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Mobile communications has recently been popular in innovation diffusion studies: Researchers have conducted studies on a nation, a multi-nation, and on a worldwide level. However, although some of the diffusion studies have examined cross-country diffusion processes, there is a lack of research investigating how the disparity of diffusion processes of a given set of countries has evolved. The aim of this study is to empirically measure, whether the diffusion of mobile communications in the European Union has converged or diverged. In this study, this process is quantified by penetration rates of mobile communications subscribers. Subsequently, the annual dispersion is captured by appliance of inequality measures: It is first depicted by Lorenz curves and subsequently measured by GINI coefficients. The tentative results of the study indicate a clear tendency of equalization, measured by the Lorenz curves and Gini coefficients: Thus, the European Union member countries have converged in terms of mobile communications penetration, as foreseen by the learning effect. Key-words: Mobile communications, innovation diffusion, European Union, inequality measures

Innovation diffusion studies have been popular. However, usually the focus has been on two dimensions: Either the innovation's diffusion is studied on the micro level by examining the individual's adoption of an innovation, or on the macro-level by modelling the sigmoid diffusion curve. The third dimension of the diffusion of an innovation, spatial diffusion, has gained less attention. Spatial diffusion models mostly base on the effect of distance on an innovation's diffusion process. Generally, it is seen that the innovation is adopted later in places further away from the innovation centre, even though there are also other, mainly complementary, hypotheses about the diffusion of an innovation. One common approach for studying the spatial diffusion of an innovation, the spatial gravity model, builds on the distance of places in explaining the diffusion process. As the name of the model implies, the hypothesis is that the diffusion is due to different pulling forces of regions. In other words, regions adopt the innovation at a different time because of a different pulling force. In this study, a gravity-based spatial diffusion model is employed for studying the spatial diffusion of mobile communications within the European Union. The model considers the diffusion process on a national level, the adoption units being the member countries of the European Union. The countries' annual penetration rates of mobile subscribers are used as the diffusion data. Also, a variable testing the effect of the country's economic situation, measured by GDP per capita, on the spatial diffusion process is included in the model. Moreover, by extrapolating the model may be used for forecasting purposes, thus giving annual information about the diffusion of mobile communications in the near future. The European Union is a leader in the mobile field. This kind of first-mover position makes the studying of its diffusion process interesting: The results might give information, which could be utilized in controlling the followers' diffusion processes. Also, if there is a significant effect of the economic situation on the diffusion process, it comes with some interesting implications: If an economic recession is found to hinder the diffusion of mobile communications, is the current timing of launch of the third generation the optimal one, noting that the EU simultaneously faces a slowdown in growth? For judging this, the effect of different economic growth scenarios on the diffusion of mobile communications could be estimated, as the model might be used for forecasts.

Most countries dispose towards the development of the information society (IS). Due to increased political interest, there has also been a growing need to collect and compile IS statistics for informed decision-making. Thus, various indicators have been collected and different indices developed to measure IS, to monitor its development and to compare countries in terms of IS performance. Although there is no unambiguous definition of what IS is actually composed of, the availability and use of information and communications technology (ICT) is seen to be an established part of it. This article examines the case of one IS indicator: the measurement of the availability of broadband in Finland from the year 2001 to 2004. The focus is on the overall sensibility of the indicators approach, the evolution of territorial differences at different spatial scales, and the effectiveness of the broadband policy in Finland in years 2001-2004. The analysis shows that the indicators of the availability of broadband might be misleading for purposes of policy formulation and monitoring. The results also indicate that the Finnish broadband policy has resulted in regional differences and spatially uneven impacts in terms of availability. This article is an outgrowth of the ESPON project "Identification of Spatially Relevant aspects of the Information Society".

Access to the Internet plays a central role in the development of an information society. However, because of the required telecommunications infrastructure is very expensive to build, and telecommunications services are also relatively expensive, there is no sufficient demand for a market-based provision of relevant telecommunication infrastructures in many areas. As a result, some citizens and organisations are left without an (up-to-date) access to the Internet. This gap between social groups with and without access to the Internet, which is also often linked with a lack of motivation to use it, is referred to as Digital Divide. Several governments have implemented programmes aimed at diminishing this Divide, by means of providing access to the Internet in regions where the market does not provide it, and by enhancing the citizens' ?information society? skills and motivation. There are a variety of technologies available for connecting to the Internet. The traditional narrowband means include modem and ISDN. For faster connections in terms of data transfer rate, various broadband technologies have been introduced. Actually, these broadband connections, which usually offer a fixed pricing scheme, are often seen as the embodiment of an information society. Lately, also mobile connections have become a feasible in creating an access to the Internet, as their speed has increased to the level of the traditional modem connection, and their data transfer prices have been reduced. The aim of this paper is to explore spatial patterns and differences in internet access in Finland. Availability of all possible technologies (traditional, broadband and mobile) are investigated in detail. The findings are compared with demographic characteristics of the relevant regions. Not surprisingly, the tentative results support the view that regions with higher population densities have a better access to the Internet. With regard to the debate on the Digital Divide, it is especially interesting to observe that variations in access to the Internet do not follow administrative borders, but are much more fine-grained. Clearly, this has implications for effective and righteous information society policies, and for an evaluation of the effectiveness of such policies. The paper in an outgrowth of the project ?Telecommunications Services and Networks and Territorial Cohesion? funded from the European Spatial Planning Observation Network (ESPON) programme (see www.espon.lu). Key words: internet access, digital divide, telecommunications infrastructure, spatial differences, ESPON

Broadband infrastructures with a high transmission capacity are seen as a key precondition for the development of an information society, and therefore, their supply and availability have become important issues in public policies. The paper analyses the policy strategies applied in Finland and Sweden for promoting territorial rollout of broadband infrastructures. The experiences of these two countries can be seen to be of scientific interest and political relevance especially for the following two reasons: Both countries have been forerunners in the development of information society in general, and telecommunications in particular. Secondly, these two countries are sparsely populated, which is a most relevant conditioning factor in the rollout of broadband infrastructures characterised by nodal features. Despite the above-mentioned similarities of the two countries, they have applied quite different strategies in the rollout of broadband. In Sweden, the public sector has taken a more interventionist role than in Finland. This implies the question whether and how this difference can be seen in the territoriality of broadband supply. The paper attempts to answer this question, and provide conclusions for effective policy strategies. The paper is an outgrowth of the ESPON (European Spatial Planning Observation Network) project 1.2.2 "Telecommunications Services and Networks: Territorial Trends and Basic Supply of Infrastructure for Territorial Cohesion" (see: http://www.espon.lu).

The privacy and security of communication in corporations and governmental organizations has increased enormously over the years. At the same time, a growing amount of technological solutions to support this have emerged. This study examines user expectations before and use experiences during the implementation phase of a mobile secure communication application. These are investigated from the expectation–confirmation perspective and its influence on continued adoption. The study has an exploratory approach for this investigation. To guide the investigation, the study draws from the expectation–confirmation theory (ECT) and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). Empirically, the study is qualitative and conducted in a governmental organization in Finland. The findings reveal the key user expectations and use experiences and their importance for users in terms of implementation and continued adoption of a mobile secure communication application. ; peerReviewed

The importance of secure communication between employees in enterprises and governmental organizations as well as technologies to support that has increased tremendously over the past years. This study examines the user expectations before and the use experiences during the implementation phase of a mobile secure communication application together with expectation–confirmation and its influence on continued adoption. The study is explorative in nature and empirically based on thematic analysis of qualitative data collected from pilot users of a mobile secure communication application who work in a governmental organization in Finland. The theoretical basis of the study draws from two well-established theories: the expectation–confirmation theory (ECT) and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). The findings reveal the user expectations before and the use experiences during the implementation phase that are important for users in terms of continued adoption of a mobile secure communication application. The findings are also reflected on the UTAUT. ; peerReviewed

Digitalization of government services is a central goal in many countries. At policy-making level, digital government services are often expected to simultaneously reduce cost and provide citizens with better and more versatile services. Development of new digital government services, however, often involves companies, which typically have differences in their approach to the development and implementation of new digital services compared to the public sector. This study applies activity theory as a lens to identify the similarities and differences between the private and public sector in the development and implementation of a new government digital service. The aim is to identify the contradictions that can lead to expansive learning in the activity system encompassing a national level digital government service for the social welfare and healthcare of citizens in Finland. ; peerReviewed

Digitalization of government services is a central goal in many countries. At policy-making level, digital government services are often expected to simultaneously reduce cost and provide citizens with better and more versatile services. Development of new digital government services, however, often involves companies, which typically have differences in their approach to the development and implementation of new digital services compared to the public sector. This study applies activity theory as a lens to identify the similarities and differences between the private and public sector in the development and implementation of a new government digital service. The aim is to identify the contradictions that can lead to expansive learning in the activity system encompassing a national level digital government service for the social welfare and healthcare of citizens in Finland.