Journal of Telecommunications and the Digital Economy

Evaluating Signal Quality and System Performance in NB-IoT Communications

Waldon Hendricks — 2024-06-29

The expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) has created a need for reliable and fault-tolerant communication networks. However, ensuring consistent signal quality and power efficiency has proven to be challenging. This study evaluated the performance of Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) communications using the SIM7020 module connected to a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, focusing on signal quality across indoor, outdoor, urban and rural areas. Supervised machine learning for indoor localisation based on Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) has been introduced, for example, to enhance NB-IoT performance. However, this and other approaches have encountered difficulties in mobile and obstructed environments, including signal attenuation, connectivity variability and increased power consumption.

The objective of this study was to analyse NB-IoT signal strength and power consumption, providing guidance for deploying real-time communication IoT applications. Empirical data was analysed to understand the RSSI and Cellular Signal Quality (CSQ) in different locations. Signal quality in urban and outdoor environments was prone to fluctuations due to mobility and interference, whereas rural areas had weaker but more consistent signals. Indoor environments suffered from significant signal attenuation. The results emphasise the importance of improved handover mechanisms and adaptive deployment strategies to ensure reliable connectivity across various IoT applications.

Vale Doug Campbell (1939–2023)

Jim Holmes — 2024-06-29

Doug Campbell commenced his life and career in Canada. He joined the Australian telecommunications sector in mid-career and made extended contributions in many different senior management positions in Telecom Australia and Telstra, particularly in modernising the Telstra network, in establishing and managing Telstra Country Wide, and, then, in the early phase of the national broadband network, in NBN Co. Doug died on 2 December 2023, and is sadly missed by his family, friends and former colleagues. This tribute, to which many have contributed, seeks to set Doug’s life and career in the context of the times. He was at the table, often as the key decision-maker, during many of the significant changes in the telecommunications industry during the last decade of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st.

John Costa’s 35 Years of Contributions to this Telecommunications Journal

Peter Gerrand — 2024-06-29

John Costa has retired from this Journal’s Board of Editors, after 35 years of active contribution. From 1990 to 1992, he was Executive Editor (and Editor-in-Chief), producing eight issues of the Telecommunication Journal of Australia (TJA), the name of this Journal up until 2013. Just as significant were the many subsequent issues of the Journal for which he was Guest Editor, from 1994 onwards. TJA evolved first into the Australian Journal of Telecommunications and the Digital Economy (AJTDE: 2013–2018) and subsequently the more deliberately international Journal of Telecommunications and the Digital Economy (JTDE: 2019– ). As an ongoing and popular member of the Editorial Advisory Board, John was noted for his skill in commissioning new papers from distinguished overseas authors, as well as the impetus he gave the Journal in its coverage of new forms of satellite and terrestrial radio communications.

The Australian East-West Radio Relay System Revisited: Thermal Design of Repeater Shelters

Simon Moorhead — 2024-06-29

The Journal revisits two historic papers from 1971 covering the thermal design and environmental controls in repeater shelters of the Australian East-West radio relay system from Northam in Western Australia to Port Pirie in South Australia.

Editorial: Identity is Coming

Leith H. Campbell — 2024-06-29

This editorial includes some comments on identity management, a necessary addition to the Internet and World Wide Web and a topic of recent discussion in Australia. The editorial also introduces the content of the June issue.

Perceived Value and Adoption Intention for 5G Services in India

Devkant Kala — 2024-06-29

Acknowledgment of the significance of environmental factors in technology adoption is widespread. However, empirical investigations into how environmental awareness influences the interconnection between perceived value and adoption intention for 5G services are notably lacking. This study investigates how perceived value shapes consumers’ 5G adoption intentions and how environmental awareness moderates the relationship between perceived value and adoption intention, employing the Value Adoption Model (VAM). Survey items on perceived value, adoption intention, and environmental awareness, drawn from existing literature on consumer value and information systems, were employed to gather data. An online questionnaire was completed by 530 participants from India. The collected data was processed using PLS-SEM. The findings indicate that perceived usefulness and enjoyment are key drivers of adoption, while perceived costs show mixed effects. Notably, technical issues do not negatively impact perceived values, but perceived fees negatively affect the perceived value of 5G services. Overall, perceived value significantly influences 5G adoption intention, with environmental awareness mediating this relationship. The findings offer valuable guidance to 5G service providers in emerging markets and provide policymakers with insights into the interplay of cost-benefits and environmental considerations in 5G service adoption.

The Effects of Social Media Content on a Firm’s Book-Based and Market-Based Performance

Ilia Naidanov — 2024-06-29

The success of companies is increasingly dependent on their online image. Therefore, the research has called for a better understanding of the characteristics of a firm’s online content that can enhance a firm’s performance. This study delves into the impact of social media content on both book-based and market-based performances of firms, drawing insights from 32 articles published between 2016 and 2022. The present article encompasses the categorisation and explanation of the economic effects of user- and firm-generated social media content, while also exploring cross-firm and cross-industry spillover effects. The study extends prior research that has primarily focused on the effects of one type of content or the other and only on some specific measures. Moreover, the study visually illustrates the economic effects of social media content on book-based and marked-based firm attributes. These insights provide a valuable resource for firms seeking to optimise their social media strategies to improve performance and for researchers choosing a research agenda.

Innovation in Compensation Payments

Ashraf Ruksana — 2024-06-29

The growing economic influence of cryptocurrency and the development of the associated infrastructure has brought about an interest in the new areas of its application. Payment of compensation in cryptocurrency is one such evolving application of cryptocurrency. Using a qualitative research design, we attempt to identify the factors and ecosystem constituents that play an important role in the diffusion, adoption and use of cryptocurrency as a compensation medium. A hybrid methodology involving both inductive and deductive methods of qualitative inquiry was used to develop the themes. The study identified nine main factors that influenced a participant’s decision to accept compensation in cryptocurrency. They are: (1) the prospects of high return; (2) ease of transaction; (3) faster international transactions; (4) price volatility of cryptocurrencies; (5) threat of hacking; (6) taxation policies of the country; (7) lack of recognition as legal tender; (8) influence of peer groups; and (9) influence of celebrities. The inductive part of the study enabled the mapping of the major stakeholders involved in the decision, namely, the government, the employer, the peer groups of the employee, celebrities and the cryptocurrency-issuing company.

Enhancing Customer Relationship Management with Data Analytics: Insights from Retail Survey

Roula Jabado — 2024-06-29

In the contemporary digital era, understanding the role of Data Analytics Capabilities (DAC) in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems is essential for effective marketing decisions. DAC refers to the skills and knowledge in using technological tools, techniques, and methodologies to extract meaningful and actionable insights from various data sources. The originality of the study lies in providing an external perspective from customers on the benefits of effective DAC to improve the performance of CRM systems in the retail industry. Specifically, it evaluates the roles of technological CRM system quality, employee interaction-management capabilities empowered with the CRM system, and the DAC outcomes in enhancing the overall customer satisfaction for both online and in-store experiences. The methodology employs a quantitative approach that includes a survey for data collection of 380 retail customers, an exploratory factor analysis and a multi-linear regression analysis. Theoretically, findings advance our understanding of retail CRM systems by providing empirical evidence quantifying the positive impact of DAC outcomes on customer satisfaction. Practically, results offer managerial insights for leveraging technology and human capabilities to enhance in-store and online customer relationships. Acknowledging geographical and industry limitations, future research could explore the research model across various contexts.

Archery Analytic Workflow in a Web-Based Application

Basil Andy Lease — 2024-06-29

The integration of sports science and camera sensing technology has recently emerged to be an advanced analytical tool in sportsperson performance enhancement. The use of computing power and a web-based application can provide quick information analysis and data reporting between coaches and athletes. The design of an archery analytic workflow is demonstrated in this paper using the Python Flask framework, video analytic algorithms, a structured video inventory framework, MongoDB database setup and integration of the Keypoint R-CNN machine learning backend. A user-friendly data visualisation interface on the front end is integrated in the software to deliver athletes’ analytical capabilities such as thorough frame-by-frame video analysis, posture consistency estimation and joint kinematic analysis. This web application framework is not limited to archery sports, and can be extended to numerous sports, such as shooting, weightlifting and cycling. The significance of integrating camera sensing technology with the sports science field can offer quantitative and qualitative observations to improve training programs and performance evaluation.

Universal Service for the Twenty-First Century

Holly Raiche — 2024-06-29

The Australian Government is asking Australians for their views on the existing telecommunications universal service obligation. Fifty years ago, that obligation was on Telecom (now Telstra) to provide payphones and a voice service that would best meet the social, industrial and commercial needs of all Australians who reasonably require those services, so far as it is reasonably practicable to do so. The obligation is still the same: the provision of payphones and voice telephony. If the universal service obligation is to have any continuing relevance in the Australian communications framework, however, it must reflect the social, industrial and commercial needs of Australians in 2024 and beyond. Research shows that Australians are using broadband services for a wide range of services in their lives: access to government services, health, finances, education, entertainment, and social and family connections. And for the large majority of Australians, that communication is by mobile telephony. A new definition of the service for all Australians must be upgraded to reflect how Australians now communicate. And it must be continually reviewed and upgraded as necessary to meet the changing communications needs of all Australians.