquitous broadband and space-based IoT. This short note discusses these issues.

Indicative pricing for broadcast spectrum

Kip Meek and Robert Kenny were commissioned by the Australian Government's Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy to write a report providing an indicative valuation of the spectrum used by that country's commercial TV and radio broadbasters.

Informing the UK - the role of the news in the digital world

Robin Foster has authored a report, commissioned by ITV, on the the future of the news media and the role of television news.

You can download the report here.

International online news consumption

In this paper we examine patterns of international online news consumption, looking at key differences between countries and at which organisations have been successful in building a cross-border presence. Key conclusions are:

• The news sites in the world with the largest reach are predominantly online-only sites
• However, in most individual countries most of the leading news sites are newspapers. The US, China, Brazil and Russia are key exceptions
• Few sites have significant cross-border reach, at least in the largest internet markets. Yahoo and the BBC (and likely Google News) are key exceptions

You can download the paper here.

Interoperability of messaging apps

Mandatory interoperability for messaging apps has been floated as a possible pro-competition intervention. However, mandatory interoperability is an intrusive intervention which should only be imposed following careful appraisal. There are a diverse range of competing messaging applications in addition to basic interoperable telephony services, and consumers and businesses value the diversity of applications. An interoperability mandate for messaging would risk harm in terms of reduced diversity, innovation, security and privacy. These potential trade-offs should be evaluated before steps are taken to mandate interoperability for messaging apps.

This paper by Brian Williamson considers these issues in more detail.