The ICT industry contributes greatly to the economic development of each country. While the number of mobile users is increasing rapidly and technological innovation is fast-paced, mobile network operators face a changing business environment. This study conducted an analysis to measure the relative efficiency of 18 mobile network operators in Asian countries by using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Based on the results of DEA, this study also analyzed the impact of country-wise characteristics as well as spectrum policies adopted in each country by using the Tobit model. The results showed that the efficiency score was higher in the competitive markets, and lower in the wider service area due to the capital investment burden. The urbanization rate was not statistically significant, suggesting that the construction of mobile communication networks in urban areas has a complex aspect. Concerning spectrum policy aspects, the study further indicated that the choice of spectrum assignment policy method, such as auction, as well as the assignment of bandwidth, could also have an impact on efficiency.

To address the surge in traffic volume due to the proliferation of broadband, communication network enhancement is demanded, and since the late 2000s, there has been a great deal of discussion between OTT providers, who are the primary beneficiaries of network development, and network operators, who are the main investors, primarily in Europe and the United States. Firstly, in 2012, the “Sending Party Network Pays” was proposed in Europe for the ITU’s World Conference on International Telecommunications. In 2020, a legal dispute over cost sharing between Netflix and SK Broadband began in Korea, followed by the European Commissionʼs launch of a debate on “fair contributions” in 2023. The European Commission declared its goal to spread gigabit networks and next-generation wireless high-speed networks by 2030, demanding fair contributions from all market participants. This paper aims to contribute to telecom policy in Japan, which may face similar issues, by summarizing the related debate in Europe.