Global diffusion of telecommunications innovations: a cross-cultural review

One of the major limitations in diffusion studies has been their focus on only a single product in a single market. This paper recognises this limitation and analyses the diffusion of several products: internet, ISDN, personal computers and wireless subscriptions across 103 countries worldwide. The diffusion of each product in each country is modelled by employing and assessing the Bass diffusion model. The results indicate that diffusion coefficients vary significantly across products and countries. Wealth is the most important predictor of market potential in poor countries, whereas the amount of international communication is more significant in rich countries. The innovation and imitation coefficients are higher in late-adopter countries, providing support for the lead-lag effect.