IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jeborg/v76y2010i2p153-167.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Network effects, network structure and consumer interaction in mobile telecommunications in Europe and Asia

Author

Listed:
  • Birke, Daniel
  • Swann, G.M. Peter

Abstract

This paper estimates the importance of (tariff-mediated) network effects and the impact of a consumer's social network on her choice of mobile phone provider. The study uses network data obtained from surveys of students in several European and Asian countries. We use the Quadratic Assignment Procedure, a non-parametric permutation test, to adjust for the particular error structure of network data. We find that respondents strongly coordinate their choice of mobile phone providers, but only if their provider induces network effects. This suggests that this coordination depends on network effects rather than on information contagion or pressure to conform to the social environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Birke, Daniel & Swann, G.M. Peter, 2010. "Network effects, network structure and consumer interaction in mobile telecommunications in Europe and Asia," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 76(2), pages 153-167, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:76:y:2010:i:2:p:153-167
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167-2681(10)00106-X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

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

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ernst R. Berndt & Robert S. Pindyck & Pierre Azoulay, 2003. "Consumption Externalities and Diffusion in Pharmaceutical Markets: Antiulcer Drugs," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(2), pages 243-270, June.
    2. Joseph Farrell & Garth Saloner, 1985. "Standardization, Compatibility, and Innovation," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 16(1), pages 70-83, Spring.
    3. Garth Saloner & Andrea Shepard, 1995. "Adoption of Technologies with Network Effects: An Empirical Examination of the Adoption of Teller Machines," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 26(3), pages 479-501, Autumn.
    4. Kim, Hee-Su & Kwon, Namhoon, 2003. "The advantage of network size in acquiring new subscribers: a conditional logit analysis of the Korean mobile telephony market," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 17-33, March.
    5. Oriana Bandiera & Imran Rasul, 2006. "Social Networks and Technology Adoption in Northern Mozambique," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 116(514), pages 869-902, October.
    6. Goolsbee, Austan & Klenow, Peter J, 2002. "Evidence on Learning and Network Externalities in the Diffusion of Home Computers," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 45(2), pages 317-343, October.
    7. Marc Rysman, 2004. "Competition Between Networks: A Study of the Market for Yellow Pages," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 71(2), pages 483-512.
    8. Gautam Gowrisankaran & Joanna Stavins, 2004. "Network Externalities and Technology Adoption: Lessons from Electronic Payments," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 35(2), pages 260-276, Summer.
    9. Charles F. Manski, 1993. "Identification of Endogenous Social Effects: The Reflection Problem," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 60(3), pages 531-542.
    10. 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.
    11. Jeffrey Rohlfs, 1974. "A Theory of Interdependent Demand for a Communications Service," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 5(1), pages 16-37, Spring.
    12. Katz, Michael L & Shapiro, Carl, 1985. "Network Externalities, Competition, and Compatibility," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 75(3), pages 424-440, June.
    13. Harbord David & Pagnozzi Marco, 2010. "Network-Based Price Discrimination and `Bill-and-Keep' vs. `Cost-Based' Regulation of Mobile Termination Rates," Review of Network Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 9(1), pages 1-46, February.
    14. Wesley Hartmann & Puneet Manchanda & Harikesh Nair & Matthew Bothner & Peter Dodds & David Godes & Kartik Hosanagar & Catherine Tucker, 2008. "Modeling social interactions: Identification, empirical methods and policy implications," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 287-304, December.
    15. Arun Sundararajan, 2004. "Local Network Effects and Network Structure," Industrial Organization 0412011, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Harbord, David & Pagnozzi, Marco, 2008. "On-Net/Off-Net Price Discrimination and 'Bill-and-Keep' vs. 'Cost-Based' Regulation of Mobile Termination Rates," MPRA Paper 14540, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Clavijo, R, 2022. "Price discrimination under nonuniform calling circles and call externalities," Documentos de Trabajo 20054, Universidad del Rosario.
    3. Quach, Sara & Thaichon, Park & Hewege, Chandana, 2020. "Triadic relationship between customers, service providers and government in a highly regulated industry," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    4. Karacuka, Mehmet & Çatık, A. Nazif & Haucap, Justus, 2013. "Consumer choice and local network effects in mobile telecommunications in Turkey," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 334-344.
    5. Zucchini, Leon & Claussen, Jörg & Trüg, Moritz, 2013. "Tariff-mediated network effects versus strategic discounting: Evidence from German mobile telecommunications," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 751-759.
    6. repec:lmu:msmdpa:13764 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Grzybowski, Lukasz, 2015. "The role of network effects and consumer heterogeneity in the adoption of mobile phones: Evidence from South Africa," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(11), pages 933-943.
    8. Daniel Björkegren, 2017. "Scoping for: Competition in Network Industries: Evidence from Mobile Telecommunications in Rwanda," Working Papers 17-10, NET Institute.
    9. Jinping Lin & Kangmin Wu, 2023. "Intercity asymmetrical linkages influenced by Spring Festival migration and its multivariate distance determinants: a case study of the Yangtze River Delta Region in China," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-10, December.
    10. Guven, Faruk, 2018. "Churn and loyalty behaviour of Turkish digital natives," 29th European Regional ITS Conference, Trento 2018 184943, International Telecommunications Society (ITS).
    11. Paolo Zeppini & Koen Frenken, 2015. "Networks, Percolation, and Demand," Department of Economics Working Papers 38/15, University of Bath, Department of Economics.
    12. repec:lmu:msmdpa:12688 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Mothobi, Onkokame & Grzybowski, Lukasz, 2017. "Infrastructure deficiencies and adoption of mobile money in Sub-Saharan Africa," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 71-79.
    14. Basaran, Alparslan A. & Cetinkaya, Murat & Bagdadioglu, Necmiddin, 2014. "Operator choice in the mobile telecommunications market: Evidence from Turkish urban population," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 1-13.
    15. Confraria, João & Ribeiro, Tiago & Vasconcelos, Helder, 2017. "Analysis of consumer preferences for mobile telecom plans using a discrete choice experiment," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 157-169.

    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. Daniel Birke, 2009. "The Economics Of Networks: A Survey Of The Empirical Literature," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(4), pages 762-793, September.
    2. Feng, Yao, 2011. "Local spillovers and learning from neighbors: Evidence from durable adoptions in rural China," MPRA Paper 33924, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Xiong, Hang & Payne, Diane & Kinsella, Stephen, 2016. "Peer effects in the diffusion of innovations: Theory and simulation," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 1-13.
    4. Jullien, Bruno & Pavan, Alessandro & Rysman, Marc, 2021. "Two-sided Markets, Pricing, and Network Effects," TSE Working Papers 21-1238, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    5. Grajek, Michal, 2010. "Estimating network effects and compatibility: Evidence from the Polish mobile market," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 22(2), pages 130-143, May.
    6. Daniel Björkegren, 2022. "Competition in network industries: Evidence from the Rwandan mobile phone network," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 53(1), pages 200-225, March.
    7. Luís Cabral, 2011. "Dynamic Price Competition with Network Effects," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 78(1), pages 83-111.
    8. Michal Grajek, 2003. "Estimating Network Effects and Compatibility in Mobile Telecommunications," CIG Working Papers SP II 2003-26, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (WZB), Research Unit: Competition and Innovation (CIG).
    9. Garcia-Swartz, Daniel D. & Garcia-Vicente, Florencia, 2015. "Network effects on the iPhone platform: An empirical examination," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(10), pages 877-895.
    10. Grajek, Michał & Kretschmer, Tobias, 2012. "Identifying critical mass in the global cellular telephony market," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 496-507.
    11. Oz Shy, 2011. "A Short Survey of Network Economics," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 38(2), pages 119-149, March.
    12. Rojas, Christian, 2017. "How much is an incoming message worth? Estimating the call externality," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 23-37.
    13. Gautam Gowrisankaran & Joanna Stavins, 2004. "Network Externalities and Technology Adoption: Lessons from Electronic Payments," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 35(2), pages 260-276, Summer.
    14. repec:zbw:bofism:2006_038 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Daniel Björkegren, 2017. "Scoping for: Competition in Network Industries: Evidence from Mobile Telecommunications in Rwanda," Working Papers 17-10, NET Institute.
    16. Hornuf, Lars & Engert, Andreas, 2013. "Can Network Effects Impede Optimal Contracting in Debt Securities?," VfS Annual Conference 2013 (Duesseldorf): Competition Policy and Regulation in a Global Economic Order 79867, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    17. Basaran, Alparslan A. & Cetinkaya, Murat & Bagdadioglu, Necmiddin, 2014. "Operator choice in the mobile telecommunications market: Evidence from Turkish urban population," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 1-13.
    18. Catherine Tucker, 2008. "Identifying Formal and Informal Influence in Technology Adoption with Network Externalities," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 54(12), pages 2024-2038, December.
    19. Snellman, Heli, 2006. "Automated teller machine network market structure and cash usage," Scientific Monographs, Bank of Finland, number 2006_038.
    20. Michal Grajek & Tobias Kretschmer, 2008. "Estimating critical mass in the global cellular telephony market," ESMT Research Working Papers ESMT-08-004 (R1), ESMT European School of Management and Technology, revised 15 Apr 2010.
    21. Jin‐Hyuk Kim & Peter Newberry & Liad Wagman & Ran Wolff, 2022. "Local Network Effects in the Adoption of a Digital Platform," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(3), pages 493-524, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Network effects Social networks Mobile telecommunications QAP;

    JEL classification:

    • C14 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Semiparametric and Nonparametric Methods: General
    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • L14 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation
    • L96 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Telecommunications

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:eee:jeborg:v:76:y:2010:i:2:p:153-167. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jebo .

    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.