Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/88511 
Year of Publication: 
2013
Series/Report no.: 
24th European Regional Conference of the International Telecommunications Society (ITS): "Technology, Investment and Uncertainty", Florence, Italy, 20th-23rd October, 2013
Publisher: 
International Telecommunications Society (ITS), Calgary
Abstract: 
This paper provides evidence that superior mobile Internet infrastructure increases take-up of location-based online services. Using data from the largest German online platform for restaurant reviews, I find that upgrading the 2G network to 3G increases the number of restaurant reviews and the share of reviews written on smartphones. To identify the causal effect of the network upgrade, I exploit the geographic location of restaurants relative to cellular network antennas and the terrain around them. Since the 3G signal is much more dependent on a clear line-of-sight than the 2G signal, some restaurants that were previously well covered by 2G are blocked from 3G reception due to geographic obstacles such as hills and forests.
Subjects: 
Mobile Internet
infrastructure upgrade
broadband
JEL: 
L86
R42
H54
Document Type: 
Conference Paper

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