AØKA08080U Telecommunications Economics

Volume 2017/2018
Education

MSc programme in Economics – elective course

Bacheloruddannelsen i økonomi – valgfag

The Danish BSc 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:
2 hours lectures 1 to 2 times a week from week 36 to 50 (except week 42).

The overall schema for the BA can be seen at https:/​/​intranet.ku.dk/​polit_ba/​undervisning/​Lektionsplan-E17/​skemaer/​Sider/​default.aspx
or for the Master https:/​/​intranet.ku.dk/​economics_ma/​courses/​CourseCatalogue-E17/​Courseschema/​Pages/​default.aspx

Timetable and venue:
To see the time and location of lectures and exercise classes please press the link under "Se skema" (See schedule) at the right side of this page. E means Autumn.

You can find the similar information partly in English at
https:/​​​​/​​​​skema.ku.dk/​​​​ku1718/​​​​uk/​​​​module.htm
-Select Department: “2200-Økonomisk Institut” (and wait for respond)
-Select Module:: “2200-E17; [Name of course]””
-Select Report Type: “List – Weekdays”
-Select Period: “Efterår/Autumn – Weeks 31-5”
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 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 or exam registration.
Exam registration requirements

No requirements.

Aid
Without aids
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
if chosen by the Head of Studies.
Exam period

for the autumn semester 2017:

22 December 2017 in the morning

The written exam takes place in the exam venues of the university 

The exact time and room of the exam will be informed in the Self-Service at KUnet

For enrolled students more information about examination, rules, exam schedule etc. is available at the intranet for master students (UK) and master students (DK).

Re-exam

for the autumn semester 2017:

12 February 2018

The written exam takes place in the exam venues of the university 

The exact time and room of the exam will be informed in the Self-Service at KUnet

If only a few students have registered the exam it might change to oral including the date, time and place, which will be informed in KUNet or by the Examination Office.

More information about reexamination, rules, schedule etc. is available at the intranet for master students (UK) and master students (DK).

 

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.