IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/regeco/v61y2022i1d10.1007_s11149-021-09442-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Access price structure and entrant build-or-buy incentives in mobile markets

Author

Listed:
  • Malin Arve

    (NHH Norwegian School of Economics)

  • Øystein Foros

    (NHH Norwegian School of Economics)

  • Hans Jarle Kind

    (NHH Norwegian School of Economics)

Abstract

We consider a market structure with three mobile providers, two of which are vertically integrated with nationwide coverage. The third provider (an entrant) invests in partial coverage and needs to rent access from one of its rivals. Competition between the vertically integrated providers in the access market may drive them to offer an access price structure that benefits the entrant. For a given level of the access price, the entrant benefits from an access price structure that reduces its need to invest. If asymmetric regulation is imposed whereby only one of the vertically integrated firms (the incumbent) face restrictions on which access price structure it can offer, the access price could be higher than in an unregulated economy. This provides a cautionary tale for competition authorities as well as sector-specific regulators, both of which typically only impose restrictions on the incumbent. The paper is motivated by the Norwegian mobile market, where the competition authorities imposed a fine of 78 million euros on Telenor (the dominant incumbent) for allegations of the abuse of market power by changing the access price structure and thereby hampering an entrant’s investment incentives.

Suggested Citation

  • Malin Arve & Øystein Foros & Hans Jarle Kind, 2022. "Access price structure and entrant build-or-buy incentives in mobile markets," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 61(1), pages 67-87, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:regeco:v:61:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1007_s11149-021-09442-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s11149-021-09442-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11149-021-09442-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11149-021-09442-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cave, Martin, 0. "Encouraging infrastructure competition via the ladder of investment," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(3-4), pages 223-237, April.
    2. Briglauer, Wolfgang & Cambini, Carlo & Grajek, Michał, 2018. "Speeding up the internet: Regulation and investment in the European fiber optic infrastructure," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 613-652.
    3. Marc Bourreau & Johan Hombert & Jerome Pouyet & Nicolas Schutz, 2011. "Upstream Competition between Vertically Integrated Firms," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(4), pages 677-713, December.
    4. Duarte Brito & Pedro Pereira, 2010. "Access to Bottleneck Inputs under Oligopoly: A Prisoners’ Dilemma?," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 76(3), pages 660-677, January.
    5. Marc Bourreau & Carlo Cambini & Pınar Doğan, 2014. "Access regulation and the transition from copper to fiber networks in telecoms," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 45(3), pages 233-258, June.
    6. Marc Bourreau & Pinar Dogan, 2006. ""Build-or-Buy" Strategies in the Local Loop," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(2), pages 72-76, May.
    7. Bourreau, Marc & Cambini, Carlo & Doğan, Pınar, 2012. "Access pricing, competition, and incentives to migrate from “old” to “new” technology," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 713-723.
    8. Höffler, Felix & Schmidt, Klaus M., 2008. "Two tales on resale," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 26(6), pages 1448-1460, November.
    9. Armstrong, Mark, 1998. "Network Interconnection in Telecommunications," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 108(448), pages 545-564, May.
    10. Bourreau, Marc & Jullien, Bruno & Lefouili, Yassine, 2018. "Mergers and Demand-Enhancing Innovation," TSE Working Papers 18-907, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE), revised Apr 2024.
    11. Gruber,Harald, 2005. "The Economics of Mobile Telecommunications," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521843270.
    12. Krämer, Jan & Schnurr, Daniel, 2018. "Margin squeeze regulation and infrastructure competition," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 30-46.
    13. Bourreau, Marc & Dogan, Pinar, 2005. "Unbundling the local loop," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 173-199, January.
    14. Francis Bloch & Axel Gautier, 2017. "Strategic bypass deterrence," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 52(2), pages 189-210, October.
    15. Jean-Jacques Laffont & Patrick Rey & Jean Tirole, 1998. "Network Competition: II. Price Discrimination," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 29(1), pages 38-56, Spring.
    16. Motta, Massimo & Tarantino, Emanuele, 2021. "The effect of horizontal mergers, when firms compete in prices and investments," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    17. Vogelsang, Ingo, 2019. "Has Europe missed the endgame of telecommunications policy?," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 1-10.
    18. Avenali, Alessandro & Matteucci, Giorgio & Reverberi, Pierfrancesco, 2010. "Dynamic access pricing and investment in alternative infrastructures," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 167-175, March.
    19. Philip Gayle & Dennis Weisman, 2007. "Are input prices irrelevant for make-or-buy decisions?," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 32(2), pages 195-207, October.
    20. Cave, Martin & Vogelsang, Ingo, 0. "How access pricing and entry interact," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 27(10-11), pages 717-727, November.
    21. Ordover, Janusz & Shaffer, Greg, 2007. "Wholesale access in multi-firm markets: When is it profitable to supply a competitor?," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 1026-1045, October.
    22. Nitsche, Rainer & Wiethaus, Lars, 2011. "Access regulation and investment in next generation networks -- A ranking of regulatory regimes," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 263-272, March.
    23. Jean-Jacques Laffont & Patrick Rey & Jean Tirole, 1998. "Network Competition: I. Overview and Nondiscriminatory Pricing," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 29(1), pages 1-37, Spring.
    24. Baranes, Edmond & Bourreau, Marc, 2005. "An Economist's Guide to Local Loop Unbundling," MPRA Paper 2440, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    25. Kenneth Arrow, 1962. "Economic Welfare and the Allocation of Resources for Invention," NBER Chapters, in: The Rate and Direction of Inventive Activity: Economic and Social Factors, pages 609-626, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    26. David Mandy, 2009. "Pricing inputs to induce efficient Make-or-Buy decisions," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 36(1), pages 29-43, August.
    27. Steven C. Salop, 1979. "Monopolistic Competition with Outside Goods," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 10(1), pages 141-156, Spring.
    28. Izak Atiyas & Toker Doganoglu & Firat Inceoglu, 2021. "Upstream Competition with Complex and Unobservable Contracts," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 58(3), pages 399-429, May.
    29. David E. M Sappington, 2005. "On the Irrelevance of Input Prices for Make-or-Buy Decisions," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 95(5), pages 1631-1638, December.
    30. Tilman Klumpp & Xuejuan Su, 2010. "Open Access and Dynamic Efficiency," American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(2), pages 64-96, May.
    31. Ingo Vogelsang, 2003. "Price Regulation of Access to Telecommunications Networks," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 41(3), pages 830-862, September.
    32. Izak Atiyas & Toker Doganoglu & Firat Inceoglu, 0. "Upstream Competition with Complex and Unobservable Contracts," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 0, pages 1-31.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Horstmann, Niklas & Krämer, Jan & Schnurr, Daniel, 2015. "Upstream Competition and Open Access Regimes: Experimental Evidence," 26th European Regional ITS Conference, Madrid 2015 127149, International Telecommunications Society (ITS).
    2. Keizo Mizuno & Ichiro Yoshino, 2015. "Overusing a bypass under cost-based access regulation: underinvestment with spillovers," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 47(1), pages 29-57, February.
    3. Dogan, Pinar & Bourreau, Marc & Manant, Matthieu, 2010. "A Critical Review of the “Ladder of Investment†Approach," Scholarly Articles 4777447, Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
    4. Lestage, Romain & Flacher, David, 2014. "Infrastructure investment and optimal access regulation in the different stages of telecommunications market liberalization," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(7), pages 569-579.
    5. Tselekounis, Markos & Varoutas, Dimitris & Martakos, Drakoulis, 2014. "A CDS approach to induce facilities-based competition over NGA networks," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 311-331.
    6. Vogelsang Ingo, 2013. "The Endgame of Telecommunications Policy? A Survey," Review of Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 64(3), pages 193-270, December.
    7. Flacher, David & Jennequin, Hugues, 2014. "Access regulation and geographic deployment of a new generation infrastructure," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(8), pages 741-759.
    8. Marc Bourreau & Pınar Doğan & Romain Lestage, 2014. "Level of access and infrastructure investment in network industries," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 46(3), pages 237-260, December.
    9. Bourreau, Marc & Cambini, Carlo & Hoernig, Steffen, 2015. "Geographic access markets and investments," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 13-21.
    10. Bourreau, Marc & Cambini, Carlo & Doğan, Pınar, 2012. "Access pricing, competition, and incentives to migrate from “old” to “new” technology," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 713-723.
    11. Vitor Miguel Ribeiro, 2018. "Dark fiber price regulation in the absence of facilities-based competition," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 45(2), pages 243-278, June.
    12. Inderst, Roman & Peitz, Martin, 2012. "Network investment, access and competition," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(5), pages 407-418.
    13. Bourreau, Marc & Lupi, Paolo & Manenti, Fabio M., 2014. "Old technology upgrades, innovation, and competition in vertically differentiated markets," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 10-31.
    14. Briglauer, Wolfgang, 2014. "The impact of regulation and competition on the migration from old to new communications infrastructure: Recent evidence from EU27 member states," ZEW Discussion Papers 14-085, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    15. Marc Bourreau & Johan Hombert & Jerome Pouyet & Nicolas Schutz, 2011. "Upstream Competition between Vertically Integrated Firms," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(4), pages 677-713, December.
    16. Brito, Duarte & Pereira, Pedro & Vareda, João, 2012. "Incentives to invest and to give access to non-regulated new technologies," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 24(3), pages 197-211.
    17. Bourreau Marc & Dogan Pinar, 2012. "Level of Access and Competition in Broadband Markets," Review of Network Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 11(1), pages 1-33, March.
    18. Marc Bourreau & Joeffrey Drouard, 2014. "Progressive entry and the incentives to invest in alternative infrastructures," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 45(3), pages 329-351, June.
    19. Marc Bourreau & Romain Lestage, 2019. "Net neutrality and asymmetric platform competition," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 55(2), pages 140-171, April.
    20. Francis Bloch & Axel Gautier, 2017. "Strategic bypass deterrence," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 52(2), pages 189-210, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:regeco:v:61:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1007_s11149-021-09442-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.