The process of standard making : the case of cellular mobile telephony

Abstract

This thesis studies the evolution of standardization processes in connection with the development of mobile telephony from 1946 until the present day. It seeks to understand the pattern of such processes within the cellular mobile industry, and on a more general level provides insights into standardization processes within complex infrastructural information technologies and changes in the institutional regulation of technology. The study examines the history and evolution of cellular technology and changes in its standardization processes and practices, using case studies, a literature review, and archival research. The history of the technological development of cellular phones, and the marketing and strategy policies of the main players are embraced. The standardization processes and the necessary technological development are analyzed through the prism of actor-network theory. The specific objectives of the study are 1) to provide a comprehensive and systematic study of the history and evolution of the NMT and GSM standards, 2) to outline the development and transformation of the telecommunications industry, and the societal impacts this transformation imposes, 3) to reveal the factors for either success or failure of different cellular technologies (standards) and, 4) to develop a model of the standard making process. This study is a result of two longitudinal case studies of standardization initiatives in the field of cellular mobile telephony. The methodology is motivated by a concern with both for process descriptions and theory building. The focus is on highly complex processes that take several years to unfold. The findings offer insights into the evolution of cellular technologies and their standardization strategies and practices. Two most important contributions are those that 1) actor-network theory is found to be an appropriate tool for studying standards as socio-technical processes and addressing technology as an intangible artifact and, 2) the study suggests a model of standard making process which can be generalized and thus applied to the analysis of other complex infrastructural technologies.