Collaborative Scaling in Digital Infrastructure
Prof. Siddharth NATARAJAN
Assistant Professor, College of Business (Nanyang Business School) – Division of Strategy, International Business & Entrepreneurship
Nanyang Technological University
Singapore
Date: 15 April 2026 (Wednesday)
Time: 10:30-12:00
Venue: E22-G015
Host: Prof. Tianyou HU, Assistant Professor in Management
Abstract
Despite digital infrastructure having high scalability potential, digital inequality persists in society. We examine how this problem may be alleviated with collaboration, specifically digital infrastructure hosting. We theorize that digital infrastructure hosting reallocates access to installed capacity across firm boundaries, showing that hosting asset-light entrants both buffers infrastructure owners from competitive pressures and expands digital access in society. Using a longitudinal global sample of firms in the mobile telecommunications industry we study the implications of mobile network operators’ decisions to host virtual network operators (MVNOs) for (1) operator-level performance and (2) country-level digital inclusion. We find that MVNO hosting buffered mobile operators from competitive pressures, but such buffering was weaker for state-owned operators and for operators targeting low-end segments. Moreover, MVNO entry in a country substantially lowered nationwide digital inequality, especially in developing countries. These findings provide important insights about the role of collaboration in scaling private digital infrastructure and aligning strategic and societal gains.
Speaker
Prof. Siddharth NATARAJAN is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Strategy, International Business, and Entrepreneurship at Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University. In his research, Siddharth examines how companies remain competitive in dynamic business environments, in particular, their ability to reorganize and leverage strategic assets across institutional settings. His research has been published in top outlets like Strategic Management Journal, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, Organization Science, Energy Economics, and Journal of International Business Studies. His current work focuses on strategic growth in digital, multinational, and emerging market contexts. In his teaching, Siddharth has developed and led courses on strategy and global management in universities across Singapore and Hong Kong. Before joining academia, he held managerial positions in different multinational companies.
All are welcome!
