Unlocking the promise of mobile value-added services by applying new collaborative business models

Due to the intense voice service competition and subscriber growth saturation, the average revenue per user (ARPU) of mobile communications service providers continues to decline, thereby severely affecting their total revenue and profitability. To counter this challenge, mobile communications service providers are now moving from “tariff competition” to “service competition.” As mobile communications enter the next-generation network (NGN) era, network bandwidth and transmission speed are greatly enhanced. The enhancement enables mobile communications service providers to provide content-rich, multimedia value-added services to create new service value, meet demands of customers, and increase ARPU. To understand how to construct mobile value-added services, this study uses survey forms to collect feedback from 35 industry and research institution experts and scholars and to present systematically the finding on the mobile value-added services strategy. The research employs the analytic network process (ANP) to analyze the strategy of mobile service providers in delivering mobile services in the NGN. The business strategy evaluation framework and evaluation result can be used as guides for players in the mobile communications industry to review, improve, and enhance their service and strategy.     

Paragons of virtue? Competitor entry and the strategies of incumbents in the U.S. local telecommunications industry

We investigate whether the presence of new competitors has influenced the behaviour of U.S. incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) with respect to pricing, advertising and the extent of diversification that they engage in. This issue is explored empirically, using data for the major local exchange carriers for the years 1994 to 1998. The period straddles periods of both absence and presence of competition in the industry, since the Telecommunications Act of 1996 has opened hitherto closed markets to competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs). While a recent Federal Communications Commission (FCC) report on local competition documents vigorous entry during the past years, the market share of the entrants is insubstantial. Our results indicate that the threat provided by market entrants has notably influenced the strategic behaviour of ILECs. The findings show that the incumbent U.S. local operators, particularly the larger ILECs, aggressively protect their profit streams from traditional business. The evidence demonstrates that the ILECs have responded to the Telecommunications Act 1996, and to the threat of market entry it has created, through entry deterrence. This strategic behaviour has been successful in providing ILECs with protection of their monopolistic markets so far.     

Upstream regulation in mature network industry: evidence from Nordic mobile telecommunications markets

This article investigates the effects of upstream regulation that aims to create niches and attract new type of entrants on the competitive environment of downstream markets. Using unique cross-country data of Nordic mobile telecommunications markets, we show that upstream regulation leads to (i) increases in both number and aggregate market share of service-based providers in the downstream market, (ii) an increase in the number of service-based providers, thus increasing their aggregate market share, but no opposite direction of results and (iii) a lower retail price level, proxied by average revenue per user. Our findings imply that upstream regulation may be able to achieve better outcomes when the policy objectives are to revitalize mature network industries and to enhance consumer welfare.     

Regulation and Access Pricing: Comparison of Regulated Regimes

The statutory duties of regulators of British utilities include both the encouragement of competition and protection of consumers (through price caps). Competition depends on the terms on which new entrants can gain access to the monopolist's network. Where the incumbent in the retail market also owns the network, the regulator may determine prices in the capped and access markets separately or may make the price cap explicitly dependent on entry in the uncapped market. Contrary to the received wisdom that access charges should be separately regulated we show that higher welfare can be obtained in some circumstances by allowing the incumbent to determine access charges. This is achieved by permitting the incumbent to choose from a menu of retail prices which the regulator makes conditional on the extent of entry in the retail market.     

网络产业中的转换成本研究综述

网络产业的融合化发展打破了传统的产业边界,但转换成本却影响公司跨产业经营,阻碍了网络融合的进展.本文通过对国内外学者在网络产业转换成本方面的研究进行分类综述,重点介绍了基于双双寡头模型的多期博弈,旨在介绍相关理论方法及重要研究成果.通过分析转换成本与市场进入的关系,本文指出了转换成本通过对用户产生锁定效用而增强在位企业的垄断力量,阻碍大规模的市场进入;转换成本助长寡头间的默契合谋,产生劣币驱逐良币现象,进而产生肥猫效应,导致新进入企业产生低效率进入;最后分析了对忠实用户采取隐瞒信息情况下转换成本所产生的竞争效果.研究结论拓宽了相关研究思路,并对于网络产业进一步融合发展具有一定的借鉴意义.     

Competition Policy: Some Neglected Issues in the Hilmer Report

The Hilmer Report focuses primarily on the very important issues of legislative and regulatory measures to directly reduce monopolistic structures and conduct. This article argues that competition policy also should embrace measures to reduce transaction costs. Lower transaction costs increase the substitutability of different options and help to extend the competitive market, and particularly to reduce entry barriers for new entrants and for innovations. Contrary to Hilmer, the article argues that economic theory, and particularly the marginal cost concept, can and should have a central role in the assessment of monopolistic behaviour and in the determination of access prices to ‘essential services’ provided by natural monopolies.     

Productivity change and its determinants among leading mobile operators in Europe

The European mobile telecommunications industry has seen increased competition and market saturation in recent years, so improving productivity will become crucially important for mobile operators in the near future. This study adopts a bootstrap Malmquist index approach to estimate productivity change among a sample of 23 of Europe's leading mobile operators over the 2008 to 2009 period. Using a second-stage regression, this article also analyses the determinants of productivity changes in terms of regulation, competition and ownership structure. The results show that mobile companies operating in countries that have recently joined the EU have a positive association with productivity change, in contrast to their counterparts in South-East Europe. Concerning market competition, the leading mobile operators that experience higher productivity changes operate in more concentrated markets. The results also indicate that international mobile operators perform better in terms of productivity change than their national equivalents. Finally, some of the implications of the findings for mobile operators’ management and policymakers are provided.     

电信服务提供商的多因素激励机制研究

在电信运营商和SP合作中,电信运营商提供业务传输通道,SP主要提供业务服务,然后二者按一定比例对该业务收益进行分成。如何处理电信运营商与SP的关系,是电信产业未来几年所要研究的重点,由于电信运营商和电信服务提供商（SP）之间存在利益冲突和信息不对称,很容易导致SP的违规行为。电信运营商和SP之间的关系属于多因素的委托-代理关系。在设计委托-代理激励合同时,从多因素角度考虑了电信运营商对SP的激励,在设计委托-代理激励合同时,从两个任务的角度即：可观测到的SP发展的用户数、业务量和用户数及业务量增量和可观测到的SP的信用积分和等级。并通过风险成本和代理成本研究可知对SP进行多因素激励是非常必要的。在具体分析时采用了双因素激励模型。     

Policy issues in the development of telecommunications

The paper examines the specific features of the telecommunications system which determine its character, and the regulatory issues which arise out of a situation of potential conflict between the telecommunications network operators (PITs) and the providers and consumers of value added services transacted on the network. It looks at the policy options available to reconcile such conflicts, and at how EC policies are shaping the future of the European telecommunications ststem. It concludes that current development in telematics are aimed mainly at business users, and that safeguards for the private custormer will be necessary in order to ensure the provision of a socially equitable service.     

Policy issues in the development of telecommunications

The paper examines the specific features of the telecommunications system which determine its character, and the regulatory issues which arise out of a situation of potential conflict between the telecommunications network operators (PITs) and the providers and consumers of value added services transacted on the network. It looks at the policy options available to reconcile such conflicts, and at how EC policies are shaping the future of the European telecommunications ststem. It concludes that current development in telematics are aimed mainly at business users, and that safeguards for the private custormer will be necessary in order to ensure the provision of a socially equitable service.     

Electricity Market Restructuring: Reforms of Reforms

Electricity systems present complicated challenges for public policy. In many respects these challenges are similar to those in other network industries in providing a balance between regulation and markets, public investment and private risk taking, coordination and competition. As with other such industries, naturally monopoly elements interact with potentially competitive services, but electricity has some unusual features that defy simple analogy to other network industries. Following a reversal of a long-term decline in real electricity prices, the last two decades of the twentieth century were for the United States a time of reform, reaction, and reforms of reforms in electricity systems, moving slowly towards greater reliance on competition and markets. Changing technology, new entrants in the generation market, and a legislative mandate to provide access to the essential transmission facility accelerated a process that required major innovations in institutions and operations. Complete laissez faire competition is not possible, and the details of an efficient competitive electricity market are neither obvious nor easy to put in place. The benefits of reform may be substantial, but they require careful attention to market design. A review of the past identifies some choices on the road ahead.     

Should uniform pricing constraints be imposed on entrants?

This paper analyzes uniform pricing, coverage constraints and price caps in markets newly opened to competition, e.g. broadband services. We show that the requirement of uniform pricing has strong repercussions on coverage decisions. Imposed on incumbents only it may distort their coverage decision downward to avoid duopoly entry. If also imposed on entrants it increases the likelihood that entry leads to independent monopolies rather than competition. A sufficiently large coverage constraint on incumbents reestablishes incentives for duopoly entry, but may lead to higher prices.      

Market share determination in marketing service industries - A demand side approach∗

A marketing service industry provides its business clients with its services such as advertising media or inbound telecommunication ( i.e. toll free 800 calls) to increase their sales. By extending Dorfman and Steiner (1954) to the world where firms obtain costly marketing services from outside specialized providers, this paper studies the market shares of providers of a marketing service from the perspective of their clients. It derives that at the optimal point for a representative client, a provider's market share equals the ratio of the profits contributed by its service to the total profits contributed by the services of all providers in the market. Under certain conditions, a provider's market share is just a function of quality-price ratios. This result should facilitate choosing a marketing service from alternative providers and analyzing market shares in marketing-service industries.     

基于行为经济学的移动通信3G营销研究

随着3G牌照的发放,中国电信市场“三国演义”时代正式到来。移动通信市场自2009年开始大规模的发展3G用户以来,三大运营商就面临着如何抢先一步发展客户,如何将现有2G用户顺利延续成3G用户等问题和挑战。面对如此激励的竞争,三大运营商如何才能避免漫无目的竞争？如何才能真正的做到精细化营销？解决这些问题最根本的出发点,就是要把握用户消费的心理,从而引导消费行为。而行为经济学正是从个人决策行为出发分析问题,将心理学研究成果引入分析框架,通过提出更为现实的决策模型解释各种经济现象,因而以行为经济学理论出发研究3G营销变得非常有实际意义。文章应用行为经济学理论对于如何成功发展3G用户进行了一些理论探讨,分别从心理账户、从众心理、可得性启发、锚定效应、极端逆转和体验经济六个方面进行分析,并提出了实务建议。     

The effect of information on the bidding and survival of entrants in procurement auctions

In government procurement auctions of construction contracts, entrants are typically less informed and bid more aggressively than incumbent firms. This bidding behavior makes them more susceptible to losses affecting their prospect of survival. In April of 2000, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation started releasing the internal cost estimates to complete highway construction projects. Using newly developed quantile regression approaches, this paper examines the impact of the policy change on aggressive entrants. First, we find that the information release eliminates the bidding differential between entrants and incumbents attributed to informational asymmetries. Second, we argue that the policy change affects the prospects of survival of entrants in the market. We find that those who used to exit the market relatively soon are now staying 37% longer, while at the median level bidding duration increased by roughly 68%. The policy has the potential to encourage entry in government procurement auctions and thus increase competition.     

Entry and market selection of firms: A laboratory study

We study how markets adjust to the entry of new firms under different conditions. Two incumbents face entry by three other firms. When firms’ costs are equal, entry always leads consumer surplus and profits to their equilibrium levels. When entrants are more efficient than incumbents, entry leads consumer surplus to equilibrium. With cost asymmetries, market behavior is satisfactory from the consumers’ standpoint but does not yield adequate signals to other potential entrants. Simultaneous entry is in the short run more favorable to consumers than sequential entry. A longer incumbency phase favors consumers after entry.     

The effect of entry restrictions on price: evidence from the retail gasoline market

I exploit a change in Spanish regulations to test the effect of the relaxation of entry restrictions on the equilibrium retail price of diesel. In February 2013, a Central Government reform permitted gasoline stations to operate in industrial and commercial areas. Over the following 2-year period, this deregulation led to a high number of new market entrants in these newly designated free entry areas. By isolating markets exposed to entry and markets unaffected by new entrants, and adopting a difference-in-difference approach, results show that gasoline stations exposed to a new market entrant within a one-mile radius lower their prices by an average 1.04%. This result is significant, representing almost one fifth of the average retail margin. Additionally, the results show that the reduction in the equilibrium price is caused by the first market entrant and that the effect decreases over time.     

Performance comparison of two diffusion models in a saturated mobile phone market

This research examines a performance comparison of the Lotka–Volterra (LV) and extended Bass models in the saturated mobile phone market of the Republic of Korea. A three species LV model is developed and applied to Korean mobile phone service providers in terms of competitive impact. Fitting the historical data of the Korean mobile communication service market, the results show that the goodness of fit of the three species LV model in the case of competition among three companies is better than that of the extended Bass model. The advantages and disadvantages of the two models are discussed based on the results of empirical tests.