Le determinanti dello sviluppo della banda larga: analisi dei comuni italiani

The aim of this paper is twofold: exploring influential factors of broadband penetration in Italy and identifying the most effective policy options. The heterogeneous geographical penetration of broadband services makes the Italian case especially interesting. Digital divide mostly affects Southern Italy, this area has, in some cases, a total absence of broadband that impedes access to the great opportunities provided by ICT development. The empirical model uses highly detailed data (Italian municipalities) and demonstrates that the digital divide can be attributed both to demand (income, number of household members, the dispersion of the population) and supply. Therefore, econometric analysis has investigated two aspects. On the one hand, it finds that the opening of local exchanges has a positive impact on broadband penetration, suggesting that would it be appropriate to adopt interventionist policies for further opening exchanges. On the other hand, the analysis shows that competition in the broadband market segment (intra-platform competition) is required for broadband penetration in Italian municipalities. These results could be used in developing new insights concerning the dissemination of ultra-broadband, considering that ultra-broadband is an evolution of broadband based on the same technical and social principles.