When defines where: how rural digital divide, customers’ mobility and usage patterns have shaped mobile infrastructures
Summary. Mobile infrastructure planning in rural Spain relies heavily on population-based demand models, but this study shows these models fail to predict actual usage patterns, especially in small towns. Using real traffic data from a major Spanish operator, the researchers found that voice and broadband usage vary significantly by season, visitor flows, and Fixed Wireless Access adoption. Network planners need multi-source, non-linear models accounting for these factors to make better investment decisions.
Cite this article
Herrero-Zamorano, M. T., Navío-Marco, J., Bujidos-Casado, M., & Mendieta-Aragón, A.. (2026). When defines where: how rural digital divide, customers’ mobility and usage patterns have shaped mobile infrastructures. Telecommunications Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2026.103205
Herrero-Zamorano, María Teresa, et al. “When defines where: how rural digital divide, customers’ mobility and usage patterns have shaped mobile infrastructures.” Telecommunications Policy, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2026.103205.
Herrero-Zamorano, María Teresa, Julio Navío-Marco, María Bujidos-Casado, and Adrián Mendieta-Aragón. 2026. “When defines where: how rural digital divide, customers’ mobility and usage patterns have shaped mobile infrastructures.” Telecommunications Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2026.103205.
@article{herrero-zamorano-2026-when-defines-where-how-rural,
title = {When defines where: how rural digital divide, customers’ mobility and usage patterns have shaped mobile infrastructures},
author = {María Teresa Herrero-Zamorano and Julio Navío-Marco and María Bujidos-Casado and Adrián Mendieta-Aragón},
journal = {Telecommunications Policy},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1016/j.telpol.2026.103205},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2026.103205}
}
TY - JOUR TI - When defines where: how rural digital divide, customers’ mobility and usage patterns have shaped mobile infrastructures AU - María Teresa Herrero-Zamorano AU - Julio Navío-Marco AU - María Bujidos-Casado AU - Adrián Mendieta-Aragón JO - Telecommunications Policy PY - 2026 DO - 10.1016/j.telpol.2026.103205 UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2026.103205 ER -
Details
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.telpol.2026.103205
- Countries
- Spain
- Regions
- Europe
- Categories
- broadband-and-digital, regional-innovation-systems, general-innovation
- Added
- 2026-09-01