Telecommunication Markets (eBook)

Contents 5
Contributors 8
Introduction 14
Theoretical Perspectives 15
Internet Issues 16
Broadband Issues 18
Mobile Drivers 19
Business Strategy 21
Emerging Markets 23
New Perspectives on the Regulatory Framework 24
Part I Theoretical Perspectives 27
General Access Payment Mechanisms 28
Introduction 28
A Brief Review of Policy and Theory 31
A Stylized Model 40
Special Cases 43
Conclusions 49
References 49
Competition and Cooperation in Internet Backbone Services 51
Introduction 51
Network Effects in Internet Service Provision 53
Terms of Interconnection Among ISPs in a Competitive Environment 53
Dominance at the Tier-1 Level 58
Collusion on the Tier-1 Level 63
Conclusions 66
References 67
A Behavioral Economic Interpretation of the Preference for Flat Rates: The Case of Post-paid Mobile Phone Services 69
Introduction 69
Telecommunications Services in Japan and Consumers’ Flat-Rate Preference 71
Interpreting Flat-Rate Preference through Behavioral Economics 72
The Empirical Study 75
Conclusion 82
References 83
Regulation of International Roaming Charges – The Way to Cost-Based Prices? 84
Introduction 84
Roaming Technology 85
Techno-economic Analysis of Roaming Costs 89
Regulation of Wholesale Prices 91
Regulation of Retail Prices 95
Discussion 99
References 101
Part II Internet Issues 102
Substitution Between DSL, Cable, and Mobile Broadband Internet Services 103
Introduction 103
The Austrian Market for Broadband Internet Services 104
Consumer Survey Results 106
Estimation Results 111
The Development of Mobile Broadband 115
Conclusions 117
References 117
Search Engines for Audio-Visual Content: Copyright Law and Its Policy Relevance 120
Introduction 121
Search Engine Technology 123
Copyright in the Search Engine Context: Business Rationale and Legal Arguments 129
Policy Dimension: Placing the Copyright Debate in the Audio-Visual Context 138
Conclusions 144
Search Engines, the New Bottleneck for Content Access 147
How a Search Engine Works 148
The Search Engine Market 149
Where Does the Money Come from? 150
Manipulation of Search Results 152
Data Retention and Content Aggregation 154
Regulatory Aspects 156
Analysis 160
References 161
E-Commerce Use in Spain 163
Introduction 163
E-Commerce and Internet Use 165
Descriptive Analysis and Definition of Variables 165
Specification of the Demand Models 168
Conclusions 174
Appendix 176
References 177
Part III Broadband Issues 179
The Diffusion of Broadband-Based Applications Among Italian Small and Medium Enterprises 180
Introduction 180
The Dataset 182
The Empirical Model 183
The Results 186
Conclusions and Future Research Directions 189
References 190
Drivers and Inhibitors of Countries’ Broadband Performance – A European Snapshot 192
Introduction 192
Broadband Development Drivers 194
Research Model and Method 199
Results 204
Conclusions 209
References 210
The Telecom Policy for Broadband Diffusion: A Case Study in Japan 212
Introduction 212
Means for Broadband Diffusion 214
Unbundling and New Entrants in Japan 215
The Japanese Telecom Policy 217
The Evaluation of the Japanese Telecom Policy 223
References 223
Part IV Mobile Drivers 225
Mobile Termination Carrier Selection 226
Introduction 226
Calling-Party-Pays 228
Receiving-Party-Pays and Bill-and-Keep 229
The Principle of Mobile Termination Carrier Selection 230
Mobile Termination Carrier Selection at the Retail Level and at the Wholesale Level 233
Merits and Problems 236
Conclusion 237
References 238
Countervailing Buyer Power and Mobile* Termination 239
Introduction 239
Policies of the European Union 240
Exercise of CBP 243
Regulatory Intervention 245
Relaxing of Regulation 245
Conclusions 247
References 248
National Roaming Pricing in Mobile Networks 250
Introduction 250
Competitive Neutral National Roaming Rate 254
The National Roaming Access Prices and Incentives to Invest 259
Conclusion 264
References 265
Can Competition Be Introduced Via the Issue of New Mobile Telephony Licences: The Experience of 3G Licensing in Europe 266
Introduction 266
3G Licensing in Europe 267
3G New Entrants 275
Discussion 280
Conclusions 282
References 283
Does Regulation Impact the Entry in a Mature Regulated Industry? An Econometric Analysis of MVNOs 284
Introduction 284
Regulation, New Institutional Economics and Fringe Entry into a Mature Industry 286
Model, Data Collection and Variables 291
Empirical Test 294
Results and Discussion 300
Appendix: Entry differentiation by contract 304
References 305
Part V Business Strategy 307
Exploring Technology Design Issues for Mobile Web Services 308
Introduction 309
Business Models 310
Exploring Technology Design Issues in MWS 311
Conclusions 320
Limitations and Next Research Steps 321
References 322
Business Models for Wireless City Networks in the EU and the US: Public Inputs and Public Leverage 324
Introduction 324
Business Model Configurations 327
Private–Private Model 328
Private–Wholesale Model 330
Public–Public Model 331
Public–Wholesale Model 332
Open Site Model 333
Community Model 334
Conclusion: Comparison of Public Inputs and Returns 335
References 338
Managing Communications Firms in the New Unpredictable Environments: Watch the Movies 340
Introduction 340
Managing Uncertainty? 341
Movies and Power Laws 343
Business as a Complex, Unpredictable System 345
The Movie Business as a Complex System 346
Dealing With Unpredictability Through Resilience 349
Conclusions 357
References 360
Shareholder Wealth Effects of Mergers and Acquisitions in the Telecommunications Industry 362
Introduction 362
Development of Hypotheses 365
Theory and Methodology 370
Empirical Results 381
Discussion and Conclusion 385
References 392
Part VI Emerging Markets 394
Next Generation Networks: The Demand Side Issues 395
Overview 395
Future Demand and the Market for Communications 397
Conclusion 411
References 412
Technical, Business and Policy Challenges of Mobile Television 414
Introduction 414
Factors Influencing Mobile TV 415
Mobile TV in South Korea 419
Mobile TV in the United States 423
Lessons and Outlook 427
References 428
A Cross-Country Assessment of the Digital Divide 430
Introduction 430
Literature Review 431
Model of Communications Share 443
Conclusion 443
References 444
Russian Information and Communication Technology in a Global Context 445
Introduction 445
Russia in the Worldwide Information Space 446
The Role of ICT for the Development of the Russian National Economy 448
The Role of Techno-Parks 451
The Future of the Internet in Russia 452
Conclusions and Actual Tasks 454
References 455
Part VII New Perspectives on the Regulatory Framework 456
The Regulatory Framework for European Telecommunications Markets Between Subsidiarity and Centralization 457
Introduction 458
The Benefits and Costs of Centralization 460
Important Particularities of Telecommunications Markets 464
On the Political Economy of (De-)regulation 466
A Brief Evaluation of Current Policy Proposals 468
An Alternative Institutional Proposal 470
Conclusions 472
References 472
Surveying Regulatory Regimes for EC Communications Law 474
Introduction 474
Defining the Problem 475
Assessing the Alternatives 478
Sustaining the Status Quo 485
Conclusion 490
References 491
Innovation and Regulation in the Digital Age: A Call for New Perspectives 495
Introduction 495
Strained Relations Between Innovation and Regulation 497
Rethinking Regulation on the Basis of Innovation and the Mobilization of Productive Resources 508
Conclusion 513
References 516