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PurposeThis study aims to explore the telecom regulations and telecom reforms of different countries in the context of consumer complaints and grievance handling. The telecom dispute resolution mechanisms of countries such as Australia, the USA, the UK and India are studied. This qualitative research is carried out for the three major telecom markets: Australia, the USA and India.Design/methodology/approachHere, research is conducted in two stages. In the first stage, the telecom policies of the major telecom markets, their ombudsman policies and consumer grievance redressal mechanisms are studied. In the second stage, the qualitative analysis of the three telecom markets, Australia, the USA and India, is conducted through in-depth interviews, the questionnaire method for telecom customers and secondary research.FindingsTelecom customer satisfaction is significantly higher in countries with the telecom ombudsman as a system of telecom governance redressal. This study dedicates significant importance to the distinctiveness of the grievance resolution systems in different countries and suggests recommendations for improving the mechanisms. The recommendations given in the research study emerge as the output of interviewing telecom experts, academicians and researchers and court judges.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has partial limitations as primary research was carried out only in selected countries with limited participants.Practical implicationsThis study is useful for policymakers, regulators and think tanks in the telecommunications sector.Social implicationsThe resolution of individual customer grievances is significant to the telecom industry and all participants. A well-oiled grievance redressal system enhances the trust among the service users and aids in the industry’s growth. Further practical assessment of redressal offered by different telecom operators can be used for benchmarking, and it can create an onus on telecom operators for timely and adequate redressal of consumer complaints. In certain countries with a well-developed alternate dispute resolution (ADR) mechanism, the service offerings of telecom operators and the quality of services are deemed to be better than those without such an ADR. The research aims to bring in the positives of ADR systems from specific telecom markets and suggest the effectiveness of such ADR for countries such as India, which has over 1.17billion active subscribers. This research aims to aid responsive communication with telecom consumers in the overall telecom industry, which can bolster telecom consumers’ confidence and help the industry grow sustainably. Discussing perspectives on telecom dispute resolution in various conferences and discussing use-cases of innovative dispute settlements can act as stimuli in this space. As ADR procedures are conducted in the shadow of the law, a dispute resolution framework must have a buy-in from the government, telecom experts, the judiciary and private telecom stakeholders. This can only help achieve a framework that can reap the benefits of various ADR/ODR processes facilitating better access to justice, including cost-effectiveness, swiftness, a broader reach for dispute resolution and improved efficiency of dispute resolution.Originality/valuePrevious studies have focused on the study of telecom reforms and mechanisms in a particular country and there was a limited comparison with other countries’ mechanisms. Also, there has been minimal research in this area in recent years. This paper contributes to analyzing the effectiveness of the telecom ombudsman framework in Australia, the USA, the UK and India. It also studies the reforms and consumer grievance-handling mechanisms in a few other countries. It also gives well-researched recommendations for improving the consumer grievance resolution system.

The emergence of 5G-IoT opens up unprecedented connectivity possibilities for new service use cases and players. Multi-access edge computing (MEC) is a crucial technology and enabler for Beyond 5G, supporting next-generation communications with service guarantees (e.g., ultra-low latency, high security) from an end-to-end (E2E) perspective. On the other hand, one notable advance is the platform that supports virtualization from RAN to applications. Deploying Radio Access Networks (RAN) and MEC, including third-party applications on virtualization platforms, and renting other equipment from legacy telecom operators will make it easier for new telecom operators, called Private/Local Telecom Operators, to join the ecosystem. Our preliminary studies have discussed the ecosystem for private and local telecom operators regarding business potential and revenue and provided numerical results. What remains is how Private/Local Telecom Operators can manage and deploy their MEC applications. In this paper, we designed the architecture for fully virtualized MEC 5G cellular networks with local use cases (e.g., stadiums, campuses). We propose an MEC/Cloud Orchestrator implementation for intelligent deployment selection. In addition, we provide implementation schemes in several cases held by either existing cloud owners or private and local operators. In order to verify the proposal’s feasibility, we designed the system level in E2E and constructed a Beyond 5G testbed at the Ōokayama Campus of the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Through proof-of-concept in the outdoor field, the proposed system’s feasibility is verified by E2E performance evaluation. The verification results prove that the proposed approach can reduce latency and provide a more stable throughput than conventional cloud services.

A revolution in wireless communication began in the first decade of the 20th century with the pioneering developments in radio communications by Guglielmo Marconi, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1909. Other highly notable pioneering inventors and developers in the field of electrical and electronic telecommunications include Charles Wheatstone and Samuel Morse (telegraph), Alexander Graham Bell (telephone), Edwin Armstrong, and Lee de Forest(radio), as well as Vladimir K. Zworykin, John Logie Baird and Philo Farnsworth (television). In this paper we have discuss about the services and the quality with basic comparison between the different telecom companies. Numbers of telecom companies providing telecom services in Saudi Arabia which includes fixed and cellular phones as well as internet and issues relating to the provision of other services. Main telecom companies in Saudi Arabia are: STC, Mobily, Zain, ITC, GO Telecom (Etihad Atheeb Telecom), Bayanat and Arab Satellite Communications Organization. Saudi Telecom Company (STC) is the first company in Saudi Arabia, and then allowed Communications Commission to compete with other companies in Saudi Arabia and then it becomes a number one of telecom companies. In Saudi Arabia five companies are in competition: STC Mobile: STC includes landlines, mobile, mobile (phone) and Sawa; ITC (Integrated Telecom Company): second operator after STC and offers internet, broadband, connectivity and satellite services for businesses, consumers and wholesale; Mobily: It provide mobile and internet Fabraupetk (Fiber Optic) New Ground; Zain: its provide only mobile services; GO ATHEEB: A Saudi modern, with an Internet connection line is similar to Ground.

At a time of rapid technological advancements in every field, Pakistan must develop a comprehensive strategy for harnessing science and technology to promote economic growth on a sustained basis. In recent decades, successful economies have moved away from factor accumulation models of economic growth to productivity led growth that is underpinned by technological advancements and innovations. Using the endogenous growth theory as a framework of analysis, the paper will provide a macroeconomic perspective on the importance of technology and innovation for sustainable economic growth. We argue that public policy must be geared to generate robust growth by encouraging investment in research and development (R&D) and human capital. The paper will conceptualize the role of technology in the process of economic growth and identify policy areas that can be instrumental in promoting technological modernization and innovations.

This paper presents a complete mathematical design of the main components of 2 kW, 54 direct current (DC)–DC converter stage, which can be used as the second stage of the two stages of alternating current (AC)–DC telecom power supply. In this paper, a simple inrush current controlling circuit to eliminate the high inrush current, which is generated due to high input capacitor at the input side of the DC–DC converter, is proposed, designed, and briefly discussed. The proposed circuit is very easy to implement in the lab using a single metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) switch and some small passive elements. PSIM simulation has been used to test the power supply performance using the value of the designed components. Furthermore, the experimental setup of the designed power supply with inrush current control is built in the lab to show the practical performance of the designed power supply and to test the reliability of the proposed inrush current mitigation circuit to eliminate the high inrush current at initial power application to the power supply circuit. DC–DC power supply with phase shift zero voltage switching (ZVS) technique is chosen and designed due to its availability to achieve ZVS over the full load range at the primary side of the power supply, which reduces switching losses and offers high conversion efficiency. High power density DC–DC converter stage with smooth current startup operation, full load efficiency over 95%, and better voltage regulation is achieved in this work.

In January 2017, Vittorio Colao, the Vodafone Group CEO, and Kumar Mangalam Birla, the chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, announced a merger to form Vodafone Idea. The merger was expected to create a successful telecom company with the largest market share. Contrary to expectations, the merged entity kept struggling on various non-financial and financial business fronts. The current case discusses the motives for the merger, expected synergies, post-merger challenges and financial performance of the combined entity. The case presents the potential future strategies and a dilemma about the prospects of survival and growth of the newly created entity “Vi”.

Purpose: The research aimed to examine the impact of tactical planning on the performance of mobile service providers in Nigeria.   Theoretical Framework: The theoretical framework employed in this research is rooted in the Resource-Based View (RBV) Theory. RBV offers a comprehensive framework for understanding how operational planning influences the performance of mobile service providers by aligning internal resources with external market conditions and contributing to sustained competitive advantage.   Design/Methodology/Approach: Employing a survey research design, the study utilized a multistage sampling technique to gather primary data from a sample of 350 randomly chosen employees representing the workforce of the four major mobile network operators in Nigeria—MTN, Globacom, Airtel, and 9Mobile—comprising the study's target population.   Findings: The result of the regression analysis established a positive and statistically significant (p<0.05) relationship between tactical planning and business growth in Nigeria's mobile communication sector. Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that tactical planning is a substantial contributor to business growth in the telecom sector in Nigeria.   Research, Practical & Social Implications: The study suggests that Nigerian mobile service providers should invest in refining their tactical planning processes, regularly assess their strategies, foster a culture of continuous improvement, engage in employee training, collaborate with industry peers, and stay updated with technological advancements. Companies should invest in comprehensive training programs and knowledge-sharing initiatives to build the strategic capabilities of their teams, ensuring a more effective implementation of tactical plans.   Originality/Value: The findings of this study are likely to have practical implications for mobile service providers, informing their tactical strategies and decision-making processes for improved performance and competitiveness in the Nigerian market.

Quantum key distribution (QKD) is one quantum technology that can provide secure encryption keys for data transmission. The secret key rate (SKR) is a core performance indicator in QKD, which directly determines the transmission rate of enciphered data. Here, for the first time, we demonstrate a high-key-rate Gaussian-modulated continuous-variable QKD (CV-QKD) using telecom optical components. The framework of CV-QKD over these components is constructed. Specifically, the high-rate low-noise Gaussian modulation of coherent states is realized by a classical optical IQ modulator. High-baud low-intensity quantum signals are received by an integrated coherent receiver under the shot-noise limit. A series of digital signal processing algorithms are proposed to achieve accurate signal recovery and key distillation. The system can yield a high asymptotic SKR of 10.37 Mbps within 20 km standard telecom fiber, and the secure distance can exceed 100 km. This result confirms the feasibility of CV-QKD with state-of-the-art performance using telecom optical components. Besides, due to the ease of integrating these discrete components, it provides a high-performance and miniaturized QKD solution for the metropolitan quantum network.

Purpose This study aims to extend the body of knowledge on brand hate and further examine its significant antecedents and consequences to investigate how brand hate affects consumers’ behavioural responses. Design/methodology/approach This study used a questionnaire to collect data from 403 consumers of Pakistan’s mobile telecommunication industry. Smart partial least square was then used to analyse the data. Findings This study provides insights into the conception of brand hate in the context of Pakistani consumers. This study’s findings indicate that “neuroticism”, as a consumer-related antecedent, “perceived price unfairness”, “poor product/service quality” and “post-purchase service failures” as company-controlled determinants have significant impacts on brand hate. This, in turn, leads to brand avoidance and brand retaliation. Managerial implications and avenues for future research are also discussed. This study provides insights into the conception of brand hate in the context of Pakistani consumers. Originality/value The original findings of this work can thus provide meaningful guidance for companies to mitigate the spread of brand hate among consumers.

Abstract Building barriers to lock in customers and improving the affective customer experience are two key strategies employed by firms to enhance customer retention. Although pursuing the same goal, these strategies work differently: the former relies more on a calculative, cost–benefit approach to the exchange, while the latter promotes affective aspects of the relationship. Integrating experiential learning theory with social exchange theory, we provide a conceptual framework to understand the impact of lock-in and affective customer experience on customer retention, and the moderating role of relationship depth. Using a comprehensive data set for a sample of 13,761 customers covering all firms in one telecom market for two different services, we empirically test the framework via multinomial logit modeling. The results offer novel insights into the interplay between the two strategies. For poor affective customer experience (i.e., a score below five on a 0–10 scale), lock-in helps firms reduce customer churn (between 49.03% and 47.86%). However, the impact of lock-in decreases when affective customer experience improves and turns to be insignificant once the experience reaches the “acceptable level” (i.e., a score above seven on a 0–10 scale). Importantly, the separate and joint effects of the two strategies are stronger when there is a low relationship depth, and weaker when heavy relationships are established. The findings offer useful practical advice to manage these strategies in an efficient and optimal way.