Abstract
We explore the evolution of the mobile infrastructure in South Korea
through the lens of actor network theory. In particular, we analyze
the roles of standards in promoting, enabling and constraining innovation
in broadband mobile services over a 10-year period. During this period,
Korea moved from the position of a follower to the forefront of the
mobile computing revolution by erecting one of the world's most advanced
broadband mobile infrastructures. Our study shows how CDMA standards
shaped specific configurations of actor networks that enabled the
fast and aggressive development and deployment of 2G mobile infrastructures
and a rapid transition to 3G services. These actor networks span
three separate and critical realms of activities: the regulatory
regime, the innovation system, and the market place. Our in-depth
case analysis shows how specific connections and events across these
three realms promoted the rapid expansion and deployment of mobile
services in Korea. Our study suggests that successful innovation
and diffusion of broadband mobile services are collective achievements
and firms need to deploy strategies that enable them to mobilize
broad socio-technical networks that include technological, institutional,
political and financial resources. At the heart of such strategies,
standards play critical roles as they mediate different interests
and motivations among participating actors.
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