Cargando...
Fecha
2026-04-03
Derechos de acceso
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Título de la revista
ISSN de la revista
Título del volumen
Editorial
Elsevier
Citas
Resumen
Expanding and upgrading communication networks in rural areas is particularly challenging due to high investment costs and limited prospects for cost recovery. In this context, researchers and policymakers widely view mobile infrastructures as the most viable solution, given their flexibility and lower deployment costs. However, techno-economic assessments that support this view often rely on population-based demand models, an approach which fails to capture the growing complexity of contemporary usage patterns.
This study investigates the key drivers of mobile traffic demand by assessing the predictive value of multiple variables, including Fixed Wireless Access, non-resident mobility, and the spatiotemporal dynamics of service usage. Using voice and broadband traffic from all sites of a major Spanish operator, combined with FWA subscriptions and visitor counts per municipality, we characterize usage patterns across different municipality sizes. Comparing linear models with a Random Forest approach shows that population-based models perform poorly, especially in small municipalities. Overall, the results indicate that network planning should adopt multi-source, non-linear demand models that account for seasonality, visitor flows, and FWA adoption to better inform investment decisions and ensure service quality across diverse geotypes.
Descripción
The registered version of this article, first published in “Telecommunications Policy, Volume 50, Issue 5, 103205", is available online at the publisher's website: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2026.103205
La versión registrada de este artículo, publicado por primera vez en “Telecommunications Policy, Volume 50, Issue 5, 103205", está disponible en línea en el sitio web del editor: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2026.103205
La versión registrada de este artículo, publicado por primera vez en “Telecommunications Policy, Volume 50, Issue 5, 103205", está disponible en línea en el sitio web del editor: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2026.103205
Categorías UNESCO
Palabras clave
Geospatial demand analysis, Demand modeling, Mobile traffic forecasting, Digital divide, Fixed wireless access
Citación
María Teresa Herrero-Zamorano, Julio Navío-Marco, María Bujidos-Casado, Adrián Mendieta-Aragón (2026). When defines where: how rural digital divide, customers’ mobility and usage patterns have shaped mobile infrastructures, Telecommunications Policy, Volume 50, Issue 5, 103205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2026.103205
Centro
Escuela Internacional de Doctorado