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Prices for Communications Equipment: Rewriting the Record

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Abstract

Communication equipment plays as large a role in high-tech investment as computers, yet prices for communication equipment have not been studied as extensively as prices for computers and electronic components. Prices for satellites, cell phones, and the ground stations for these systems--important components of a nation's communications infrastructure--are difficult to locate in official statistics. This paper develops new price measures for 16 types of communications equipment from 1963 to 2009. Indexes for some (e.g., cellular phone systems) experience declines of 15-20 percent per year, similar to the decline in quality-adjusted prices for computers, and suggest that advances in wireless communications technology have been very rapid. All told, our price index for domestic production falls 4.8 percent per year on average over the time period we study and 9.8 percent per year on average since 1985--nearly 10 percentage points faster than the official U.S. producer price index introduced in that year.

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  • David M. Byrne & Carol Corrado, 2015. "Prices for Communications Equipment: Rewriting the Record," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2015-69, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedgfe:2015-69
    DOI: 10.17016/FEDS.2015.069
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    Cited by:

    1. Leonard Nakamura & Jon Samuels & Rachel Soloveichik, 2017. "Measuring the “Free” Digital Economy within the GDP and Productivity Accounts," Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence (ESCoE) Discussion Papers ESCoE DP-2017-03, Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence (ESCoE).
    2. David Byrne & Brian K. Kovak & Ryan Michaels, 2013. "Price and Quality Dispersion in an Offshoring Market: Evidence from Semiconductor Production Services," NBER Working Papers 19637, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Leonard I. Nakamura & Jon Samuels & Rachel Soloveichik, 2016. "Valuing \"Free\" Media in GDP: An Experimental Approach," Working Papers 16-24, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
    4. David M. Byrne & Stephen D. Oliner & Daniel E. Sichel, 2013. "Is the Information Technology Revolution Over?," International Productivity Monitor, Centre for the Study of Living Standards, vol. 25, pages 20-36, Spring.
    5. Haskel, Jonathan & Edquist, Harald & Goodridge, Peter, 2019. "Productivity, Network Effects and Telecommunications Capital: Evidence from the US and Europe," CEPR Discussion Papers 13910, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    6. Nadim Ahmad & Paul Schreyer, 2016. "Are GDP and Productivity Up to the Challenges of the Digital Economy?," International Productivity Monitor, Centre for the Study of Living Standards, vol. 30, pages 4-27, Spring.
    7. Goodridge, Peter & Haskel, Jonathan & Edquist, Harald, 2019. "The economic contribution of the “C” in ICT: Evidence from OECD countries," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(4), pages 867-880.

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    Keywords

    ICT; communications equipment; price measurement; technical change; wireless technology; communications technology; communications equipment industry;
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