Evaluating a Decade of Mobile Termination Rate Regulation

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Genakos, Christos; Valletti, Tommaso
• 署名单位: Athens University of Economics & Business; Centre for Economic Policy Research - UK; Imperial College London; University of Rome Tor Vergata
• 刊物名称: ECONOMIC JOURNAL
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0013-0133
• DOI: 10.1111/ecoj.12194
• 发表日期: 2015
• 页码: F31-F48
• 关键词: network competition

摘要

We re-consider the impact that regulation of call termination on mobile phones has had on mobile customers' bills. Using a large panel covering 27 countries, we find that the waterbed' phenomenon, initially observed until early 2006, becomes insignificant on average over the 10-year period, 2002-11. We argue that this is related to the changing nature of the industry, whereby mobile-to-mobile traffic now plays a much bigger role compared to fixed-to-mobile calls in earlier periods. Over the same decade, we find no evidence that regulation caused a reduction in mobile operators' profits and investments.