Browsing by Author "Mitomo, Hitoshi"

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    Consumer protection in the telecommunication sector: a comparative institutional analysis of five African countries
    (Elsevier, 2019) Mwakatumbula, Hilda Jacob; Moshi, Goodiel Charles; Mitomo, Hitoshi
    The telecommunications sector has proliferated in recent years, especially in developing countries. However, little attention has been paid to consumer protection issues. As more people get connected to telecommunication networks and competition becomes increasingly fierce, it becomes essential to revamp institutions that ensure consumer protection in the telecommunication markets. This paper analyses the current status of institutions that protect consumers in the telecommunications sector in five African countries from the perspective of three pillars of sound institutional design. The findings indicate that while all cases analysed herein have some form of institution that upholds consumer protection, in most cases, such protection is limited to mobile communications. Furthermore, in most cases, there are only general sanction provisions that are either too weak to bind service providers or that leave overly discretionary powers to regulatory agencies, which can lead to corrupt practices, hence weakening consumer protection. This paper describes current affairs with regard to consumer protection in the telecom industry, identifies its weaknesses, and proposes areas of improvement to attain a healthier telecommunications sector.
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    Determinants of consumers knowledge on their rights in telecommunication markets : case of Tanzania
    (Academy and Industry Research Collaboration Center (AIRCC), 2016) Mwakatumbula, Hilda; Moshi, Goodiel Charles; Mitomo, Hitoshi
    In modern telecommunications markets, consumers play an important role in maintaining competitive forces in the markets. Consumers shape the industry by either opting to consume services from the most efficient produces, or seeking for redress whenever service providers perform below the set standards which results in breach of consumer rights. Particularly on the later, consumer assertiveness to seek redress is hinged on their knowledge of consumer rights in the telecommunications industry, ability to recognize when their rights are breached, and understanding the institutions to follow in seeking redress. This paper uses the ordered logit (Ologit) regression model to study determinants of consumer knowledge on their rights in the telecommunication industry in Tanzania. The results of this study show that populations living in rural areas, of old age and low income are the least knowledgeable on their rights as telecommunications consumers; thus, the most vulnerable. Further, the awareness of the National Regulator Authority (NRA) in communication, which is the central institution in dealing with consumer empowerment and protection, and usage of social media have positive influence on consumer knowledge on telecommunications rights. The study concludes with policy recommendation for policy makers, to address the lack of consumer knowledge on the telecommunications sector particularly among the most vulnerable consumers who constitute larger part of the country population.
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    Regulation, competition and productivity growth in the African telecommunications industry
    (AIRCC Publishing Corporation, 2013) Moshi, Goodiel Charles; Mwakatumbula, Hilda; Mitomo, Hitoshi
    The telecommunications industry in Africa has exhibited tremendous development since the turn of the century. This study analyzes production efficiency changes in the African telecommunications industry in the period 2000 to 2009. Furthermore, an attempt is made to assess the determinants for such efficiency changes. The results show that the industry has improved its productivity levels. However, most of the productivity growth is resulted from technological advancement and less from technical efficiency. Additionally, market competition and increasing subscriptions have also positively affected the sector’s productivity. Hence, this study implies that African countries can further improve productivity in their telecommunications sector by improving on technical efficiencies, increase outputs especially the penetration of mobile telephony, and allow competition in the market with participation from international network operators.
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    Regulation, competition and productivity growth in the African telecommunications industry
    (Academy & Industry Research Collaboration Center (AIRCC), 2013) Moshi, Goodiel Charles; Mwakatumbula, Hilda; Mitomo, Hitoshi
    The telecommunications industry in Africa has exhibited tremendous development since the turn of the century. This study analyzes production efficiency changes in the African telecommunications industry in the period 2000 to 2009. Furthermore, an attempt is made to assess the determinants for such efficiency changes. The results show that the industry has improved its productivity levels. However, most of the productivity growth is resulted from technological advancement and less from technical efficiency. Additionally, market competition and increasing subscriptions have also positively affected the sector’s productivity. Hence, this study implies that African countries can further improve productivity in their telecommunications sector by improving on technical efficiencies, increase outputs especially the penetration of mobile telephony, and allow competition in the market with participation from international network operators
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    The impact of psychological barriers in influencing customers' decisions in the telecommunication sector
    (AIRCC Publishing Corporation, 2013) Nassar, Hussein; Moshi, Goodiel; Mitomo, Hitoshi
    Increased competition in broadband telecommunication market led to a surge in campaigns and packages for customers. Whereas traditional economic theory assumed that abundance of alternatives is to be welcomed by customers, recent theories however, have emphasized that multiple choices may have a negative role in adoption or switching behavior. The unorthodox conclusions of negative impact of wide assortment of choices were studied through the lens of behavioral economics. Most notably,“anticipated regret” was identified to be major cause of choice deferral of purchase. This paper investigates the role of selection difficulty and anticipated regret on the intention of broadband subscribers to upgrade to higher connection speed. The result shows that there is a significant positive relationship between anticipated regret and decision avoidance. Results also indicate that selection difficulty has positive relationship with switching cost thus indirectly reducing the perceived net benefit of upgraded internet connection. This study, therefore, confirmed the significant impact of psychological barriers together with economic factors in influencing customers’ decisions in the telecommunication sector. This paper thus recommends managers of telecom firms and regulators to seek reducing anticipated regret and selection difficulty when promoting upgraded services even when such services are promising higher economic benefit.