ESPON 1.2.2 Telecommunications Services

and Networks (TN&S)

Presentation to 3rd ESPON Seminar

Matera, Italy 6-7 October 2003

Key spatial trends in Europe• Patterns are complex, different technologies show different

patterns• At European level: north-south and east-west divides are

apparent, but some exceptions and there is a degree of ‘catch up’ for some technologies (notably mobile)

• Within Countries:– Largest cities are generally more advanced than rest of country – Urban-rural divides are evident and appear not to be declining – but

true of all countries?• If left to market densely populated and prosperous places are

targeted first, some places perhaps not at all – pop density, gdp, profitability

Internet users per 10,000 inhabitants 2001

Level of household access to Internet by degree of urbanisation

Proportion of population subscribing to broadband (DSL and Cable Modem) in European Countries, 2002

Number of broadband subscribers (DSL and cable modem) per 100 of population

Broadband availability in Finland by population density (NUTS 4)

The number of broadband technologies available across the UK

Key policy questions

• The market clearly favours densely populated and more prosperous regions, but is there a digital lag or a lasting digital gap?

• What is the appropriate form of intervention– Is infrastructure investment the answer – return to STAR– Which technologies and which actors to support? Possibility

of creating path dependency through intervention? – What is appropriate time span of intervention? Does a

dynamic infrastructure = perpetual intervention as peripheral regions run to stand still?

– What is the appropriate spatial scale for intervention? May not only be required in peripheral regions and whole of a peripheral region may not require it

Outline of preliminary policy options• Changing competitive and regulatory environment

– Stimulating competition at the local level– Amending USD– Removing ‘spatial blinkers’ from regulator

• Aggregation of regional telecoms procurement– public authority demand aggregation– private sector demand aggregation

• Stimulating or building telecoms networks, e.g.,– Direct subsidy to telco (competitive tender)– Public-private partnership– Public sector ‘construction’ of network

• Demand stimulation, e.g.,– E-government, awareness raising, advice to SMEs, creation of relevant content etc.

• Establishing greater knowledge symmetry between public and private sectors

Challenges for next phase• Building on our analysis to date• Accessing data• Further testing, confirming, nuancing our

findings• Interegating relevant findings of other TPGs

and further interpretation of our findings in the light of conceptual developments in ESPON

• Resource challenge

Key tasks for next phase• Reviewing relevant concepts and typologies

Integrating new secondary data• INRA, Eurostat Survey on Enterprise ICT

usage, Eeurope benchmarking • Enhancing our models• Using ‘targeted’ approach to case studies to

complement our quantitative data• Contributing to ESPON Common Platform