[Commlist] CFP: Telecommunications revolution? Enduring problems and possible futures

**Telecommunications revolution? Enduring problems and possible futures**

For inclusion in a feature section of/Media International Australia/.

Guest Editors: Rowan Wilken (RMIT University), James Meese (RMIT 
University), Catherine Middleton (Toronto Metropolitan University), Fan 
Yang (RMIT University), Kieran Hegarty (RMIT University).

The telecommunications sector is at a critical juncture. New wireless 
technologies are being rolled out apace, and promise a new wave of 
innovation. However, many countries are still struggling to ensure 
adequate rural and regional coverage, despite significant public 
investments in fixed broadband. In such a context, the fate of any 
promised telecommunications revolution is uncertain. This feature topic 
will explore this moment of change and consider which futures are likely 
to be realised and which problems will persist.

5G - the next generation of mobile telecommunications technology - 
offers a useful point of departure for the issue. The implementation of 
5G is well underway and promises to vastly improve network speeds and 
ensure widespread wireless connectivity. These improvements may provide 
the infrastructure backbone for automated systems in cars, utility 
grids, homes, cities and farms. Many governments and industries are 
expecting a new wave of technological development and economic 
prosperity to follow.

However, these projections may turn out to be much more haphazard than 
telecommunications companies, governments and other stakeholders 
suggest. The fact that many citizens cannot access affordable phones and 
reliable internet coverage, challenges any notion of a seamless 
transition. The significant increase in speed and the unique character 
of 5G networks also raises a series of as yet unresolved policy tensions 
in the telecommunications sector, from net neutrality to the ongoing 
role of publicly funded fixed-line services. Alongside these 
long-standing issues, geopolitical tensions surround the technology, 
with various nations engaging in covert and overt contestations over the 
development and deployment of these technologies. Knowledge gained from 
previous mobile phone generations also suggests that the ultimate fate 
of any promised telecommunications revolution is uncertain.

We invite researchers from across the world to help us better understand 
how the telecommunications sector is navigating this critical juncture 
and welcome a wide range of theoretical and methodological approaches.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

* Power dynamics of telecommunications infrastructure (key actors, flows 
of money, distributions of resources and knowledge).

* Emerging inequalities/questions of social justice in relation to 
infrastructural development.

* National, international, and transnational policy 
developments/frameworks associated with the 5G rollout.

* Conceptual, theoretical, or empirical work on mobile standardisation.

* Contemporary geopolitical tensions around telecommunications.

* Everyday experiences of media infrastructure.

* Labour and industries associated with telecommunication infrastructure 
(and the role of maintenance, care, and repair).

* Imaginaries and ideologies associated with telecommunications development.

* Applications and limitations of existing media studies theories for 
understanding telecommunications infrastructure.

**Information about submission**

Proposals should include an abstract of 500 words (not including 
references), short bios and the names of 2 suggested reviewers. Please 
send proposals to Kieran Hegarty ((kieran.hegarty /at/ rmit.edu.au) 
<mailto:(kieran.hegarty /at/ rmit.edu.au)>) and cc- James Meese 
((james.meese /at/ rmit.edu.au) <mailto:(james.meese /at/ rmit.edu.au)>) with the 
subject line: MIA Feature Topic by 3 October 2022.

No payment from the authors will be required for publication.

**Timeline**

3 October 2022.    Deadline for abstract submission

4 November 2022 Invitations to submit full-length papers sent out

7 April 2023            Deadline to submit full-length paper (7,000 – 
8,000 words)

February 2024       Publication


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