Communication Technology Imperial College

Principal Investigator: Jonathan Haskel

Researcher: Peter Goodridge

Funders: Ericsson, EPSRC and ESRC Impact Acceleration Accounts

Other partners: The Office for National Statistics, OECD, HM Treasury

Duration: January 2016 – December 2017

While the consequences of the ICT revolution for productivity have been extensively studied by economists, most of the attention has been on the role of hardware. But the ICT revolution has also meant advances in communications technology – transmission networks, broadband, routers, mobile and fixed transmitters and receivers – so examining investments in these and their economic contribution is potentially important.

Working with Ericsson and funded by two Research Council IAA awards, this project looked at the effect of telecoms on society. By considering the effects such technologies have on growth and productivity, this project provided a better understanding of the full economic impact of communication equipment and particularly of mobile networks.

This project delivered:

  • The creation and sharing of a unique dataset of telecommunications prices across Europe.
  • At least four academic and practitioner papers co-authored with Ericsson.
  • Annual dissemination workshops in London and Stockholm with project to share results with partners and funders.