AØKA08080U Telecommunications Economics

Volume 2016/2017
Education

BSc programme in Economics -elective from the 2.year 

MSc programme in Economics – elective course

Content

In the course the following issues will be presented:

  • Supply and demand of telecommunication services: Fixed and mobile telephony, Internet, Cable TV, satellites etc.

  • The broadband society. Telecommunication policy and relationships between the telecommunication sector, the rest of the economy and the general society. Relationships with IT and media. EU policy. Public/private cooperation.

  • Prices, costs and investments. Interconnection and competition in the sector. Business structure (vertical and horizontal mergers, globalization).

  • Network economics.

  • Development of the Internet, E-trade, Clouds, IPv4=>IPv6 etc. Network neutrality. Governance of the Internet.

  • Regulatory policy. Prices for interconnect. Cost models (LRAIC etc.). Universal Service Obligations.

  • Spectrum auctions.
Learning Outcome

After completing the course, the student should be able to:

Knowledge:

  • Have knowledge of all the relevant concepts and factual items regarding the questions raised and of the relationships between these.

  • Have knowledge of the main economic and technical concepts and items used in the ICT sectors (ICT=Information and Communication Technology), especially for telecommunication, the Internet and supply of radio and TV channels.

  • Have knowledge of the main trends and relationships in the ICT sectors regarding demand, supply, prices, market players, technical solutions, regulation etc.

Skills:

  • Design an analysis to give a thoroughly description of the problem and find possible solutions to the questions raised.

  • Give a survey of the relevant economic issues regarding the questions raised and explain constraints and uncertainties in the presented solutions, often in the form of trade-offs between different objectives.

Competencies:

  • Use the concepts and knowledge of the relationships to make analyses of major issues in the ICT sectors, as an employee at the regulator or at an operator/a player in the ICTsectors.

  • Relate the issues in the ICT sectors to general economic theory.

 

Spulber and Yoo: "Networks in Telecommunications". Cambridge, University Press, 2009. Page 13 – 151. 139 pages. http:/​/​ep.fjernadgang.kb.dk/​login?url=http:/​/​dx.doi.org/​10.1017/​CBO9780511811883 (use the link ‘read pdf’).

Kelly and Rossotto: "Broadband Strategies Handbook". The World Bank and infoDev, 2012. Page 1 – 87 and 195 – 243. Total 136 pages. http:/​/​broadbandtoolkit.org/​Custom/​Core/​Documents/​Broadband%20Strategies%20Handbook.pdf

Blackman and Srivastava: "Telecommunications Regulation Handbook – Tenth Anniversary Edition!". The World Bank and infoDev, 2011. Ch. 1 + 2 (page 3 – 59), section 3.4.1 (page 66), section 3.4.6 (page 72-75), section 3.7.2 (page 85-86), section 3.8 (page 86-89), ch. 4.1 - 4.4 (page 93 – 107), ch. 4.6 (111 – 115), and ch. 5 -7 (page 119 – 223). Total 192 pages.

http:/​/​www.infodev.org/​en/​Publication.1057.html

In addition to this a number of Articles which can be seen on the website of the course.

No requirements of learing from specific other courses. But a general knowledge of economic theory is recommended.
Schedule:

The course consists of 2 hours of classes (lectures) every week and 2x2 hours every second week for 14 weeks.
Timetable and venue:
To see the time and location of classroom please press the link under "Se skema" (See schedule) at the right side of this page (16E means Autumn 2016).

You can find the similar information partly in English at
https:/​/​skema.ku.dk/​ku1617/​uk/​module.htm
-Select Department: “2200-Økonomisk Institut” (and wait for respond)
-Select Module:: “2200-E16; [Name of course]””
-Select Report Type: List
-Select Period: “Efterrår/Autumn – Weeks 30-3”
Press: “ View Timetable”
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Exam
  • 3
  • Lectures
  • 42
  • Preparation
  • 161
  • Total
  • 206
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written examination, 3 hours under invigilation
Individual written closed book exam at the computers of Copenhagen University.
The exam assignment is given in English and can be answered in English or in Danish. Language must be chosen at the course registration.
Exam registration requirements

No requirements.

Aid
Without aids
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
20 % censorship
Exam period

The exam takes place December 22, 2016 in the morning at Peter Bangs Vej 36. 2000 Frederiksberg http:/​/​pc-eksamen.ku.dk/​pc_exam. The exact time of the exam will be informed in the Self-Service at KUnet.

For enrolled students more information about examination, exam/re-sit, rules etc. is available at the student intranet for Examination (English),student intranet for Examination (KA-Danish) and student intranet for Examination (BA-Danish).

Re-exam

The written re-exam takes place February 8, 2017 at Peter Bangs Vej 36. 2000 Frederiksberg http:/​/​pc-eksamen.ku.dk/​pc_exam The exact time of the exam will be informed in the Self-Service at KUnet.

If only a few students have registered for the re-exam, the exam might change to an oral exam including the date for the exam, which will be informed  by the Examination Office.

 

Criteria for exam assesment

Students are assessed on the extent to which they master the learning outcome for the course.

To receive the top grade, the student must be able to demonstrate in an excellent manner that he or she has acquired and can make use of the knowledge, skills and competencies listed in the learning outcomes.

To pass the examination the student shall demonstrate knowledge, skills and competencies of:

  • the most important concepts and factual items that are relevant for answering the questions raised

  • the most relevant trends and relationships in the ICT sectors

  • the possibilities and limitations of the use of relevant economic analyses.

Acceptance of a limited amount of small and medium failures in the analysis presented, but normally no major failures can be accepted.