Regulatory peripheries: Using prepaid to extend the network Available to Purchase

Telecom network roll‐out is crucial for economic development, and with the advent of mobile telephony, it is increasingly achievable. Mobile adoption in many countries has surpassed fixed line connections. This paper, however, proposes that regulators need to look beyond teledensity to anticipate future access to information infrastructure. Prepaid mobile especially does not provide a solid foundation for future information services. Different stages of regulatory and network development determine the conditions for mobile (and prepaid mobile) adoption at a national level. Likewise, access to further or future information services will be affected by the kind of network now being established and by regulatory conditions which either recognise or ignore national and regional differences.