Exploring the role of smart data pricing in enabling affordable internet access

There are several challenges for enabling an Internet that is universally available and accessible to all. These challenges can be overcome by innovations in technology, economics and regulation/policy. Over the last few years the smart data pricing community have proposed several innovative pricing solutions which have the potential for reducing the cost of Internet access. However, it is imperative to understand the network operator's perspective regarding the applicability and wider deployability of these proposed models. In this paper, we discuss the benefits and challenges for the successful adoption of these models backed by a small scale survey filled out by several network operators across the globe.