Editorial: Expanding the Digital Economy

This editorial comes in two parts: some remarks on barriers to the further expansion of the digital economy; and a brief introduction to the papers in this issue.

Predictions from an Empirical Study in the Turkish Mobile Telecommunications Market on the Determinants of Mobile Customer Churn

Acquiring new customers compared to holding the existing ones is costlier and more troublesome for businesses, so customer retention is of great importance in today's intensely competitive environment. It is crucial in customer relations management to identify and analyse customers whose loyalty decreases and who tend to leave, and prevent churn through various methods under resource constraints. This issue is especially prominent in the mobile communication market. This paper uses a binomial logit model based on a survey with 637 mobile users in Turkey to determine the factors affecting customer churn and how they find their effect. Results indicate that, among various factors, network quality, billing, tariff level, tariff plan, and education level are the determinants affecting customer churn and associated with the intention to switch. Our findings demonstrate implications for both managers and rule-makers in the mobile telecommunications sector.

Assessing Australia’s Progress Towards a National Broadband Strategy at December 2021

This paper is based on a report by the TelSoc Broadband Futures Group in which Australia’s progress during 2021 towards a National Broadband Strategy is assessed against the criteria set out in Towards a National Broadband Strategy for Australia: 2020-2030, a report prepared by TelSoc in November 2020. The Journal publishes this assessment of progress as a Special Interest Paper. The Assessment shows that there has been some, albeit limited, progress towards a National Broadband Strategy, including in various Australian Government statements about the development of the digital economy and its expectations of NBN Co in the provision of fixed broadband access services nationally.

Revisiting the Power Co-ordination Challenges of the Original Snowy Mountains Scheme

The Snowy Mountains Scheme (1949–1972) was an Australian hydro-electricity generation triumph. However, the power co-ordination challenges were significant before the invention of fibre optic cable, as this historic paper from June 1964 attests.

Broadband Futures Forum: Affordability of Broadband Services

On 25 August 2021, TelSoc hosted the ninth Broadband Futures Forum, held online, to discuss the affordability of broadband services in Australia. A panel of four speakers, drawn from broadband providers and social policy advocates, outlined their experiences with affordability and digital inclusion. Discussion following the speeches ranged over the topics of a broad social policy response, the definition of affordability in relation to financial hardship, the provision of public Wi-Fi, and the availability of suitable devices.

Predictive Algorithm for Handover Decisions between LTE and LTE-A Networks

A heterogeneous wireless network needs to maintain seamless mobility and service continuity; for this reason, we have proposed an approach based on the combination of particle swarm optimization (PSO) and an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) to forecast a handover during a movement of a mobile terminal from a serving base station to target base station. Additionally, the handover decision is made by considering several parameters, such as peak data rate, latency, packet loss, and power consumption, to select the best network for handover from an LTE to an LTE-A network. The performance efficiency of the new hybrid approach is determined by computing different statistical parameters, such as root mean square error (RMSE), coefficient of determination (R2), mean square error (MSE), and error standard deviation (StD). The execution of the proposed approach has been performed using MATLAB software. The simulation results show that the hybrid PSO-ANFIS model has better performance than other approaches in terms of prediction accuracy and reduction of handover latency and the power consumption in the network.

State Control by Stealth in the Big Data Era – From WeChat to the Social Credit System in China

This paper begins with a brief study on the development of the Chinese all-in-one app, WeChat, explaining how WeChat secured its popularity as the multi-functional ubiquitous mobile app in China. By using WeChat as an example, this paper further studies how the Social Credit System (SCS) in China was established out of collaboration between the Chinese government and eight entrusted private companies. This paper then analyses and evaluates the SCS from a socio-legal perspective, focusing on two key implications: the opaque algorithms and the potential abuse of power. The paper argues that the SCS needs to first gain trust from Chinese citizens. A starting point would be immediate action to standardise and reduce the opacity of the prototype. To enhance the longevity and effectiveness of the SCS, developing a legal framework to prohibit potential information misuse by the State and the entrusted companies is crucial: it needs to be put in place sooner rather than later. In constructing the much-needed legal framework, developing privacy laws is certainly a core step, but the framework needs more than just privacy laws. One crucial safeguard is the requirement for an independent tribunal or ombudsman to deal with credit-related complaints fairly and efficiently.

Factors Determining the Use and Acceptance of Mobile Banking in Colombia

The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors that influence the acceptance and use of mobile banking among users in Medellín (Colombia). The factors we propose are built upon on seven constructs (customer service and support, perceived attitude, perceived usefulness, ease of use, perceived trust, intention to use, and perceived security), which were developed based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the literature. We collected the data from 220 questionnaires self-administered by mobile banking users in Medellín. Subsequently, we conducted a confirmatory factor analysis to determine the correlation between the set of observed variables and the constructs defined in the proposed acceptance model. We empirically conclude that the use of mobile banking among the population under study is mainly influenced by users’ perceived usefulness, perceived trust, and ease of use. The results show a strong correlation between perceived trust and perceived security and between perceived usefulness and intention to use.

Determinants Affecting the Adoption of E-commerce and Its Impact on Organisational Performance of SMEs in Sri Lanka

The Internet has become the best innovative driver in the fourth industrial revolution, transforming businesses into a technological era with speed and cost-effectiveness. E-commerce is one of the modern business strategies used by many companies to expand their market without limiting its geographical boundaries. This business strategy was initially used by companies in developed countries and eventually adopted by developing countries. Sri Lanka is a developing country and e-commerce penetration is far below other countries in the region. Perceived benefits, transformational leadership, and competitive pressure are the influencing factors of e-commerce adoption. The Technology-Organization-Environment and Diffusion of Innovations theories were used as the base of this research, and 350 samples were collected from the senior managers of SMEs. All factors significantly influenced e-commerce adoption and that positively affected the organisational performance of SMEs in Sri Lanka.

Evolution of Digital Capital in Organizations: A Quantitative Assessment

This study analyzed the evolution of resources in organizations towards digital capital using the example of Russia, by analyzing data on the development of technological infrastructure. It concluded that, over the past decade, there were moderately favourable conditions in terms of technological orientation in the Russian Federation. However, only a third of Russian organizations have mastered digital transformation in the context of digital interaction in the online environment using relatively simple information technologies. At the same time, a downward trend was noted for the pace of digitization of business processes and management decisions through dedicated software, reducing the global competitiveness of such organizations. The quantitative assessment of the evolution of digital resources demonstrated that Russian organizations have only a basic level of mastery of digital technologies, with some additional capabilities. This level is characterized by the use of relatively simple digital technologies and standard software. Thus, Russian economic entities in almost all areas use information and communication technology as a component of digital capital for the production of added value, but within limited professional competencies. The study results can be used by organizations’ management for meso-level research and by policymakers for evaluating the digital economy.